Why is Hawaiian Kona Coffee So Expensive? What is the Flavor of Hawaiian Kona Coffee?

The volcanoes of the Big Island are a goddess both feared and loved by local residents. They fear her anger, which can turn their homes to ash in an instant, and they love the tears she leaves behind: hot, thick lava that cools into a special soil and becomes one of the unique growing conditions for Kona coffee. Plants need sunlight, but coffee also needs the right amount of shade. Ringed by sea on every side, Hawaii's climate is moderated by the ocean. In the morning the sunlight softens as it passes through water vapor, and by noon the mountain vapor condenses into fog that shelters the coffee trees.

With no high mountains to block them, the white clouds drift with the wind, forming a sunshade that opens and closes to a natural rhythm. In the world of coffee, Kona is like a well-born young woman, receiving the gentlest care that nature can offer.

Kona coffee is not native to the Big Island. The earliest record dates to 1813, when the Spanish planted the first coffee tree, though the crop truly flourished in the 19th century. Its lineage descends from Arabica, one of the world's three main coffee varieties. Unlike the intensity of Italian coffee or the robustness of Central and South American coffee, Kona offers a very gentle balance of acidity and sweetness, with fruit aromas detectable in the aftertaste. Those who dislike it find it too light, but this fresh, natural profile is something Kona embodies uniquely in the coffee world.

What is the connection between Hawaii and coffee?

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago in the central North Pacific Ocean. Between 1778 and 1898, they were also known as the "Sandwich Islands." Part of the Polynesian group, they consist of 19 larger islands and assorted smaller ones, most formed as volcanic or coral islands. Lying between 19° and 29° north latitude, the archipelago is crossed by the Tropic of Cancer.

Belonging to the Pacific Ocean and Oceania, the islands run southeast to northwest for 2,400 kilometers and cover an area of 16,705 square kilometers. The largest island is the southeasternmost Hawaii Island, which locals commonly call the "Big Island." The highest point is Mauna Kea volcano, at an elevation of 4,205 meters.

This summer I visited both Hawaii and Okinawa, two Pacific islands whose geography is very similar to Taiwan's. I still felt both a familiar sense of deja vu and a strange sense of alienation toward the two places. Take agricultural products: walking around Hawaii and Okinawa, you can easily spot sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, and even taro, common crops in Taiwan. The three islands also have their own local crops, such as macadamia nuts, which I believe are the first impression of Hawaii for many people who have never been there.

Macadamia nuts are also known as Australian nuts

The English name for macadamia nuts is "Macadamia." They are also called Australian nuts because their origin actually lies in Australia. They are evergreen trees reaching 2 to 12 meters in height. Macadamia nuts are the green seeds that fall from the tree to the ground. The fruit is a hard, woody sphere with a distinct apex containing 1 to 2 seeds.

Left on the ground for two days, macadamia nuts begin to crack open and change color. Within four days the seeds will crack open and turn brownish-gray. During these few days the nuts reach their optimal flavor. Left too long, the shells darken too much and the kernels lose their creamy flavor, at which point they can no longer be called premium macadamia nuts.

The Third Wave Coffee Revolution: Estates Carve Their Own Path

As for Hawaiian coffee, early Japanese demand and the successful marketing of the Kona region on the Big Island, commonly called the Big Island, led most consumers to assume that Kona is Hawaiian coffee. In fact, so-called Kona coffee refers to coffee produced 100% in the Kona region. There is also 10% Kona coffee, which blends 10% Kona region beans with 90% beans from other regions.

Under the third wave specialty coffee revolution, coffee estates across the Hawaiian islands have gradually stepped out of the "Kona only" shadow and carved out their own place in the global market.

Today the Hawaiian coffees commonly seen on the market, besides the Kona region of the Big Island, include estates from Maui, Kauai, and Molokai that are gaining prominence. Common Hawaiian coffee varieties include Typica, Mocca, and Catuai.

The Most Expensive Coffee on the Market: Kona Coffee

Kona coffee remains one of the most expensive coffees on the market. Under regulations from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, only coffee grown on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the Kona district of the Big Island may be called Kona coffee. Hawaii's nearly year-round sunny mornings, cloudy and rainy afternoons, constant gentle breezes, and mild nights, combined with mineral-rich volcanic soil, create its special flavor profile.

Kona coffee is divided into two main categories: Type I, flat beans, and Type II, round beans, also known as Peaberry.

These two categories are further classified by size, moisture content, and purity of variety. Type I is divided into 'Kona Extra Fancy,' 'Kona Fancy,' 'Kona Number 1,' 'Kona Select,' and 'Kona Prime.' Type II Kona coffee is divided into 'Peaberry Number 1' and 'Peaberry Prime.' There is also a lower grade, 'Number 3,' which cannot be called Kona coffee.

In recent years Kona coffee's biggest threat has come from the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei. By late November 2010, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture announced that all green beans had to undergo methyl bromide fumigation, or another six-step procedure, before leaving the Big Island.

Going forward, coffee from the Kona region is likely to see significant swings in both production and price. Because of this, coffee farmers from Kauai, Molokai, and Maui have gradually stepped forward over the past two years.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Methods: Siphon, Pour-Over

Grind size: 2.5 on a small Fuji R440 grinder.

V60 dripper, 15 g of coffee grounds, water temperature 88°C, grind size 4, coffee-to-water ratio close to 1:15.

30 g of water for the bloom, blooming for 30 s.

Staged pouring: pour to 120 ml, pause, then pour slowly to 225 ml.

In other words, 30-120-225.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Kona built its reputation on a gentle, balanced cup, and the FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 reaches for the same ideal. Both are Typica, both come from island growing conditions with volcanic soil, and both are prized for the way acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma sit in harmony rather than one quality dominating. Our Blue Mountain No. 1 is roasted medium-dark so that nuts, dark chocolate, creamy caramel, and a soft sweetness unfold in layers, with a clean, long finish and the balance that makes it one of the most widely enjoyed specialty coffees there is.

If you like the mild, sweet side of Kona, the FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate is a natural companion. A rare yellow Bourbon from Mogiana in Brazil, it is medium roasted and shows cream, peanut, chocolate, toasted bread, and sugarcane, with rounded acidity and a clean, sweet finish that carries the sugarcane sweetness of the region. It is comfortable in a pour-over, a moka pot, or a home espresso machine.