Characteristics of Hawaii Kona Coffee Beans_Which Hawaii Coffee is Best to Drink_Hawaii Coffee Recommendations

Hawaiian Coffee - Kona Extra Fancy

Perfect in appearance, full and glossy, rich, balanced acidity, with cinnamon aroma. Perhaps the most beautiful coffee beans in the world.

Hawaiian-grown Kona coffee beans have the most perfect appearance, exceptionally full and brightly glossy. The coffee has a rich, aromatic flavour with cinnamon spice notes, and the acidity is balanced and moderate.

Hawaiian coffee is the only premium variety produced among the 50 states of the United States, with the American mainland naturally its largest market. Among all coffee producers, Hawaii's coffee industry management ranks among the strictest, with the highest labour costs and the best investment levels.

Hawaii's coffee industry also has to compete for space with the expanding tourism industry. Most coffee grows on the slopes of Mauna Loa, originally a volcano, in the western part of the Kona district on the island of Hawaii. The growing region stretches about 30 kilometers, with cultivation concentrated in the northern and southern parts. The trees are planted in relatively remote areas, but the soil is fertile and holds volcanic ash. Though initial planting demands hard physical labour and management is challenging, it is some comfort that Kona coffee trees, at least those growing above 90 meters, seem unaffected by any pests or diseases.

Although Hawaii is often affected by tornadoes, the climate is very suitable for coffee. There is abundant rainfall and sunshine with no risk of frost, and there is a peculiar natural phenomenon known as "free shade": on most days, around 2 PM, white clouds appear in the sky and give the trees the shade they need. It is these superior natural conditions that make Arabica yields in the Kona region higher than any other plantation in the world while keeping quality high. In Latin America, for example, a hectare yields 560-900 kilograms, whereas in Kona a hectare yields 2,240 kilograms. To the dismay of coffee lovers, only about 1,400 hectares produce Kona coffee.

True Kona coffee is indeed a treasure and not easy to find. The best Kona is graded into three levels: Extra Fancy, Fancy and Number One. These three grades are produced both on estates and under natural conditions. Most coffees on the market today that call themselves "Kona" contain less than 5% real Hawaiian Kona. Another good Hawaiian coffee, Hawaii Kai Farms Coffee, can also be found in the United States.

Hawaiian Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Hawaiian coffee, Kona coffee beans, offers full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, the value is excellent: a 100-gram package costs only 120 yuan. At 15 grams per cup, one package makes 6 cups of coffee, each costing only about 20 yuan. Compared with coffee shops selling cups for dozens of yuan, that is a genuinely conscientious recommendation.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Kona's appeal is its balance and drinkability, so if you like a coffee that is easy to enjoy without any sharp edges, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Gutingding works the same way. Often the first specialty coffee people try, it brings vivid citrus, berry and floral notes with a green-tea sweetness, and unlike the "sour coffee" people imagine, its acidity is soft and bright, closer to the natural sweet-tartness of fruit than a sharp bite. For anyone new to pour-over, it is a very easy choice.

If you want more fruit in the cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Huakui is one of the most successful star products in the specialty market in recent years. Its standout is an intensely tropical aroma, often with strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit and even lychee, plus clear sweetness and almost no bitterness, smooth and full of juice; many drinkers describe it as "the coffee that tastes least like coffee," and for people who dislike the bitterness of traditional coffee it can completely change their impression. For those who prefer bright, complex fruit acidity, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Cherry Tomato is a Kenyan specialty washed bean from the Sika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters from the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties, with a full, rounded bean.