Kona Coffee FAQs-Roasting, Sourcing, and Shipping
Find answers to common questions about our 100% Kona coffees, roasting schedule, shipping times, and sourcing practices.
Ecuador SL28 - Finca La Noria
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Ecuador Finca La Noria — SL28
A vivid, fruit-driven expression of SL28 grown at extreme elevation in southern Ecuador, roasted light for clarity and aromatic intensity.
Origin: Loja, Ecuador
Farm: Finca La Noria
Producer: ChocoVilcaMundo (CVM)
Elevation: 2,090m
Variety: SL28
Process: Washed
Roast: Light
Flavor: Mango, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, jasmine
Body: Juicy, silky
Acidity: Bright, citrus-driven
Overview
This SL28 from Finca La Noria is one of the most expressive coffees we have sourced from Ecuador. Grown at exceptionally high elevation in the Andes and roasted light, it presents a cup that is more reminiscent of fresh fruit juice than traditional coffee—vibrant, aromatic, and intensely refreshing.
While SL28 is best known from Kenya, this Ecuadorian expression reveals a different dimension of the variety: tropical, floral, and precise, shaped by altitude, slow maturation, and meticulous farm management.
Origin
Finca La Noria is located in Loja, southern Ecuador, with plantings ranging from approximately 2,000 to an extraordinary 2,265 meters above sea level. At these elevations, cool temperatures and intense sunlight dramatically slow cherry development, concentrating sugars and aromatics in the seed.
The farm is operated by ChocoVilcaMundo (CVM), an Ecuadorian agricultural company led by Bernard Uhe and his coffee-growing family, whose roots trace back generations in Colombia. Working closely with local Ecuadorian partners, CVM has established some of the highest-elevation, most decorated coffee farms in the country.
Variety & Selection
This lot features SL28, a classic variety of Kenya, renowned for its vibrant acidity and complex fruit character.
At extreme altitude, SL28 develops exceptional clarity and aromatic lift, producing a profile that leans tropical and floral rather than savory or winey. The result is a cup that feels energetic and refined, with remarkable sweetness supporting its acidity.
Roast Style & Intent
Roasted light, this profile is designed to preserve acidity, aromatics, and transparency.
Development is intentionally restrained to allow fruit character to lead, with no roast-derived flavors obscuring the coffee’s natural expression. This is a coffee built for clarity rather than comfort.
Cup Profile
Expect lifted aromatics of mango, grapefruit, and jasmine, followed by flavors of kiwi and pineapple. Acidity is citrus-driven and lively, balanced by a silky mouthfeel and clean, refreshing finish.
This is not a heavy or chocolate-forward coffee—it is bright, articulate, and highly expressive.
Brewing Recommendations
Best results with:
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Pour-over (V60, Kalita) — maximum clarity and fruit definition
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Chemex — clean, juice-like presentation
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Auto-drip — bright, lively cup with excellent aromatics
Use filtered water and slightly cooler brew temperatures to keep acidity crisp rather than sharp.
Who This Coffee Is For
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Drinkers who enjoy bright, fruit-forward coffees
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Fans of high-elevation, washed profiles
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Those seeking a modern, expressive cup
If you prefer low acidity or roast-driven flavors, this coffee may not be the right fit.
Why We Source from ChocoVilcaMundo
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Extreme Elevation Farms
Coffees grown well above 2,000 meters for maximum sweetness and complexity. -
Proven Excellence
CVM farms have placed repeatedly in Ecuador’s top competitions, including Cup of Excellence and the Ecuador Golden Cup. -
Careful Variety Selection
Focused on high-performing, expressive varieties like SL28, Geisha, and Typica Mejorado. -
Precision Processing
Clean, washed processing designed to highlight origin and variety character.
Explore More Bright & Expressive Coffees
Looking for similar profiles?
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Kona Tropical Punch — Light Roast — vibrant, fermentation-driven fruit
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Ka‘ū Classic Light Roast — bright, silky, and refined
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Geisha selections — floral, aromatic, and elegant
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.
