Kona Coffee FAQs-Roasting, Sourcing, and Shipping
Find answers to common questions about our 100% Kona coffees, roasting schedule, shipping times, and sourcing practices.
Vietnam Java Longberry Light Roast
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Roast: Light
Country: Vietnam
Region: Lam Dong
Producer: Vuong Farm
Processing: Rosé Washed
Altitude: 1360-1520 masl
Tasting Notes
Lemon, Lime, Coriander and white tea in the aroma. A delicate and elegant cup with a citrusy acidity that hints of tangerine and caramel.
Background
Last November Miguel travelled to Vietnam to meet up with Rae of Karmic Circle Coffee Trading and visit Vuong Farm near Dalat, whose coffees we have been buying the past 3 years. The previous year we set up some trial fermentations of our champagne natural process. This season we decided to try our Rosé washed process on a variety they had been calling ‘Typica Longberry’
Miguel didn’t think it was Typica, but rather the ‘Java’ variety- A high cup quality Ethiopian Landrace. We had samples of the coffee sent to RD2 in France for genetic testing and the Longberry was confirmed to be a 100% match for Java variety.
About Vuong Farm
A 12 hectare farm at 1360-1520 masl in Lam Dong province not far from the town of Dalat. Operated by two brothers: Trung and Hieu. They are second generation coffee growers continuing the farm their parents started. Both in their 30's, they are some of the youngest growers in their area. they grow a few specialty heirloom varieties beyond the common catimor strain planted in the region such as Java 'Longberry', Yellow Bourbon, and Orange bourbon. They started getting involved in the family farm a few years ago just as the specialty coffee cafe scene was getting started in Vietnam. They are one of the few producers in Vietnam offering arabica varieties other than Catimor and have been doing anaerobic fermentations for several years now.
About Java Variety
In 1928 PJS Cramer from Indonesia travelled to Ethiopia, then called Abysinnia and brought back seeds to the agricultural station he worked at on Java Island.
These plants proved to be rather resistant to the coffee leaf rust disease and were eventually distributed to growers as 'Abysinnia'
In the 1950's the Vilmorin company brought seeds of this variety to the West African nation of Cameroon. Since they collected the seeds from the island of Java they called this variety 'Java'
In Cameroon this variety also proved resistant to coffee leaf rust, and their they also discovered selections form it that were resistant to coffee berry disease. After several years of pure-line selection the 'Java' Variety was released to growers in Cameroon beginning in 1980.
In 1991 it was brought to Central America by CIRAD. This material was distrubuted to many countries in Central America. The Meirisch Family in Nicaragua was one the the first to recognize the quality potential of this variety. Their entry of their 'Javanica' variety (genetic testing has shown it to be a perfect match for Java variety, before this technology was available they weren't 100% sure the true identity of this variety) in the 2006 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence took 2nd Place.
By the early 2000's the Java variety had been brought to Laos in South-East Asia. Vuong Farm acquired the seeds of their 'Longberry' variety from Laos.
This variety shows a lot of potential complexity. Acidity is generally lower than the Gesha/Geisha T.2722 variety but it shares floral and citrus qualities with this variety. The variety seems to respond very well to natural processing and various methods of extended fermentation.
Rosé Washed Process
A Double fermentation method we pioneered in Hawaii and have begin teaching to a handful of our suppliers around the world. Coffee Cherries are rinsed and floated and inoculated with wine yeasts and fermented in a bioreactor as the first step. Then the cherries are pulped and fermented again. The yeasts produce fruity esters along with helping to reveal some of the varietal aromas from the coffee cherries. The resulting coffee has the mouthfeel and acidity of a washed coffee with enhanced fruit and floral notes and a white wine-like flavor
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.
