Coffee culture

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

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge sharing. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat ID: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Kona Coffee Variety Introduction: Hawaiian-grown Kona coffee beans possess the most perfect appearance. Their fruits are exceptionally full and have a bright, glossy sheen, making them the most beautiful coffee beans in the world. The coffee is smooth, rich, and fragrant, featuring an enticing nutty flavor profile with well-balanced acidity.
Kona coffee beans

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Kona Coffee Varieties

Hawaiian Kona coffee beans possess the most perfect appearance, with exceptionally full fruits and bright, glossy surfaces, making them the world's most beautiful coffee beans. The coffee is smooth, rich, and fragrant, with an enticing nutty flavor profile and well-balanced acidity. Like the vibrant colors of the Hawaiian Islands, it's captivating with a long-lasting aftertaste. The world-renowned "Hawaiian Kona" is a mellow and acidic premium coffee bean. It belongs to the Typica variety, which is 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 terms of flavor profile, Kona coffee beans are closer to Central American coffees rather than Indonesian coffees. Its average quality is very high, with 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/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 coffee beans are uniform in size and shape, with strong acidity and sweetness, and a smooth, silky mouthfeel. Because they grow on volcanic soil with high-density artificial cultivation techniques, each bean can be described as a pampered "noble lady" - beautiful, full-bodied, with baby-like delicate skin texture.

Although Hawaii is frequently affected by tornadoes, the climate conditions are indeed very suitable for coffee cultivation. There is ample rainfall and sunshine, with no worries about frost damage. Additionally, there's a unique natural phenomenon called "free shade." On most days, around 2 PM, clouds appear in the sky, providing necessary shade for the coffee trees. It is these superior natural conditions that make Kona's Arabica coffee yield higher than any other plantation in the world, while maintaining high quality. The unique growing and climate environment creates a more intense coffee flavor profile.

Unfortunately for coffee enthusiasts, only about 1,400 hectares produce Kona coffee. Moreover, due to Hawaii's high income levels and numerous tourists, Kona coffee is 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, with the other important variety being 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 friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold coffee discount activities three times per month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to enable more friends to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!

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