Why You should Buy Single-Origin Coffee
If you’re reading this, then the chances are you already know how great a cup of Kona coffee is. With its bold, unique, rich flavor, there’s nothing in the world that tastes quite like it.
What you probably don’t know, though, is that not all Kona coffee is the same. Did you know, for instance, that much of what passes for “Kona” coffee today actually isn’t? That might sound like a contradiction, but it’s true. The fact is, many sellers blend Kona coffee beans into their regular beans and then pass it off as “Kona” -- when the coffee they sell might only be 10% real Kona coffee!
Even when you are dealing with 100% real Kona coffee, things aren’t always equal. Like many other coffee growers, some Kona manufacturers will take coffee from different Kona farms and blend them together. The result is 100% Kona coffee, true, but it’s still not the highest quality. This is because different coffee farms -- even when the coffee all comes from the same area, which it must to be Kona -- often use different methods to grow and harvest their beans, which results in different flavors. When these flavors are blended together, much of their uniqueness is lost.
Single-Origin Coffee
This is where single-origin coffee comes in. If you don’t know what that means, “single-origin” simply means that all of the coffee contained within was all grown and harvested on one single farm, from one source. Why is this important?
- Unlike other coffee, coffee labeled “single-origin” means that all stages of production -- planting, nurturing, harvesting, drying, roasting and packaging all takes place under the eye of one farmer.
- This consistency in production leads to a consistency in taste. Kona coffee is prized for its unique flavor which is a direct result of the climate and soil conditions that can be found in this one small area of Hawaii. Why buy a coffee that has had its unique identity taken away through blending with other beans?
- Unlike Kona blends, the Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture rates, grades and sorts 100% Kona coffee into five levels of quality ranging from prime to extra fancy. This helps ensure you buy the best cup of coffee available.
- Single-origin Kona coffee offers the purest Kona taste, as all beans came from the same farm, grown in exactly the same way, and at the same altitude.
- Single-origin coffee helps to fund the farmers who are making coffee the right way; by buying single-origin, you are helping more money get directly to the farmers who make the coffee you love.
So, the next time you decide to buy quality Kona coffee, check the label for "Single-Origin." We are proud to say all of our teas and coffees are estate-grown, single-origin from just one of our five farms. Come on by for a tour, and you'll taste the difference!
