March 19th, 2009 by CoffeDealer
The Kona coffee plant is one of the most precious gifts to the coffee community. It yields an extremely full-bodied, smooth bean that has been known to make some of the best coffee available. Farmers in Hawaii take great care to make sure that the kona coffee beans that come in a Kona bag are of the utmost quality. They make it that way by a series of strict guidelines that come down to a fine art.
The first step is in the growing portion of the year. The plant blooms a white flower in January, and this period is known as “Kona Snow”, as the ground is covered in blossoms. The berries grow on the trees after the blossoms have fallen off, starting at green, and then maturing to a deep red. Once they are at their perfect condition they are harvested.
The harvesting process is one that occurs year-round. Because the plants can be picked between six and nine times a year, workers are always busy finding the perfect cherries. It takes about seven to eight pounds of…
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March 18th, 2009 by CoffeDealer
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…
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