By Miguel Meza - Updated November 14th, 2025
Hawai‘i produces some of the most distinctive coffees in the world, and two regions on the Big Island—Kona and Kaʻū—stand at the heart of that reputation.
Just miles apart, the two districts share volcanic soils, ocean breezes, and a heritage of hand-picked coffee farming. But each region expresses its own microclimate, its own genetic story, and its own distinct cup profile.
At Paradise Roasters, we have worked closely with farmers in both Kona and Kaʻū for more nearly 20 years, sourcing micro-lots, helping introduce new cultivars, and showcasing the diversity of Hawaiian terroir.
This guide brings together our long experience across the island to help you understand what makes Kona and Kaʻū unique—and how to choose the origin that best matches your palate.
Discover our fresh-roasted selections from Hilo.
👉 Kona Classic Medium Roast – Best Seller
👉 Kona Tropical Punch Light Roast
Kona’s coffee belt stretches from roughly 300 to 3,200 feet along the western slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualālai.
The heart of the region sits just above and below the Mamalahoa Highway between 1,200 and 2,000 feet, where a historic collection of small farms benefits from:
The combination creates one of the world’s most stable coffee climates.
Kona remains a rarity in the global coffee world: more than 90% of its production is still heirloom Typica as of 2025.
This gives Kona its signature profile—gentle, sweet, balanced, and low-to-medium in acidity.
Beginning in 2009, Miguel Meza of Paradise helped introduce new cultivars to Kona aimed at improving cup quality and expanding genetic diversity. These included:
Since then, others have introduced additional varieties such as:
But Typica still overwhelmingly defines the Kona landscape.
Because Typica is sensitive to climate, elevation has a strong impact on flavor:
Lower–mid elevation Kona (300–2000 ft)
The classic island profile coffee with a similar profile to Jamaica Blue Mountain. Soft, sweet, clean, often nutty or caramel-like. Very approachable with a mild acidity.
Higher-elevation Kona (2000-3200 ft)
Cooler nights and slower cherry maturation produce denser beans with brighter acidity, floral hints, and citrus lift. These lots can resemble coffees grown just south in Kaʻū.
Paradise has sourced from Kona farms for over two decades—particularly in Holualoa and North Kona—working closely with growers on variety trials, processing innovations, and showcasing special micro-lots.
Many of our finest Kona coffees come from long-standing relationships, where we’ve been involved from seed to roast.
Kaʻū lies just south of Kona on the slopes of Mauna Loa, with elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,600 feet.
Most farms sit between 1,600 and 2,100 feet, giving Kaʻū slightly cooler average temperatures and more consistent cloud cover.
These conditions slow cherry development, producing denser beans and more structured acidity.
Kaʻū’s early plantings included seedlings from neighboring Kona and plant material from Maui, primarily:
But as a newer coffee region, Kaʻū embraced genetic diversity from the beginning. Farmers experimented widely with varieties such as:
Catuai has proven especially well suited to Kaʻū’s cloudy, high-elevation zones and has become increasingly popular in more recent plantings.
Since the arrival of coffee leaf rust, growers have begun testing modern disease-resistant hybrids such as Castillo and Tabi, similar to ongoing trials in Kona.
Kaʻū’s higher average elevations and cooler temperatures tend to produce coffees with:
These beans also withstand darker roasts exceptionally well, maintaining sweetness and shape without collapsing—another benefit of their density and slow maturation.
Paradise began working with Kaʻū producers during the region’s early rise in 2007-2010 after the closure of the sugar plantations.
We’ve collaborated with farmers experimenting with natural, honey, and extended-fermentation processes; evaluated new cultivars; and brought international recognition to Kaʻū micro-lots through our roastery releases and competition submissions.
Both origins produce exceptional coffee, but they express different aspects of Hawai‘i’s terroir.
The best choice?
Taste both. These origins are close neighbors but speak with distinctly different voices.
Few roasters have worked as deeply with both Kona and Kaʻū as Paradise. Our Hawaiian coffees are:
We continue to support variety trials, farm innovation, and micro-lot experimentation across the island—sharing Hawaiian terroir at its most expressive.
Ready to taste the difference?
If you enjoyed this guide, explore more Hawaiian coffee knowledge:
