What is Kona Coffee?

Kona Coffee grows in a recognized “terroir” on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii. A “terroir” is a geographic location with a variety of environmental factors, such as rainfall, average temperature, mineral content in the soil, humidity and oxygen levels, that impart flavors and aromas to the fruit.

The Kona Coffee Belt

The “terroir” that Kona Coffee grows in is called the “Kona Coffee Belt” and it is roughly 35 miles long, a mile and a half wide, and has an elevation between 500 to 3,200 feet. Here you’ll find well-drained, slightly acidic volcanic soil. The climate that surrounds the Kona Coffee Belt includes seasonal, daytime-nighttime temperature shifts of no more than 30 degrees, rainfall of 70-plus inches, and micro factors that change the taste of the fruit on the tree. With these conditions, the result of coffee grown in the Kona Coffee Belt is a light, fruity and naturally sweet coffee.
If coffee beans are grown within the Kona Coffee Belt and meet certain grading requirements, they can be sold as Kona Coffee. If coffee beans do not meet these guidelines, they absolutely may not be sold as 100% Kona Coffee.

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The Quality of 100% Kona Coffee

We are such big proponents of the try-before-you-buy philosophy, because not all 100% Kona Coffee is equal. The state law regulates defects and bean size into general quality categories, but Kona has no formal grading system to indicate the quality of final flavors. Without knowing it, you may pay the same price for really great 100% Kona Coffee that you would for inferior 100% Kona. A leader in the Kona Coffee world for over 150 years, the fifth-generation Greenwell Family has maintained a legacy of quality and integrity through meticulous farming practices, varietal developments and gourmet milling technologies. We pride ourselves on hand picking beans at the peak of freshness, processing them with care and precision, and small batch craft roasting them to ensure you’re drinking the finest 100% Kona Coffee available.

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Other Factors of 100% Kona Coffee

While the origin is key in classifying coffee as 100% Kona Coffee, the origin region is not the only factor revealed in the final cup flavor. Adding to the complexity and variety of coffee you can taste under the 100% Kona Label is the variety of tree, the elevation where it grows, the farmer’s ability to grow healthy trees, the care involved in hand-picking only the ripest fruit, the processing of the seed (washed, natural, honey), and the mills ability to clean, size sort and remove defective coffee from the mix. Similar to the way that a chef elevates a dish, the final factor in differentiating 100% Kona Coffee types is the roaster’s ability to highlight the unique characteristics of the coffee. Quality levels vary widely from farm to farm and we are big advocates of the try-before-you-buy model. That’s why our complimentary farm tours come with samples of Greenwell Farms 100% Kona Coffee for you to sip on the farm!

A Brief History of Kona Coffee

In 1824 Kamehameha II went on a diplomatic mission with his wife Queen Kamamalu. On this mission was the then governor of Oahu, Chief Boki (born Kamāʻuleʻule). Sadly, Kamehameha II and his wife contracted measles which prematurely ended their lives. Chief Boki and his wife returned to Hawaii aboard the HMS Blonde, Captained by Admiral Lord Byron as they transported the bodies of the deceased royals back home.

On the return journey, the HMS Blonde made port in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where Chief Boki acquired a couple of Arabica Coffee trees. He had enjoyed coffee in England and imagined great potential for coffee to be grown in Hawaii. These trees were planted on Boki’s land in the Manoa Valley of Oahu. There, the first coffee orchard in Hawaii was established.

The Growing Demand for Coffee

In 1828, the Reverend Samuel Ruggles took cuttings from the trees on Boki’s land and planted them by his church in South Kona. Without realizing it, he planted those trees in a unique and ideal area for the cultivation of coffee. Growers in Kona found that the trees thrived between 800 and 1,700 feet and a small cottage industry grew from those early trees. Historical events like post Gold Rush San Francisco, the Klondike Gold Rush and the American Civil War all kept the price and demand for coffee high.

Several coffee pioneers helped to bring information, technique, and stability to the Kona Coffee world, including Henry Nicholas Greenwell who became the first major exporter of Kona coffee. His reputation for quality was well known and his coffee won a diploma of excellence at the World Expo in Vienna, Austria in 1773.

The Dominant Variety of Tree in Kona

It wouldn’t be until 1892 that the Guatemala Typica was introduced to Hawaii. This strain thrived and became the dominant variety of tree in Kona. Coffee prices however, took a big hit in the early 1900s all through the great depression of the 1920s and so the large coffee plantations exited Kona, and small family farmers took up the mantle of growing Kona Coffee.

The work was hard and the profits small, but for many immigrant families, escaping the brutal sugar plantation life and having independence was paramount.

Challenges of Kona Coffee

These years would see an influx of immigrant families and, while certainly multi-ethnic, was largely Japanese. In 1909, there were 273 Japanese families farming coffee. By 1914, nearly 4,000 acres were cultivated. By 1931, there were 1,300 families farming coffee and 5,500 acres under cultivation.

Facing threat after threat, white scale, fungus, insects, drought, Kona Coffee has endured rises and falls in line with some of the best dramas on TV. Innovative Kona Coffee farmers weathered every storm as the industry expanded and contracted with every new problem.

Kona Coffee in the Modern Era

In 1978, at a speech to the International Coffee Conference in France, Eva Knutson introduced the “terroir” concept to coffee, showing evidence that different geographical regions produced very different flavors in coffee. It is believed that this was the birth of the specialty coffee movement.

As our consciousness in regard to the complexities of coffee have evolved, 100% Kona Coffee now stands as a preeminent “origin” and protection of the brand name, maintaining the highest quality standards and truth in labeling have become more important than ever.

Hawaiian Coffee Today

Every Hawaiian Island grows coffee now. In the last 30 years growers in regions state-wide have put great effort into amending soil, introducing compatible varieties and adjusting farming techniques to allow their trees to thrive. This rise in quality state-wide is a positive thing, even for Kona Coffee farmers as it has brought more awareness to the coffee industry in Hawaii and requires the industry to be better.

If you ever hear the term “Hawaiian Coffee” as opposed to “Kona Coffee,” think about it like this. Coffee that grows within the designated Kona Coffee Belt can be called Kona Coffee. Coffee that grows in Hawaii, but outside of the Kona Coffee Belt is generally referred to as Hawaiian Coffee. Quality varies greatly and no two regions are exactly the same. So go out and explore! Try this and try that. Order a Maui, Kauai and Kona and try them side by side. You will be amazed at the subtle differences between each Hawaiian origin.

Whats Next for
Hawaiian Coffee?

The industry may move toward a French style appellation system, or certification to denote coffee’s place of origin, quality and style in the future, but for now it is up to the consumer to understand all of the subtle and complex differences in the world of Hawaiian-grown coffee. The ability for farmers to send their freshly roasted coffee around the world directly to the consumer has started a new chapter in the ongoing story of 100% Kona Coffee.

Continuing Your

Kona Coffee Education

The story of Kona Coffee to which you just read a bit of is always in transition. It is an ongoing tale of a local agricultural crop that earned a global reputation. As the specialty coffee movement continues to grow and we as consumers continue to meet new varieties and origins of coffee, there is some pressure on us to be better consumers.

Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) data says that currently the “at-home” coffee market in the United States is worth around 17 billion dollars and the “away-from-home” coffee market is worth around 71 billion.

Within the “at-home” market, only 1 billion is represented by whole bean coffee drinkers. Meanwhile, 16 billion dollars a year is spent on ground coffee and half of that is in individual coffee pods. SCA concludes that most Americans still prefer low cost and convenience to quality and caffeine to flavor, and don’t yet have an appreciation for what makes specialty coffee so different.

With that, there is a growing surge in awareness for one of the world’s most-consumed beverages. We as consumers need to have a better understanding of the nuances in the products we see. There is still a long way to go, but if you love a good cup of coffee, please spend a few hours Googling and YouTubing your way into a new understanding.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SEARCHES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
How to make a great cup of coffee?
What makes specialty coffee special?
How does roasting affect coffee?
Different ways to extract coffee
The complexities of caffeine in coffee

These 5 topics will lead you down a path that will revolutionize your interactions with coffee. The beneficiary, of course, will be you! What we’ve found at Greenwell Farms is that rather than trying to “sell” 100% Kona Coffee, we give people the space and opportunity to learn about the complexities of specialty coffee and draw their own conclusions. Eventually, on a journey of discovery into the best coffee this world has to offer, your path will lead to Kona. And if it does, we hope it leads you to a complimentary tour of Greenwell Farms!