What Are the Varieties of Coffee Beans? Is Hawaiian Kona Coffee an Arabica Variety?

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Kona Coffee Varieties

Hawaiian Kona coffee beans have the most perfect appearance of any coffee: exceptionally full fruit and a bright, glossy surface make them the world's most beautiful beans. The coffee is smooth, rich and fragrant, with an enticing nutty profile and well-balanced acidity. Like the vivid colors of the Hawaiian Islands, it is captivating and leaves a long-lasting aftertaste. The world-renowned "Hawaiian Kona" is a mellow, acidic premium coffee, and it belongs to the Typica variety, widely recognized as a specialty coffee variety.

Growing Environment

Kona coffee is cultivated on the slopes of Mauna Loa volcano along the southwestern coast of Hawaii. In flavor terms, Kona beans are closer to Central American coffees than to Indonesian ones. Its average quality is very high: careful processing, medium body, pleasant acidity and very rich flavors. Fresh Kona coffee has an incredible aroma. If you find African coffees too acidic and Central or South American coffees too robust, then Kona might be perfect for you. Kona is like a woman walking in the Hawaiian sunshine and gentle breeze, fresh and natural.

Kona beans are uniform in size and shape, with strong acidity and sweetness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel. Because they grow in volcanic soil under high-density artificial cultivation, each bean can be described as a pampered "noble lady": beautiful and full-bodied, with baby-like delicate skin texture.

Although Hawaii is frequently affected by tornadoes, its climate is in fact very well suited to coffee. There is ample rainfall and sunshine, with no worry about frost damage. There is also a unique natural phenomenon known as "free shade": on most days, around 2 PM, clouds appear in the sky and provide the shade the coffee trees need. These superior natural conditions let Kona's Arabica coffee outyield any other plantation in the world while still maintaining high quality, and the unique growing and climate environment creates a more intense flavor profile.

Unfortunately for coffee lovers, only about 1,400 hectares produce Kona coffee. On top of that, Hawaii's high income levels and heavy tourism make Kona coffee extremely expensive. Even "Kona blends," with Kona bean content not exceeding 5%, are sold commercially. Neighboring islands such as Maui, Kauai and Molokai have also begun commercial coffee cultivation.

Knowledge Point: Arabica is one of two very important varieties in the commercial coffee industry; the other important variety is Robusta.

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated coffee research center, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unreserved sharing is solely to help more people fall in love with coffee. We also hold coffee discount activities three times per month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more people to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Kona's smooth, mellow, low-acid character is what appeals to you, Indonesian coffee is a rewarding place to look next, especially Sumatra's Mandheling. Mandheling refers to Arabica coffee from Sumatra, and it is mainly processed using the local wet-hulled method. Because the parchment is stripped while the bean is still half dry and half wet, the green bean dries fully exposed to the air, which gives the coffee its typical herbal and spice notes.

FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling comes from the Lintong region around Lake Toba. To bring out the classic Mandheling profile it is medium-dark roasted, producing a low-acid, full-bodied cup with rich caramel, dark chocolate and toast aromas and a long sweet finish, ideal for anyone who likes a strong coffee.

For the top of Indonesia's range, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is the one to look for. PWN is a trading company that buys up high-quality Mandheling lots, and Golden Mandheling is its signature product. It applies strict standards for removing defects, judging density, screen size, shape and color, and every lot goes through one machine sort and several hand sorts so the beans come out whole, even, large and bright, with less of the earthy and grassy notes Mandheling can carry. Freshly roasted, it offers sandalwood, herbal, spice, roasted hazelnut, caramel and dark chocolate with a clean, rich, layered cup. Indonesia also shaped the classic espresso style: FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend builds on the Mamba recipe of Mandheling and Brazil, adding a small amount of Robusta and using a dark roast to push the dark chocolate, nut and caramel notes to the fullest, so even a beginner can pull a genuine Mandheling-flavored shot.