Kona Coffee FAQs-Roasting, Sourcing, and Shipping
Find answers to common questions about our 100% Kona coffees, roasting schedule, shipping times, and sourcing practices.
California Santa Barbara Geisha -Finca 1890 PRESALE, ROASTING JANUARY 28TH
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California Geisha — Finca 1890
Santa Barbara County, California
A world-class washed Geisha that stands among the finest coffees we’ve tasted—regardless of origin.
At a Glance
- Origin: Santa Barbara County, California
- Farm: Finca 1890
- Elevation: ~200 ft above sea level
- Variety: Geisha (Gesha)
- Process: Washed (yeast-assisted fermentation)
- Roast: Light
- Flavor: Plumeria, orange blossom, bergamot, sweet lime, blueberry, white chocolate
- Body: Silky
- Acidity: Brilliant, high-definition
Overview
This coffee challenges more than expectations about where great coffee can be grown—it challenges the idea that geography alone defines quality.
The Geisha from Finca 1890 is not notable because it comes from California. It is notable because, in tasting, it stands shoulder to shoulder with the best washed Geishas we’ve tasted from anywhere in the world in recent years, including Panama.
The cup is classic, floral, and extraordinarily precise: luminous aromatics, electric acidity, and a silky, tea-like structure that defines elite washed Geisha. There is nothing experimental or novelty-driven about the profile. This is a coffee judged purely on cup quality—and it excels.
If this coffee were served without context, its place would be clear. At the pinnacle of coffee quality.
Cup Profile
Aromatics of jasmine, orange blossom, and white florals rise immediately from the cup, followed by bright citrus notes of bergamot, sweet lime, and Meyer lemon. The acidity is vivid and impeccably clean—high-energy without sharpness—carried by a silky, weightless body and a long, resonant finish.
This is a textbook washed Geisha profile, executed at the highest level.
Origin
Finca 1890 is located in the hills above Carpinteria on California’s central coast. While the farm sits at low elevation by traditional coffee standards, a rare combination of latitude, marine influence, and coastal microclimate creates conditions that slow cherry maturation and preserve acidity— producing a cup that rivals high-elevation tropical farms in structure and clarity. Arabica coffees typically take 6-9 months to ripen, in California they take 12 months! This slow ripening no doubt contributes to the coffees stunning complexity and structure.
Here, climate and precision outweigh altitude.
Processing & Roast Approach
This lot was selectively hand-picked at peak ripeness, floated to remove defects, and fermented using a controlled, yeast-assisted washed process designed to enhance clarity rather than impart overt fermentation character. After fermentation, the coffee was fully washed, sun-dried, and meticulously sorted before roasting.
Our light roast profile prioritizes:
- Floral aromatics
- High-definition acidity
- Structural balance
- Transparency over roast flavor
This is a roast designed to get out of the way.
About the Geisha Variety
Geisha (Gesha) originates from the Gori-Gesha forest of Ethiopia and is revered for its floral aromatics, refined acidity, and elegant structure. Since its rise to prominence in Panama in the early 2000s, it has become the benchmark for aromatic washed coffees worldwide.
This California-grown example demonstrates that when climate, process, and roast align, classic Geisha character can transcend geography.
Brewing Recommendations
- Pour-over (V60, Kalita): maximum aromatics and structure
- Aeropress: ultra-clean, floral presentation
Use soft, filtered water and moderate extraction to let the acidity shine without sharpening.
Who This Coffee Is For
- Drinkers who love classic washed Panama Geishas
- Those seeking floral clarity and electric acidity
- Buyers more interested in cup quality than origin novelty
If you prefer fruit-heavy, winey, or fermentation-driven coffees, this is not the profile.
Explore More Floral Coffees
- Kona Geisha — Hawaiian terroir, luminous and refined
- Eugenioides Rey — ancestral sweetness and softness
- Ecuador SL28 — bright, structured, and expressive
What Is 100% Kona Coffee?
100% Kona coffee refers to coffee grown exclusively in the Kona district of Hawai‘i Island — a small, volcanic region
along the western slopes of Hualālai and Mauna Loa. The combination of mineral-rich soil, afternoon cloud cover, and gentle trade winds produces one of the world’s most distinctive coffee terroirs.
To be labeled “100% Kona Coffee,” every bean must be grown within the Kona district and meet strict Hawai‘i grading quality standards. Kona coffee can be made from different arabica varieties, but Kona Typica — a heirloom lineage — remains the region’s most common and traditional cultivar.
If you’d like to explore more Kona coffees, you can browse the full collection here: Browse the Kona Coffee Collection .
About Kona Coffee
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Kona coffee grows on the volcanic slopes of Hawai‘i Island, where mineral-rich soil, afternoon cloud cover, and slow cherry maturation create a naturally sweet and balanced cup. Our Kona Classic Medium is sourced from high-elevation farms and hand-harvested for clarity, smoothness, and elegant sweetness.
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Yes — this roast is Authentic Kona coffee made exclusively from North Kona district-grown coffees, never blended. Our Kona coffees comes from small farms at the highest altitudes in the region.
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Medium roasts highlight Kona’s signature profile: gentle sweetness, soft citrus, toasted almond, and milk chocolate. The result is a balanced, approachable cup ideal for everyday brewing.
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This coffee shines in pour-over, drip, and French press. Use filtered water just off the boil and a medium grind for maximum clarity and sweetness. If you are looking for a Hawaiian coffee for espresso use we recommend our Hawai‘i Island Blend
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Kona is the highest labor cost coffee region in the world. Wages for farm workers here are 15-20x higher than almost all other coffee producing countries. Limited and expensive land, hand-picking, and high production costs create a naturally small supply each year — especially from high-elevation farms like those we partner with.
Company & Facility
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We roast and fulfill all of our coffee orders in Hilo, Hawai'i.
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We roast in small batches using a Diedrich IR12 roasting machine.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
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We source an array of the top specialty coffees worldwide that appeal to an array of different palates.
If at any point you have difficulty brewing, or just appreciating one of our roasted coffees, no problem. Shoot us an email within 5 days of receiving your coffee and we'll help you find the correct brew settings for your coffee, or give you a credit (minus actual shipping costs) on your next purchase. Yep, we're a Satisfaction Guarantee coffee company!
Please note, our Satisfaction Guarantee only applies to U.S. orders of roasted coffees, and you must contact us within 5 days of receiving the coffees. Credits do not include actual shipping fees, which may be different from posted shipping fees.
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We roast and ship on Monday/Wednesday/Friday.
Coffees
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Our commitment to you is to serve exceptional, fresh-roasted coffees. And part of being exceptional means roasting before the flavors inherent in the green bean begin to fade, which happens over time.
Like apples and pumpkins, coffee is a seasonal agricultural product and each country has a different harvesting cycle in which coffees are at their peak. If we were to insist on serving a single origin all year long, the flavors in that coffee would be noticeably better one half of the year over the other. So the reason you no longer see that coffee you loved is because the optimal season has passed. For more on seasonality in coffees, see this blog post here.
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Hopefully so. If it was a popular product or we receive customer requests, we will make every attempt to bring it back. However, please note that coffees from a certain producer may not taste the same year after year.
If you loved a coffee and no longer see it listed, shoot us an email and ask us what is similar. We’d be happy to provide a personal recommendation.
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We aim for balance and completeness along with differentiation and distinction. You shouldn't need to be a professional coffee taster to tell the coffees a part, so, when we’re selecting coffees, we want them to be distinct from each other.
We avoid ”one-trick pony” type coffees, such as Ethiopians with great aroma but no body or acidity, or coffees with good aroma and acidity but lacking sweetness. These elements, which are often reflections of the growing conditions, are harmonized through good roasting.
And, obviously, defects — even subtle defects — influence our selection. Since we live and work at origin, we’re sensitive to coffee defects like “past crop”, pulpy, and naturals that border on over-ferment. With naturals, we’ll only carry these when great examples are available.
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Our perspective on roasting is similar: we seek balance and distinction. To expect that a coffee is “best” when roasted to some pre-determined degree (i.e. only light roasting or only dark roasting) is analogous to thinking that each person would look best in the same outfit, or each coffee should be grown in the same way. We believe it’s our job to discover the roast degree which best highlights outstanding qualities in each coffee.
