Koa Coffee-100% Pure Kona coffee

Most coffee lovers know that Koa Coffee comes from Hawaii Kona coffee belt. Most parts of Hawaii are not very fertile for coffee growers at all, except for the Kona region. Sugarcane was the main staple in Hawaii for a long time. This crop stripped the soil of important nutrients throughout the islands and leaving the soil unsuitable for farming high-quality coffee.

The Kona coffee region on the island of Hawaii has rich volcanic soil that produces incredible flavor with high-quality coffee beans. Coffee plantations outside of the Kona region are able to farm good coffee in a few other regions, but Kona coffee beans are in a unique class all their own.

Kona Coffee is a specialty coffee which means that it sets itself apart from basic, or regular coffee through the use of special beans, perfect growing conditions, and special ways of processing the beans. In Hawaii, the Kona Coffee belt produces a specific exceptional and unique tasting coffee under these growing conditions.

Real Kona Coffee has a very famous Brand and is in high demand throughout the world for its deep flavor profile and pleasing aroma. Coffee trees have a great advantage due to the fertile hills of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa Mountains because of the rich volcanic soil. Before being graded, Kona coffee beans are hand-picked only if they’re ripe, pulped, dried, and hulled.

Kona coffee has an incredible Brand, associated with a high-quality product. These Kona coffee beans that are grown and roasted based on decades of successful standards of Kona production are often considered by coffee experts to be one of the highest-valued coffees.

What So Special about Kona Coffee?

Well, Kona coffee has all these special qualities because of the specific area where it’s farmed. The analogy is similar to the premier Champagne region of France, to the Kona region of Hawaii which has a perfect microclimate that gives true Kona coffee beans their specific and unique deep flavor and aroma.

Many tried unsuccessfully to replicate the Kona coffee in other parts of the world, as well as other parts of Hawaii outside of the Kona region. The main reasons are:

The weather conditions in the Kona region of Hawaii are great for growing coffee, due to continuous sunny conditions, and everyday shade from rainy clouds in the afternoon.
Kona coffee is farmed on the hills of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa volcanoes, which benefits from the rich, volcanic soil that is infused with minerals.
Higher labor knowledge and skill when it comes to processing the beans post-harvest is important, and the higher education level compared to third-world farmers is a big plus.

Genuine 100% Kona coffee from Hawaii has an incredible aroma and flavor that includes a bit of honey, chocolate, brown sugar, and some fruitiness.

I would describe the top notes of Kona coffee as light and fresh, with a profile of citrus and nuts. For me as a person who has reflux, Kona coffee is healthier because it has low acidity, which makes it easier on the stomach.

Coffee Growing conditions

Continuous sunshine with temperatures around 75°F, but never below 55°F.
Protection from too much sun by either cloud cover or shade which coffee needs.
High Altitude! The higher the altitude the better the coffee plant grows, which has a large influence on the taste and flavor of its beans. The elevations at which Kona coffee is farmed (up to ~3200 feet) give the coffee a very mild taste.
Lots of rain, regularly. The sunny mornings combined with light afternoon rain provide natural irrigation.
Good soil drainage. Coffee plants do not do well if their roots are standing in the water for a long time.

The history of Kona coffee plantations began around the 1800s. These specialty beans have grown in popularity ever since and unfortunately, many opportunists hope to fraudulently make
money from this Brand. This has led to many coffee products falsely marketed as Kona and Kona blends.

Hawaii’s Grading Process for Kona Beans

Hawaii places coffee through rigorous testing through the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDA). All the Kona coffee is graded based on its moisture content,
shape, and size, and flaws in the coffee beans.

Extra fancy coffee beans are the highest HDA grade awarded, but Kona coffee Grade 1, Prime, Select, and Fancy are all high-quality coffee beans as well.

I would not recommend buying Kona beans that are graded Number 3, Natural Prime Kona, or Mixed
Natural Prime Kona. These are the lowest grades of Kona coffee and do not have the same flavor and aroma as the higher-graded Kona coffee.

Choose 100%Kona over “Kona Blends”

The Kona region is relatively small, which causes a limited amount of genuine Kona coffee availability. Kona coffee is pricey, and many other competitors offer “Kona blends” at a lower price than Kona coffee because its not specialty coffee and obviously is of lower quality than Kona. You need to choose pure 100% Kona coffee to enjoy its uniqueness.

The law in Hawaii is clear and specific, that any blend labeled as a “Kona blend” must contain at minimum 10% of certified Kona beans. These Kona blend producers only want to make a profit
and will use 10% Kona beans, but the rest of the 90% will contain low quality and cheap roast, but benefiting from the Kona Brand.

If you think about it – the Kona coffee in your cup will be so diluted by the inferior roasted beans that you will not really taste the Kona coffee. Not worth it.

How is Koa Coffee Brand Grown

Koa Coffee is farmed with special care and the attention that it deserves. It starts with hand-picking each ripe cherry from the trees to the milling process. All of this extra care and pride creates a specialty coffee that coffee lovers enjoy because of its unique rich flavors and aromas. There is a big difference between hand-picked Kona beans to the mass produced coffee beans picked by machines.

Traditional Koa Coffee taste profile is lightly sweet and fruity, with less acidity, and I’m certain that different roasters may have slightly different flavor profiles. During the roasting of Koa beans, the coffee picks up sweetness and fruit and developed deep body flavor as the roast advances to the next stage. The result becomes a lighter roast to sweet and fruity and a dark roast to have more body.

Koa coffee grower has been around since 1997, constantly improving their growing process. Koa coffee received many accolades and trophies in a reasonably short time making the brand a well-known, and respected coffee grower. Koa coffee was named 50 of America’s Best, featured in Forbes “Top 10 Coffees, PCCA Coffee of the Year, and has won the famous Gevalia Coffee Cupping Competition

To this day Koa still picks and separates every bean by hand, and harvesting only when the beans are cherry red. No mechanical harvesting is used so there would be no mix of bitter green beans with red cherries. Koa plantation use professionals roast coffee for packing every order they ship.

Koa Coffee Is Pure single Origin Kona Coffee

As mentioned, Hawaiian laws are very strict in regulating the labeling of 100% Kona coffee vs Kona blends. Unfortunately, Hawaii laws have no jurisdiction outside of the US, and there are lots of countries around the world that don’t regulate labeling for different brands. It’s reasonable to say that Kona coffee blends from other countries could contain absolutely zero genuine Kona
coffee, or possibly just a fraction. To make sure you’re getting true Kona coffee we should always make certain the product was from a US regulated company.

So, how do you know you’re getting real Kona coffee? Only buy 100% Kona coffee beans such as the Koa brand that come from the Kona region on the Island of Hawaii. Make sure that the coffee bags are labeled as 100% pure Kona coffee beans. If it says, Kona Blend from a roaster outside of the Hawaii region, most likely will not be the real deal.

Why is Koa Coffee unique?

Koa coffee has a unique Kona aroma with a pleasant flavor profile making it a favorite coffee in high demand.

As coffee lovers, we all know that the taste of our coffee will be affected by the roast, the brew method and freshness.

In the morning when you drink a cup of Koa coffee you should expect the flavor hints of brown sugar, milk chocolate, honey, and a hint of a fresh fruit flavor. Coffee lovers described Koa as light, and smooth.

A cup of Koa coffee is very pleasant with a lingering aftertaste, that has hints of nuts, and citrus on your pallet. The Aroma is one you’ll always remember; a unique, sweet aroma that reminds you of caramel, butter, cocoa or fruit. The combination of the flavor, aroma and aftertaste together makes Koa so unique, addictive, and in high demand.

Koa coffee was called Best in America by Forbes!

The Takeaway

While on vacation in Hawaii I’ve fallen in love with the Koa brand of Kona coffee. If you visit you need to try the Peaberry coffee because it’s amazing! Private Reserve 100% Kona, Peaberry 100% Kona whole beans are awesome tasting.

Grande Domaine 100% Kona is so unique (Its Dark Roast but not bitter, more strong but smooth, aromatic in the Old Hawaii Island Volcanic way.) Most of my whole beans purchased anywhere are Medium Roast for superior flavor, and smoothness. I also like Grande Domaine which is so rich and smooth and these are personal preferences, and you’ll figure them out after you sample them as I provided the product details info below to taste and experience the most unique and original Kona coffee. We should never compromise with blends, and drink the real deal, 100% Kona.

If you have any comments, please leave them below, I’d love to hear from you!

Koa Private Reserve is a medium roast Kona coffee, which is well balanced, high-quality profile
Expertly roasted Coffee exhibiting similar characteristics to Central American Coffees:
A syrupy taste, low acidity, fruity aromas of citrus and jasmine, and a smooth deep flavor with tones of brown sugar, and a spice aftertaste.
Experience the most unique micro-climates in the country.

Most coffee cherries contain two coffee beans mirroring each other and are flat on one side of the bean.
Usually, approximately 3-5% of all Kona coffee cherries, produce one small oval-shaped bean instead of the normal two flat-sided beans.
These special and amazing small oval beans are called “peaberry” beans.
Peaberry Kona coffee is a very rare coffee breed because that’s what nature provides us with. Over time it’s been estimated that out of 100 bags of Kona coffee, only 3-5 bags will be Peaberry beans.
Peaberry beans medium roast is perfect. These beans produce full-bodied and very smooth, with incredible depth coffee. Peaberry beans have been called the “Champagne of Kona.”
Currently, more coffee lovers are discovering this incredible little bean with its special taste, and demand for peaberry is growing for this limited supply.
Demand for peaberry beans is so high that it’s difficult to keep up with the demand.
Any coffee lover will savor this special bean that is so rare in nature.

A triple pack of Kona Coffees, is perfect to sample some different Kona coffees if you never tried Kona before, or as a gift to a coffee lover. The tri-pack includes:

Grande Domaine Kona Coffee is a Kona Coffee Cupping Contest Winner for its incredible flavor and great profile.
Koa Private Reserve Kona Coffee, the Kona Coffee that made “Best in America” by Forbes magazine.
Estate Kona coffee, grown at the Koa plantation at high elevation. Classic Kona

Coffee Beans were roasted to a medium roast and present a flavor unique to the hills of the Mauna Loa volcano on which Kona Coffee beans are grown.

The Kona beans were pre-ground for customer convenience so, you can open the bag and start brewing. Perfect consistency is achieved by Koa Plantation, so every batch of Kona coffee will be exactly the same each time.

The same premium 100% Kona Coffee that coffee lovers know, is

naturally processed to retain the higher-quality of the Kona cherry:
delicious fruit notes and aromas that brew a flavorful cup of coffee.
When drinking naturally processed Kona you get to appreciate the flavors of premium Hawaiian Kona
enjoy this Kona coffee for a sensory experience that will stay with you for a while!
Naturally processed Kona Coffee is a method where the Coffee beans are sun-dried inside their cherry skins.
This process allows the coffee seed, the bean, to absorb more qualities of its fruit for an even better flavor.
Natural sugars and nutrients combine it with a smooth and delicate mouthfeel, strong fruit notes, and aromas.

This Koa Coffee is totally unique. It stands above the rest.

Grande Domaine Kona became famous for being selected as a Kona Coffee Cupping contest winner for quality excellence and flavor.

A superb blend of Koa’s most flavorful Kona coffee beans mixed with a bit of Peaberry Kona, the rarest and incredible Kona Coffee of all.

The creme de la creme; hand-picked Kona coffee, and roasted to a perfect Vienna roast, which is a little darker than medium.

For coffee connoisseurs, that’s a double-dip, so you taste both the roast and the exquisite flavor that only comes from the Mauna Loa region of the Kona Coffee belt.

A cup of wow! sent directly from Kona to your door, with Aloha.

Estate Kona Coffee specifically means you are getting Kona Coffee that is the product of one Kona Coffee farm,

Never mixed with crops from other farms in Hawaii.
Our Estate Kona coffee is from a high elevation, single-source the Koa Plantation, and a classic taste of the Hawaii Kona region.
Koa Estate is a flavorful medium roast to illustrate the flavor unique to the hills of the Mauna Loa volcano where Kona Coffee beans are hand-picked.
This is whole bean Kona Coffee because you look forward to the aroma of grinding your own Kona Coffee will be enough to make you smile.

There are three ways to remove caffeine from coffee beans, which include using methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, or the Swiss Water method.

The healthiest coffee decaf process with no chemicals involved is the process Koa is using to decaffeinate Kona Coffee called the Swiss Water Method.

This Kona decaf coffee option is a great choice for evenings if caffeine affects your sleep.

Some coffee lovers mix it half and half with their favorite Kona to reduce caffeine while enjoying 100% Kona coffee.

If you’ve tried decaf and were not satisfied, Kona decaf will not disappoint. It’s the same great-tasting Kona coffee — minus the caffeine.