Fresh Gourmet Kona Coffee

If you have never tasted fresh gourmet Kona coffee, you should.  Most people who get their first sip of this type of coffee are forever hooked.  Grown in Hawaii, Kona coffee has a unique balance that is simply unbeatable.  Grown on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Mount Hualalai in the north part of the state, as well as many Kona districts found on Oahu, this is one of the best coffees known.

Buying fresh gourmet Kona coffee ensures the best cup of coffee possible.  Although Kona coffee is higher priced than other coffee blends, it is definitely worth the price.  After all, people from around the globe buy this particular type of coffee.  Because of the growing conditions, which include beautiful, sunny mornings and afternoons with rain and humidity, the coffee is unique and flavorful.

The tree on which fresh gourmet Kona coffee beans grow actually came from cuttings out of Brazil.  The first tree was brought to Hawaii by Samuel Reverend Ruggles during the 19th century.  Discovering that the weather and soil in Hawaii produced great crops, farmers begin growing the beans on large plantations.  Today, it is estimated that the area on which Kona coffee beans are grown is more than 2,300 acres.  The cultivation of fresh, gourmet Kona coffee beans is so successful that some two million pounds are produced every year.

The blooms of the Kona tree appear every February and March, which appears as tiny white flowers, commonly called Kona Snow.  Then in early spring, small green berries pop up which by mid-summer, have turned to red fruit, which look similar to ripe cherries.  At that time, the “fruit” is ready to be harvested.  One of the things that make fresh gourmet Kona coffee so exceptional is that each bean is carefully, hand-picked.

Within one day of harvesting the fruit, it is run through a special type of equipment to help separate the pulp from the bean.  After that, the beans are allowed to ferment for 12 hours at low elevation and 24 hours at higher elevation.  After rinsing, the beans are spread out on a type of drying rack to dry out completely, which usually takes one to two weeks.  The dry beans are then stored on parchment.  Interestingly, to produce just one pound of fresh gourmet Kona coffee, it takes approximately eight pounds of fruit.

You will even find that fresh gourmet Kona coffee is classified by the type of seed.  For instance, Type I has two beans per cherry or fruit, with one side being flat and one being oval.  Type II beans are just one, round bean per cherry or fruit.  Then based on a number of factors to include size, type, moisture content, purity, and so on would determine further grading.  With fresh gourmet Kona coffee, you know you are purchasing a higher quality or grade of the Kona bean.