Hawaii Kona | Extra Fancy Ariana Farm Queen's Estate Washed Typica

Hawaiian Kona Coffee | The Flavor of Extra Fancy, Queen's Estate, Washed Typica

Hawaiian Kona coffee is grown along the western coast of the Big Island, nurtured in the region's unique fertile volcanic soil. Renowned for meticulous craftsmanship and elegant, delicate flavors, it represents another summit of the coffee world — and in rarity and price it can nearly rival Blue Mountain...

Hawaiian Queen Coffee Farm sits in the heart of Hawaii Island's coffee belt with a 160-acre plantation, and hosts the Kona Cupping Competition every November. Queen's Estate made its name by taking second place in the large-farm category two years running in 2011 and 2012, first place in 2013 and 2014, and third in 2016. It also won the Hawaii Statewide Kona Festival Competition in 2007 and 2011, and was selected among Hawaii's Top Ten Outstanding Coffees in 2009 and 2010.

The Ono Kona coffee from Ariana Farm comes from our 50-acre Kona farm spread across the verdant slopes of Hualalai Volcano. The family farm sits on the historic Mamalahoa Highway in the original "Kona Coffee Belt," where Kona coffee first began. Sunny mornings, misty afternoons, warm tropical showers, and gentle ocean breezes make this the ideal home for one of the world's most distinctive coffees.

Coffee Information

Estate: Queen's Estate

Variety: Typica

Grade: Extra Fancy

Region: Big Island, Hawaii

Altitude: 550 - 760 m

Processing Method: Washed, natural or machine drying

Flavor Notes: Cantaloupe, nectar, brown sugar, with rich tropical fruit sweetness and delicate aromas. The sweetness is full, with clean, bright fruit acidity that amplifies it. Pleasant vanilla and herbal notes in the mouth, a fine and silky oiliness, and an aftertaste whose sweetness and fruit aroma last exceptionally long.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji grinder at setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15 with 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water and bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour up to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then pour slowly up to 225g total. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: The three-stage pour clearly expresses the coffee's front, middle, and back-end flavors. Because the V60's many ribs drain quickly, pausing between pours helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Queen's Estate Typica grown on volcanic slopes may sound familiar — and indeed, if Kona's balance charms you, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is its most storied relative, also Typica, also washed. Grown at 1310 meters on the historic Clifton Estate under Rainforest Alliance certification, it rests 2-3 months in climate-controlled warehouses before low-temperature hulling and hand sorting, then ships in Blue Mountain's signature wooden barrels. Roasted medium-dark, it cups as chocolate, roasted nuts, cream, and caramel with moderate, refined acidity — the "Emperor of Coffee" that Queen's Estate's Extra Fancy can proudly sit beside on any shelf.

Blue Mountain's balance is the reason it has been called "the specialty coffee most people find easiest to love": no harsh African-style fruit acidity, no heavy dark-roast bitterness, just cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, honey, and a light fruitiness in harmony. Brew it as pour-over at a 1:15-1:16 ratio with 85-88°C water and a medium-coarse grind to highlight its cream, caramel, and nut flavors with a soft, bright acidity — or push it through a moka pot slightly finer, starting with hot water over medium-low heat and cutting the flame as the brew finishes, to taste its chocolate, caramel, and nut side in a thicker, fuller body.