Common Coffee Questions! (and Surprising Answers!!)

Through our tours, newsletter, blog, and email we are asked a multitude of questions daily about coffee. We are always happy to share information and while we have dug into some of these in depth, let us give you clear and simple answers for some of your coffee queries.

Frequently Asked Kona Coffee Questions

What is the best grade of Kona Coffee?

Kona Coffee is an industry regulated by the State of Hawaii. State Law gives us five grades of Type One beans (hemispheres) and two grades of Type Two Beans (Peaberries) A grade is a combination of moisture in the bean, the size of the bean, and how much and what type of defective beans can be in each grade. Our top grade is referred to as Extra Fancy.

What is the most famous Hawaiian coffee?

Kona Coffee, by far, has the longest history as an industry and is the most recognizable brand name in Hawaiian coffee.

What is so special about Kona Coffee?

The Kona Coffee Belt is an exceptional environment for growing coffee trees, and the quality of fruit that comes from the trees can be exceptional. That is where our advantage starts. Tree variety, quality control, and roasting all impact final flavors.
Traditionally, the natural sweetness found in 100% Kona Coffee balances against the acidic and bitter for a very smooth and flavorful cup. In modern times, new tree varieties, new processing methods, and a host of other factors create wide variation even within the product known as 100% Kona Coffee. Learn more here on what sets Kona Coffee apart.

What to look for when buying Kona Coffee?

Look for the word string “100% Kona Coffee.” Look for the roast level, and inquire about the roast date. Look for whole bean or ground, and information on the farm.

Is Kona Coffee healthier?

In many ways, the answer is yes, but there are similarities with many specialty coffees of the world. The State of Hawaii is the only coffee industry in the world regulated by the USDA. This means that chemical pesticides approved for use in other parts of the world are not allowed here. That’s a big one. After that, hand picking, (to get ripe fruit) high-quality standards, (to take out the bad stuff), and craft roasting to ensure the best flavors create a low acidic, mold-free, and high-quality coffee product. 

Is Kauai coffee the same as Kona Coffee?

Kauai is a different island and legally can not sell their coffee as Kona.

What is Kona Peaberry Coffee?

The Peaberry is a round seed. About 95% of coffee seeds are hemispheric, two seeds with a flat side and a round side. If one of the seed ovules doesn’t form the other one folds over on itself and leaves a single round seed. In modern times these are separated and roasted independently and because they are spherical they cook very evenly which produces a sweet and delicate flavor unlike any other.

Does McDonald’s use Kona Coffee?

No.

Is all Kona Coffee the same?

Is all Napa wine the same? Is all champagne the same? Kona Coffee must be thought of as a region that can produce excellent coffee with wide variation in tree variety, processing methods, quality control, and roast.

Is Kona Coffee only grown in Hawaii?

Yes! To legally call coffee Kona Coffee it has to grow in a 35-mile long, mile-and-a-half-ish wide, 500-3200 foot elevation strip of land called the Kona Coffee Belt. If you are certifying your coffee it must also comply with state grading standards and be inspected.

What is 10% Kona Coffee?

10% of lowest grade Kona Coffee and 90% whatever. This law is changing but buyer beware! You can read more here on Kona blends.

Why is Kona Coffee so expensive?

High land costs, high labor costs, farmed in the United States where wages and taxes and compliance with state and federal laws put constant pressure on prices. Read more what impacts cost here and see here to break down the cost per cup.

Can you bring Kona Coffee back from Hawaii?

Absolutely! Every day, thousands of people carry roasted Hawaiian-grown coffee, including 100% Kona back home without restriction.

Is Kona Coffee better than Arabica?

Kona Coffee is Arabica. The family Arabica has many prized varieties, many of which are grown in the Kona Coffee Belt.

Which has more caffeine-light or dark roast?

Typically, a lighter roasted coffee will keep more of its caffeine. When you cook a bean, as it heats up gas and moisture in the bean want to expand outward. They will create little porous channels in the bean and what filled the tunnels escapes as coffee dust. The hotter you cook your bean the more mass you lose. Loss of mass is loss of caffeine.

Is coffee good for you?

There are a host of medicinal benefits from coffee when consumed in moderation. There are plenty of articles online about the health benefits of coffee.

How many cups of coffee are safe to drink in a day?

This will depend greatly on you, your health, your age, your lifestyle, your tolerance to caffeine, and so on.

Does coffee dehydrate you?

Although it is a known mild diuretic, the amount of liquid ingested will be in excess of what goes out. Therefore, coffee will not dehydrate you.

What is the best way to make coffee?

There is no best way. There are certainly best practices, and following weight ratios of grounds to water, using quality water at the right temperature, grinding correctly, degassing, and understanding the contact time between water and grinds all play a part. Each of the various brew methods (using the same coffee) produces different tastes. Visit our Coffee Knowledge Portal to master the various methods of brewing your favorite coffee!

Do I need a grinder?

If you are drinking high-quality specialty coffee…yes. Buying beans gives you more life for your coffee, grinding as you go gives you freshness, flexibility to differing brew methods, and of course that amazing aroma!

What defines a quality cup of coffee?

Taste and smell, body, flavor notes, and balance between sweet, bitter and acidic. Add to that processing method, the cleanliness of the cup, juiciness, after-taste, and how the coffee sits in your belly.

If you have further questions put them in the comments below and we will be sure to answer. Alternatively, you can read this Greenwell Farms article if you need more information about everything related to Kona Coffee.

Matt Carter

Matt Carter is a retired teacher (1989-2018), part-time musician, farmer, and currently manages Greenwell Farm’s Tour and Retail Store Operations.