Kona Coffee, what makes it special

Genuine Kona Coffee is highly prized throughout the world for its full bodied flavor and pleasing aroma. It;s history began when the coffee plant was brought to the Kona district in 1828 by Samuel Ruggles, from Brazilian cuttings. Following that, the English merchant Henry Nicholas Greenwell established a farm to grow coffee on the Kona side of the Big Island of Hawaii , which beca recognized "Kona Coffee" brand in the 19th century. The former Greenwell Store and Kona Coffee Living History Farm , is no longer in operation, it is now a museum.

In other parts of the Hawaiian islands, coffee was grown on large plantations, but in 1899, the world coffee market crashed, caused plantation owners to lease land to their workers.These workers were mainly from Japan, having been brought to the island to work on the sugarcane plantations. They worked their leased acres, as family farms, producing large, quality crops of copffee. This tradition has continued throughout Kona, but the The Japanese have now been joined by Filipinos, mainland Americans, and Europeans.

Coffee trees thrive on the cool slopes of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa Mountains in rich volcanic soil and afternoon cloud cover. Growing in this unique environment, Kona coffee has a distinct advantage over coffee grown in other parts of the world. Coffee trees typically bloom after Kona's dry winters, in February and March. Starting with small white flowers known as Kona Snow that cover the trees and become green berries in April. By late August, the fruit becomes red, and begin to ripen.

When picking the Berries - which are referred to as cherries because they resemble them - each tree is picked by hand, several times between August and January, with the autumn being the main time for harvesting. The berries are pulped, dried and hulled, then custom roasted. Machinery at the coffee mill sorts the beans into different grades, by size and shape.

Within 24 hours of picking, the "cherry" is put thru a pulper and seperated, the pulp is then put in fermentation tanks for 12 hours. They are then rinsed and spread to dry on a hoshidana (or drying rack) which typically has a rolling roof to protect the beans when it rains. After the drying process the beans are stored.

The "roasting process" of the beans is very important, to get the desired results, and is considered an "art form" by those in the coffee trade. Just after roasting the oxidation process begins, as this is when coffee is at its freshest.
a. Dark roasts are typically called French Roast, Italian or Espresso.
b. Medium roasts include Full-City and Vienna.
c. Flavored coffee is either sprayed or powdered immediately after roasting for best absorbtion of the added flavor.,

Knowing the grading of the beans is very important when purchasing Kona Coffee. The coffee beans are classified according to their shape - type 1 beans usually have two beans per cherry, flat on one side, oval on the other; type 2 beans have one round bean per cherry, and are known as peaberry. Peaberry is the top of the line, the bean is formed when one side of the flower fuses with the other leaving, only one bean in the coffee cherry. This gives the peaberry a more concentrated flavor.

These two types of beans are further graded based on - moisture, size of the bean and purity - they are usually labelled "Kona extra fancy, Kona fancy, Kona number 1, Kona select, and Kona prime". The Peaberry are graded as "Peaberry number 1, and Peaberry Prime".

Coffee lovers the world over, will appreciate knowing the tips for good coffee flavor:

1. Air tight containers and freezing coffee, will optimize it's freshness.
2. Whole beans, stored in this manner, has a recommended shelf life of about three months,
while ground coffee only about a month.
3. Growers recommend buying coffee in the whole bean form and grinding them just before
brewing each pot.
4. Always check the label when buying coffee, if it says "Kona Blend" it may contain only about 10% Kona Beans, the rest of the beans are beans from other countries.

Only coffee from the Kona district of the" Big Island of Hawaii" is 100% Kona Coffee. This is where the ideal conditions exist - sunny mornings, cloud or rain in the afternoon , little wind, and mild nights - all combined with porous mineral rich volcanic soil, from the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa, create one of the most expensive coffees in the world. In the Hawaiian language 'kope' is the word for coffee, and the farms and coffee mills in the" Kona Coffee Belt", is the place to buy true Kona Coffee. Some of these farms are open to visitors, making the buying experience of "coffee" a very personal one.

Links to other coffee growing parts of the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Blue_Mountain_Coffee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramiro_L._Colon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kona_Coffee_Living_History_Farm