A taste of Hawaii

Earlier this month I was privileged to be drinking Hawaiian Kona, and I'll try and do it justice in this writeup. This review is based on a single 250g bag of Type 1 Kona beans ground and prepared as 2, 3 or 4 shot espresso and the occasional 2 shot americano. The beans were roasted mid-december, stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place and ground immediatly before use.

Setting the Kona aside is its distinct sweet aroma like black forest fruits. There is an exciting berry hit from the moment you start grinding.
The initial sip is dominated by its sweet fruity fragrance that quickly gives way to a soft main taste, which is warm, but not earthy at all. The Kona then relaxes into a gentle, but slightly sharper, aftertaste that completes the palette.

Producing a rich dark crema I found the Kona difficult to under or over extract - you just can't go wrong with each cup coming out very similar to the last. Letting it steep for a little longer produces a stronger coffee but without the dark bite of a lot of South American beans. 

Prepared too quickly and under extracted the Kona still performs well but misses some of its magic.

The versitile Kona is ideal for espresso or strong americano and doesn’t need the extra water to bring it alive but nor does it suffer from a more dilute preparation.

I don’t take milk or sugar in my coffee, and although I didn’t try them I can imagine it blending very well with Vanilla or hazelnut syrup if that your style.

I know I’ll be returning to the Kona, and even the first cup won a top spot in my estimation.