Who better to ask about Kona coffee than y'all?

I have a favorite brand that I buy through Thanksgiving Coffee in Fort Bragg CA (I plug them whenever I can, sorry ). It is produced by Kona Kulana Farms, the roast is medium. The flavor is unlike any other coffee I have had. It changes in your pallette as you sip it and swirl it in your mouth. It's very satisfying.

I recently had another Kona that is a darker roast with a completely different character.

So I was wondering if Kona coffee is like wine with many different personalities depending on many factors? And what are your favorite specific brands of Kona? And has anyone been to (or going to) the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival? Is this the most prestigious gathering for Kona lovers?

Thanks, cheers and enjoy your Kona!

 

As you may know, coffee, like wine has flavors influenced by the earth that it lives in. We have many different types of coffee from Hawaii; Kona, Kauai, Molokai, Maui, Keaau, ... One thing to check on your Kona is the % of Kona coffee. Most are Kona blends, but you can get 100% Kona coffee.

 

My parents always bring back some particular special Kona coffee they get from the farm on the Big Island.

From my recollection of my father's most interesting lecture on the finer points of Kona coffee enjoyment, I understand that there are quite a few grades of Kona, and the US does not have a specific regulation on what can be called Kona, so a 10% blend of Kona can be called Kona outside Hawaii. I also remember that my parents loved some particular mild/medium roast beans called "peaberry"?

I don't really drink coffee, but I do make sure to have a cup when I visit the folks

 

Yucca you are correct, Kona coffee is alot like wine each area in Kona will have its own flavor. Kona coffee will usually be marked 100% Kona if in its not a blend. That's a bragging right. There is nothing wrong with a blend often times a good blend can be better than the 100%. As far as roast most of the growers prefer a very slightly darker than city (medium), Most of the Kona's have the best flavor there.
Kona coffee is graded and ranges from select(lowest) to extra fancy(Highest). Peaberry is unique amoung all of the grades and is considered the best. The difference between peaberry and regular coffee is that most coffee will grow two beans to a cherry (coffee fruit), but the peaberry only grows one and each plant may only produce a few peabeary beans. You can tell the difference by looking at the bean itself. Regular coffee is flat on one side and round on the other. Peaberry beans are shaped like a football.
I would like to go to the Kona festival but will not be able to get over to the big island before the 16th. Enjoy your coffee

 

Ya Beast, I know about the % thing. I got some kona as a gift once. Reading the label revealed that it was not 100% but 10% IIRC. The taste was underwhelming to say the least.