Where does Kona coffee come from and what is Kona coffee? These are some pretty standard questions when looking at how expensive Kona coffee is. $30 a pound, yikes. But the answers to these questions may shed some light on why Kona coffee is so expensive, and so good!

Kona coffee comes from, you guessed it, Kona, Hawaii. Kona is location on The Big Island of Hawaii. The Big Island is the newest and largest of the Hawaiian islands chain and is the largest of the islands as well located at the south eastern most point. The Big Island is littered with lava rock and still has an active volcano that is erupting daily expanding the island as it goes.

The region of Kona is located on the west side of the island just below Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa. The weather of the Kona district is usually sunny in the morning, rainy in the afternoon, and cool at night providing the region with a distinct climate to grow the award winning coffee. The mountain side two has fertile soil from the lava rock and years of sea winds.

Kona coffee is harvested from August to January and is processed by the many farmers who have made a living on the Kona coffee farms. Only coffee from the Kona region of The Big Island can be called Kona coffee. There are blends and imitations that abound but only the real deal can get the name on the packaging.

Kona coffee stamped with “Estate” means the coffee beans come from one farm and one harvest. Any other labeling of 100% Kona Coffee means the beans were collected from several farms and processed at one central location. Also out there are 10% blends that blend coffee from all over keeping only 10% Kona farmed coffee.