How to Select Kona Coffee
If you've chosen to drink Kona coffee, then you definitely are a dedicated coffee drinker that wants only the best and most flavorful coffee. Knowing how to select Kona coffee is important in getting the best possible flavor. Keep in mind, however, that a lot of it will depend on your specific preferences in coffee drinking. Although Kona coffee is considered a gourmet coffee, being armed with knowledge about the different types of coffee will help you make the best selection.
There are many things to be considered when selecting your Kona coffee including:
- The quality of beans you're buying
- Where it was packaged
- When it was roasted
When I'm talking about the "quality" of the beans, one thing that's important is that it's 100% Kona. Many coffees that are called Kona blends may have only 10% Kona coffee in the can or bag and 90% of other blends of coffee. With a combination like this, you won't be able to get the true flavor and excellence characteristic of authentic Kona coffee. Hawaii laws state that the percentage of Kona must be on the label.
Quality of the beans is also a term used to describe the different grades of Kona coffee:
- Extra Fancy
- Fancy
- Number 1
- Select
- Prime
The better the coffee (extra fancy), the less the percentage of defects you'll find in the coffee and the better the flavor. Any Kona coffee that has more than 15% defects is probably not worth buying. If you're dedicated to buying Kona coffee for its excellence, get the best that you can get.
Peaberry is another type of Kona coffee that is made when there is only one coffee bean instead of the customary two. This happens if only one side of the seed pod develops. Peaberry coffee is considered like royalty in the coffee family.
Once you've chosen the bean you want, pay attention to when it was roasted. Coffee will quickly lose its flavor after it's been roasted. In fact, approximately half of the flavor is lost two weeks after it was roasted. To get the best coffee, try to get it from a roaster or pay attention to the roasting date on the label. The longer a coffee is roasted, the darker it will be so this will be a deciding factor for you as well. The lighter the roast, the more caffeine there will be in the coffee. It's all a matter of personal taste. Now that you've learned some of the important aspects of selecting Kona coffee, you have the knowledge of how to get the best flavored Kona coffee.
