Most of those who try French press coffee get hooked off their first sip of this carefully brewed bean. Kona coffee which originates from Hawaii, has rare properties that make it a perfect choice for your next cup of coffee. Kona coffee, one of the most exquisite and luxurious coffees known to man, is grown on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Mount Hualalai, in the northern part of Hawaii, as well as many districts found on Oahu.
To ensure that you get the best, freshest cup of gourmet coffee, buy Kona coffe beans! While Kona coffee is normally higher priced than other coffe blends, they are absolutely worth the price. Besides, people from all over the world purchase this kind of coffee. Because of the growing conditions, which include beautiful, sunny mornings and afternoons with rain and humidity, the coffee is unique and flavorful.
The tree on which fresh, gourmet Kona coffee beans grow actually came from cuttings out of Brazil. In the 1800s, Samuel Reverend Ruggles brought the first Kona tree to Hawaii. Discovering that the weather and soil in Hawaii produced great crops, farmers begin growing the beans on large plantations. There are more than 2,300 acres where fresh gourmet Kona coffee beans are grown. The cultivation of fresh, gourmet Kona coffee beans is so successful that some two million pounds are produced every year.
The blooms of the Kona tree appear every February and March, which appears as tiny white flowers, commonly called Kona Snow. The green berries of the Spring turn to red fruit in the summertime that resembles cherries. It is a right time for the “fruit” to be harvested. By hand-picking every coffee bean, the freshness of gourmet Kona coffee is ensured.
Within one day of harvesting the fruit, it is run through a special type of equipment to help separate the pulp from the bean. After that, the beans are allowed to ferment for 12 hours at low elevation and 24 hours at higher elevation. Once rinsing of the beans is complete, they will need to be laid out on a rack to dry for one to two weeks. After this, parchment is used for the storage of the dry beans. Interestingly, to produce just one pound of fresh, gourmet Kona coffee, it takes approximately eight pounds of fruit.
If you pay attention to the characteristics of the Kona coffee seeds, you will be able to pick out the the fresh, gourmet Kona coffee. For instance, Type I has two beans per cherry or fruit, with one side being flat and one being oval. Beans of the Type II variety have only one bean per berry or fruit and that bean is round. Further grading would be based on several factors, including size and type, moisture content, and purity. With fresh, gourmet Kona coffee, you know you are purchasing a higher quality or grade of the Kona bean.
