Whenever I have a friend traveling to Hawaii I insist they bring me back a bag of the famous Kona Peaberry Coffee. Kona coffee is known for its smooth and mellow yet full-bodied flavor, a very deep, rich bean producing a very aromatic cup of coffee. Kona’s elevated location is perfect for growing the best beans. Its climate of sunny mornings, cloudy or rainy afternoons, combine to make a superior coffee bean.
Kona coffee can only be called that if it is grown within the district of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is grown in a small area only one mile wide by 30 miles long. Coffee grown in any other area of the islands can only be called “Hawaiian.” Even coffee grown in Kona is called “Hawaiian” if it falls below the “Prime” grade.
Kona Peaberry coffee is classified as “Extra Fancy” and costs more not only because you are getting a bigger and denser bean, but because you are also getting a rarer bean and only accounts for approximately 5% of the coffee bean crop. Peaberry is a “freak of nature” so to speak, and occurs when the coffee cherry yields only one bean instead of two. The Peaberry bean is shaped like a football; it is not flat on one side and round on the other, like a regular coffee bean. It also has a lower acid content than regular beans. Some believe that the cylindrical shape causes this bean to roast differently than a regular bean giving it a much different taste.
When coffee is prepared in a French Press coffee pot it produces a concentrated yet very smooth and rich
tasting coffee. You can imagine how the combination of Kona Peaberry coffee, which is already great tasting, and brewing it in the French Press coffee pot would kick it up a notch and make a more intense flavored cup of coffee.
To be sure you are getting Kona Peaberry coffee check the label carefully. It can only be labeled Peaberry if it is one hundred percent Peaberry. Just because you are spending more and it says “Kona Blend” or “Estate” does not mean it is Peaberry coffee. Most Hawaiian coffees are blends of several different types of coffee berries roasted together to create the blend.
It is well worth the extra cost to buy pure Kona Peaberry Coffee. You will not be disappointed.
