Real Kona Blend

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redmoose

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Aug 18, 2004
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Hey one of my fav blends is the Kona blend. but i found out that kona blends that you buy at the store is only like 2 percent kona beans and a really good one is 10 percent. they said people do this because kona beans are really expensive. so does anyone know why and how much a pure kona blend is?

~redmoose~
 
Ummm...you are drinking a blend..what you want is a straight Hawaiian Kona Extra Fancy...I have seen it run between $24-$36 a lbs...all depends on who you buy it from and how the market is.
 
Kona Coffee

True that around most "Kona" coffees are really blends with some Kona in it. The most flavorful variety of Kona is the peaberry. It has a smooth taste that makes your eyes roll back.
 
Kona blends are not all bad.

Many people shudder at the sound of mixing something with precious Kona Coffee (I believe its a little over-rated).

Just make sure that you find an online store first off (grocery store blends are almost always horrible). Find a blend that mixes gourmet coffee from Central America or some lighter South American crops. Kona blend can be done correctly, if mixing the correct crops, just make sure they specify the type of coffee mixed.

If you are somewhat new to the topic, and don't know much about the different types of gourmet coffee, then I would stick to drinking pure coffees from the Central America and South America to judge their tastes and body, and stick to pure Kona coffee.

Pure Kona coffee is actually way overpriced on most internet stores these days (mainly due to the fact that is is popular and that for internet stores, most people just choose the top two sites on Google, so these stores WAY overinflate Kona coffee prices).

Kona coffee should be around 26$ a pound, and unless it is some specialty Peaberry crop, it should not go over 30$ a pound.

Max
 
To answer the original question, I believe that most online sites have a 10% Kona beans blend, and most don't pull the whole 2% deal, just buy online is my suggestion.
 
There was a huge scam in the Kona Coffee industry a few years back. Some unscrupulous characters were filling Kona Bags at night with both Panama and Costa Rica coffee and selling it by day as 100% pure Kona. Well, they were selling it to reliable roasters who cup their coffee and no one caught it. HMMMM sounds to me like a nice Costa Rica or Panama coffee might be a good choice at a fraction of the price. Just a side note, most of the coffee served on the Islands is not Kona as it is too expensive and can be sold at a premium. The coffee most often served is from Central America.
 
blend

I just returned from Maui (!), and a helpful guy at Sir Wilfred's Coffee said that there is a law in Hawaii that "Kona blend" must be a minimum of 10% Kona beans.

By the way, I picked up:

... a 100% Kona Peaberry from Bad Ass Coffee (8 oz., $19.95),

... and a 100% Kona "Whaler's Roast" (half light, half dark, 1 lb. $25? $28?) from Sir Wilfred's.

Anybody have any experience with any of these?

I'm new here. :| Thanks!
 
Kona Blends

Kona coffee has heralded as one of the finest coffees in the world. The same can be said about Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. The two are linked in several ways.
1. The price. Kona is roughly $25/lb. and JBMC is roughly $40-and as high as $60/lb. So they are considered two of the most expensive coffees in the world.
2. Rarity. They are not produced in the quantity that say a Brazil is produced. To add to that, they are very strict in terms of visual defects, and also the territory in which they are grown.
and last..
3. The amount of fake Kona, and JBMC that is sold as either a blend, or the real thing!
If you are going to buy a blend of either of the above, make sure they are a reputable roaster. It is my belief that if you are going to market a blend as a Kona, or JBMC Blend, it should remain true to the name and contain AT LEAST 30% of the featured coffee. Especially if you are charging a pretty penny for it. Also, it should be blended not with just any other coffee, but with one that will help to enhance the featured coffee. Our company offers a 100% JBMC as well as a blend called Blue M Blend (which contains at least 50% JBMC). We include a certificate of authenticity with each. I doubt some of these others offering a Kona blend, or other, would guarantee that their blend contains even 10% !!!!!

Alex
 
Certificates would only be valid from honest roasters.

Certificates would be authentic only from honest reliable roasters. I have been a specialty coffee roaster for over 30 years and have seen countless scams and dishonest dealings. I can send you a panama with a kona certificate ( I wouldn't and never have) but it's really up to you to know your coffee. Does the certificate make the cup better? Perhaps because you believe it. When I recieve samples from a broker or importer, I have to cup each one and decide what it is and how good it is. Unfortunately, perhaps, that's the only way to be assured you have great coffee. Believe me, if a broker tells me I don't need to cup this coffee because it has a certificate, I'm suspicious and may even set up more samples when cupping. Find a reliable, honest roaster that has earned your trust and deal with them. Judge the cup, not the certificate. If you can't judge a coffee, don't worry about the certification.
 
I do agree that the coffee should stand on its own, with or without a certificate. But as you know not every consumer is a coffee expert. So with that said, the certificate is an added level of quality assurance, not meant to be the only factor instilling confidence. Of course the roaster should be reputable, honest, and transparent in regards to the high price coffee.
Think of the logo for Fair Trade. Why is it so important to have it prominently displayed? Why can't you just say that it is fair trade and hope the consumer will accept this? Because it says that an extra step has been taken to authenticate that coffee.
Why not have a third party act as a certifying party for the high price coffee? Maybe even for all single origin coffee....
What do you think?
Alex
 
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