The Uniqueness of Kona Coffee Beans

March 18th, 2009 by Geoff Marks

The State of Hawaii has been contributing a very important flavor of coffee to the community of coffee lovers. It is called “Kona”, and it is grown on a relatively small portion of the Hawaiian Islands. The entire crop of kona coffee beans comes from a two to three thousand acre plot of land which has it’s own unique history.

Hawaii has strict rules on it’s coffee industry. To be called by the name “kona” the beans have to be from the specific part of the region where the beans are currently grown. Some lower cost versions of Kona coffee are mixed with Arabica beans from Columbia and Brazil. While these Kona coffee blends are still full of flavor, they are not the true variety hat has brought such renown to this delicious bean.

The coffee plant was originally brought to Hawaii by a Brazilian man in the 1800′s. It never really came of any significance until the coffee market crash of the 1890′s. During this time, the land owners leased the land to the farmers, who began to grow sugar cane. Japanese farmers came to the island for work, and began to grow coffee again in the same area. They refined the process of growing the plant, which led to an amazing improvement in the reliability of the coffee crop.

The Kona blend gets it’s unique flavor from the climate and weather conditions of the Hawaiian Islands. A combination of sunny mornings, strong, short storms, and mild nights combine for optimum growing conditions.

The cherries that are picked from the plan ts go through a strict process to get to their premium texture. They are removed from their pulp and placed in a fermentation chamber for 12-24 hours, depending on elevation. Then, they are placed on a table to dry. The building that they are in has a retractable roof to cover the beans in case of rain. After that, they are placed in a parchment to prepare for shipment. It takes between 7-9 pounds of cherries to get a pound of coffee.

The flavor is of extremely high strength and quality, and the result of the climate is delicious. Full flavored Kona coffee beans are certainly among the finest tasting coffees in the world.