Kona Earth -Kona Coffee FAQ

• Situated at 2000 feet on the slopes of the Hualali volcano, our farm is high elevation farm. The climate is cooler and wetter, allowing our fruit to mature more slowly. This results coffee beans of superior size and quality.
• We small-batch roast our Kona coffee on site. This enables us to ship the freshest beans directly from our farm to your doorstep.
• We make giving back a priority with Care In Every Cup, supporting worth non-profits.

Unlike large commercial roasteries, Kona Earth employs small-batch roasting, also called micro-roasting. Technically, this means batches of smaller than 150 lbs. However, we roast in batches of 20 lbs. on our Mill City 10K roaster. This results in supremely fresh, Kona coffee shipped farm-direct to you.

We ship whole bean Kona coffee because it preserves freshness. It also gives you flexibility in selecting a grinding level (fine to medium, etc.) depending on the way you brew your coffee.

MEDIUM: Roasted to the first crack, the beans are a light chocolate brown with few surface oils. Medium roast preserves the smooth, delicate nuances that make Kona coffee so special with balanced flavor, aroma, and acidity. Fans of American Roast or Breakfast Roast will appreciate this balanced and well-rounded coffee.

FULL CITY: Medium-dark roast is pleasing to every palate, balancing the mixture in flavor between the origin of the coffee and the taste of the roasting process. In this roast, the beans roast past the first crack but stop before reaching the second crack. The beans will be mostly dry, with intermittent patches of oil. This roast is often used for espresso drinks.

DARK: This is a full-bodied coffee with a bold flavor. Roasted to the second crack, the beans are dark brown with an oily surface. Dark roast creates a strong, rich flavor with an unmistakable aroma. Some refer to this roast as French Roast.

Our coffee collection represents distinct grades of green beans:

Kona Classic: Kona Prime grade coffee is screen sizes of 16/17.

Kona Premium: A larger bean. (Screen size 18/19)

Kona Peaberry: A natural anomol representing less than 5% of any harvest, peaberries occur when only one bean develops instead of the usual two. More sugars develop per bean leading to what many believe is a superior flavor profile.

Espresso: Our darkest roast, espresso is roasted using Hawaii-grade beans. Though still grown in Kona, the bean grade does not qualify for the technical specification of Kona specialty coffee.

The Specialty Coffee Association created the Q Grader Program to help provide a consistent, credible and verifiable evaluation process that is utilized worldwide to evaluate coffee. Q Graders score coffee on various qualities like aroma, flavor, and texture.

Q Graders go through a rigorous training course to be certified to provide sensorial analysis that assists coffee farmers in perfecting their farming and production processes. By understanding the characteristics of their green coffee, this process also informs the development of each coffee’s optimum roasting profile. Many liken Q Graders to Masters of Wine in the wine

The best bet is to store your coffee in an airtight, opaque container in a cupboard, away from light or extreme temperatures. If you don’t have an airtight container, use the tin tie to close the bag, then pop it in a Ziploc. Don't refrigerate your coffee and only freeze it if it will be stored for weeks at a time. We offer a custom Airscape container which is an excellent choice to lock in freshness in an airtight container.

Whether you enjoy your 100% Kona coffee as drip coffee or espresso, the speed in which hot water flows through your coffee grounds can determine your tasting experience. Over extraction happens when water is in contact with your grounds for too long, extracting too many organic compounds. This can result in a harsh, bitter cup of coffee. Conversely, under extraction happens when the water flows through too quickly, resulting in a weak, watery cup of coffee. To correct for any flavor imbalance, experiment with your grind setting. Coarse grounds extract water more slowly while fine grinds extract quickly. Brewing with filtered water is also recommended.