Kona Coffee FAQs-Roasting, Sourcing, and Shipping
Find answers to common questions about our 100% Kona coffees, roasting schedule, shipping times, and sourcing practices.
Ka‘ū Wood Valley Honey Peaberry
Item is in stockHurry! Low inventoryItem is out of stock
Item is unavailable
Tasting Notes
A lively, full-bodied cup. A crisp, citrusy acidity with flavors of maple syrup, cashew and tangerine.
Background Info
Wood Valley is a high altitude valley in the Ka‘ū district. The Southern most part of the island of Hawai‘i. It is the highest elevation growing area within the region at 2200-2500ft. This picturesque valley is often covered in clouds and is also the rainiest area of Ka‘ū, receiving 80-100 inches of precipitation annually. The soils here are deep and rich and the area used to be a highly productive area for sugar cane in decades past.
After the demise of the sugar industry, coffee began to be planted in this area and other areas above the town of Pāhala in the late 1990's. Owing to its cool temperatures and great soils, coffees from this area are often among the best on the island. Harvest here is also much later than other areas. Only beginning in January when most other farms are finishing for the season, and continuing until June or July.
Our Wood Valley Peaberry comes from the 20 acre Ka‘ū Sunshine Farm situated in the heart of Wood Valley. Cherries were harvested from January-March, 2024. The cherries were partially dried on raised screens inside of a drying building for 3 days before being pulped and drying completed as a honey on the patio.
Peaberry Coffee
Peaberries are when coffee trees produce 1 rounded seed inside of a cherry instead of 2 flat sided seeds. Usually only 3-10% of the beans end up as Peaberries. Because of their rounded shape they roast very evenly and we find that the often display a little higher acidity than flat side beans from the same harvest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does washed coffee taste like?
Washed coffee, also known as wet-processed coffee, is characterized by its bright, clean flavors and noticeable acidity. The washing process enhances the intrinsic flavors of the coffee, resulting in a crisp, clear taste profile. Our Ka'u Red Wood Valley Peaberry offers a smooth, balanced taste with a clear profile, thanks to this method.
What does Ka‘ū coffee taste like?
Ka‘ū coffee, hailing from the district of Ka‘ū on the Big Island of Hawaii, is renowned for its distinctive taste profile. It typically features a smooth, medium body with high acidity and notes of caramel, citrus, and tropical fruits. Our Ka'u Wood valley Peaberry wonderfully encapsulates these elements, providing a delightful taste in every cup.
What is light roast coffee?
Light roast coffee refers to coffee beans that have been roasted for a shorter time, resulting in a lighter color and no oil on the surface of the beans. Light roasts are characterized by their bright, fruity, and acidic flavors, often allowing the inherent taste profiles of the coffee origin to shine through. They offer a more nuanced, delicate flavor experience compared to darker roasts.
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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
-
We roast and fulfill all of our coffee orders in Hilo, Hawai'i.
-
We roast in small batches using a Diedrich IR12 roasting machine.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
-
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.
-
We roast and ship on Monday/Wednesday/Friday.
Coffees
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
