Kona Coffee - The Scoop on the Real Stuff
Lottie Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 01:00PM 
Living within a few minutes of the only coffee growing region in the United States, one can quickly become attuned to how refined and set apart Kona Coffee is in the world of coffee. As you may or may not know, coffee is rated much like the grand wines of the world. Kona has a rating that defines it as one of the two grand cru coffees in the world. The top quality beans are highly desirable and bring market prices that rank it among the highest in the world. The cool higher elevations, volcanic soil, and tropical rain mixed with delicately scented ocean breezes make the area between Kealakekua and Honaunau as some of the best coffee growing areas in the world.
A visit to the coffee growing region of South Kona will bring a multitude of opportunities to experience the best of the best in the Kona coffee world. Several coffee shops line Mamalahoa Highway eager to serve up your memorable encounter with genuine, fresh Kona coffee beans.
The best of the best of the crop is known as Type I that include grades known as Kona Extra Fancy, Kona Fancy and Kona Number 1 as well as Kona Select and Kona Prime. This grade demands stellar prices because of it’s rarity in nature and the challenges of farming a coffee crop in an area that is remote and well, not third-world.
The worldwide explosion of popularity of Kona coffee has certainly made coffee marketers creative. Prices of Type I coffee has made it simply out of reach for the average consumer. Therefore the solution for keeping these beans affordable is to sell creative and flavored blends to the masses. Unfortunately, this has eroded the sanctity and distinctive flavor that is truly the luscious 100 percent Kona to something more nondescript and bland.
The Kona Coffee Farmers' Association has lobbied for labeling laws, and although they have made some progress, the entire market is certainly need of more definition and restrictions. Buyers need to be aware that most Kona is sold is just 10 percent actual Kona coffee. Blended with lesser beans and flavored with the likes of vanilla, chocolate, and other flavorings make it desirable for the marketers more so than the consumers.
Today 100 percent Kona coffee by law is labeled as such. Pricey as it may be, the superior quality is palatable to even the most casual of consumers.
Reader Comments (1)
One statement needs correcting. Hawaii may be the only STATE that grows coffee, but Puerto Rico is also part of the United States and is the 2nd "only coffee growing region in the United States".
Current Hawaii laws require "disclosure" of what percentage Kona coffee is contained in each bag of coffee AND allows percentages as low as 10%. Do you think its more important to change laws in Hawaii to increase the percentage and the font sizes? Or go after MAINLAND companies that market Kona coffee and have NO laws to dictate how much Kona is contained in their "kona coffees"?
If consumers want flavored coffees, a smart business-person will give them flavored coffees. Purity is important, but so is consumer demand.