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Introduction to Kona Coffee

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Regarding Kona, coffee drinkers have all heard of its acidic and fruity characteristics. However, the term "Kona" can only represent coffee beans produced in Hawaii, and its quality and taste vary greatly between different products, making it impossible to describe precisely. This is because different estates/companies may grow/purchase different bean varieties, so the products themselves represent different plant fruits. The harvesting times may differ, and the processing and screening procedures after coffee bean harvesting may also vary (especially at this stage, screening will determine the grading of coffee beans - whether they are extra fancy, fancy, or estates). Most importantly, the roasting method and degree will all bring different flavors.

Higher quality Kona coffee usually needs to be found from smaller local companies or farm direct-to-consumer websites. Although the Kona coffee beans provided by these estates/small companies sometimes cost twice as much as supermarket products, their quality is much better.

The Unique Growing Conditions of Kona

The volcanoes on the Big Island are a goddess that local residents both fear and love. They fear the goddess's anger, which could reduce their homes to ashes in an instant, yet they love the tears left by the goddess after her anger - high-temperature, thick lava that, after cooling, forms special soil, becoming one of the unique growing conditions for "Kona coffee." Plant growth cannot lack sunlight, but coffee beans also need appropriate shade. Hawaii, surrounded by the sea, has its climate regulated by seawater. The morning sunlight becomes gentle through water vapor, and by noon, the water vapor in the mountains condenses into fog, protecting the trees.

The island has no high mountains or steep ridges to block it, and the white clouds in the sky surge with the wind, forming a sunshade that automatically opens and closes with natural rhythms. In the coffee world, "Kona coffee" is like a girl from a noble family, receiving the most gentle care from nature.

History and Characteristics of Kona Coffee

"KONA coffee" is not native to the Big Island. The earliest record can be traced back to 1813 when the Spanish planted the first coffee tree, but it truly flourished in the 19th century. Its lineage comes from "Arabica," one of the world's three major coffee varieties. It is not as strong as Italian coffee, nor does it have the rugged taste of Central and South American coffee. The combination of acidity and sweetness is very gentle, and the aftertaste reveals fruit aroma. Those who don't like it feel that "KONA coffee" is too light, but this "fresh and natural" flavor can only be embodied by "KONA coffee" in the coffee world.

In Hawaii, a 4oz bag of 100% pure "Kona coffee" costs about $12, which is considered medium-high priced compared to general coffee. What you buy in Hawaii is generally 100% single-origin coffee beans. Some coffee farms' exhibition stores provide tastings, giving you peace of mind when purchasing after trying.

Coffee Tree Cultivation

Coffee beans grow in segments. The parts that grew this year won't grow again next year, so the branches become longer and longer, growing one segment at a time. Of course, when they grow very long, they will touch the ground. Therefore, approximately every five to six years, the entire tree is cut down but the roots are preserved to allow it to regrow once.

Coffee trees actually don't require much care. The reason KONA coffee is famous is that only a "certain mountainous area" in KONA is particularly suitable for growing coffee. This is partly due to Hawaii's volcanic soil characteristics and partly because KONA's weather is wonderful - there is strong sun during the day but after noon, it starts to rain, so these coffee trees almost never need watering to grow well! Additionally, Kona coffee actually uses the same Arabica bean variety as Blue Mountain coffee, but due to different climate, altitude, and soil, it presents completely different flavors.

Hawaii's coffee production season is from July and August to January each year. However, a single coffee tree can only produce about one pound of coffee, making it quite rare.

The Unique Qualities of Kona Coffee

Like other places in the Hawaiian Islands, Kona Island also provides ideal climate conditions for coffee bean cultivation. However, the coffee beans produced in Kona are distinctive and have earned a good reputation as "world-class coffee." This is likely because Kona Island is rich in volcanic black mud, which has moderate acidity, rich mineral content, and appropriate moisture content. And every afternoon, a cloud drifts over Kona Island to block the sunlight, protecting the fragile coffee tree seedlings.

The special thing about KONA coffee is also that every Kona coffee bean is hand-selected and harvested to ensure only the highest quality coffee beans are used for coffee production. In fact, 100% pure KONA coffee is very rare and sometimes even difficult to find. The rarest Kona coffee beans are peaberries (round coffee beans with one bean per cherry), whose annual production can only account for 4%-5% of the entire Kona coffee bean production. The special thing about peaberry coffee beans is that each coffee fruit contains only one coffee bean, while other types of Kona coffee fruits all contain two coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's Hawaiian coffee comes from the KONA region, and we particularly love the special flavor of KONA coffee.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee brewing recommendations:

V60/90°C/1:15/Time: two minutes

Flavor: mulberry, sugarcane

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473