The Way to Serve Coffee - Kona Coffee Blend

Kona coffee is one of the rarest and most sought out coffees in the world. It named from the region is comes from, the Kona Districts in the Big Island of Hawaii. The region has the perfect coffee growing conditions - sunny mornings, cloud cover or rain in the afternoon, with mild nights - making it one of the most developed regions in the world for coffee growing. Because of these remarkable growing coditions, Kona coffee is a reputation for being one of the best in world; this comes in terms of its taste, as well as the quality of the coffee beans. Currently it is one of the most expensive coffees in the world and is almost constantly out of stock.

Due to the rarity of Kona Coffee, many retailers sell what is called Kona coffee blends. These are not a mixture of different Kona coffees, but a mix of Kona coffee and a couple other, not as rare, coffees. This has proved to be a great success - it's cheaper for the consumer and still gives them a taste of Kona coffee.

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The amount of Kona coffee in a Kona coffee blend differs from person to person; some say that there has to be at least 10 Kona for it to be considered a true blend, while some go as high as 50%. It all depends on what kind of taste you prefer and what kind price you are willing to pay; although many people prefer their blends to have more Kona than any other coffee beans.

Kona coffee beans are a very special type of coffee beans. They thrive on the cool slopes of the Mauna Loa mountians, the cool temperatures and volcanic dirt making it prime territory for the production of coffee beans. The green beans start to appear around the middle of April, and are ripened and ready to be picked by the end of August. Usually hand picked to retain the highest quality Kona coffee beans, the beans are then sun dried and preserved. This process is all natural, giving the resulting coffee a unique, 'full body', taste. It's a taste that many cultures of the world like to embrace.

The entire process of growing Kona coffee beans, and then creating Kona coffee is much like that of growing and producing wine. Although the process isn't as long, the attention to detail is just as great; wine makers have to carefully grow the grapes on perfect soil in perfect conditions; the grapes then have to be carefully handpicked, then preserved to perfection; any mistake, like with Kona coffee beans, can result in a ill-tasting wine. It is for these reasons that Kona coffee is so expensive - the process itself is a time consuming, delicate affair.

The types of Kona coffee beans availble - the ones which would be used in your Kona Coffee blend - are:

• Grande Domaine Kona
• Hawaiian Espresso
• Private Reserve Kona
• Organic Kona Coffee
• Estate Kona Coffee
• Peaberry Kona Coffee
• Prime Roast Kona Coffee
• Kona Fractional Pack
• Decaffeinated
• Flavoured Kona Coffee

If you have the money then pure Kona coffee is for you. It has one of the most unique and satisfying taste in the worlds, and, for that matter, is extremely addicting. If you have the money to nurture the habit then for all means. If not then Kona coffee blends are for you.

The problem with most Kona coffee blends is that you don't what other coffee beans are in the blend; on many occasion there is a mixture of 10% Kona beans and 90% of others,and many times what is in the other 90% isn't blatantly told to you. Therefore it's better, and usually cheaper, to make your own Kona coffee blend. You have control over the taste, the price, and, well, pretty much everything. It's also a little bit of fun, being a coffee chemist.

If you're eager to being your experimenting, try and keep these things in mind:

• The Kona coffee beans you purchase are 100% Kona. Their will usually be a label on it signifying its purity (as well as the high price tag). Don't get lured into the cheaper, high percentage Kona coffee beans . These are already blended and lacking in quality and taste.
• Make sure they are freshly roasted. If it is a darker roast the taste won't be as unique.
• Experiment mixing the Kona coffee beans with any other of your favorite beans. The cool thing about Kona coffee beans is that they mix readily with almost any other bean. Explore different percentages until you get the taste you like.
• You will need a coffee grinder.
• Don't grind all the beans at once. Only grind the beans you are going to use and store the rest if a freezer for a later use.
• Sometimes it's a good idea to buy the store bought Kona coffee blend (which is almost always 10% Kona) and add more Kona coffee beans to it.
• If you find the perfect Kona coffee blend don't forget to right down what percentages you use. The biggest mistake people make is to mix randomly, make a glorious drink, and then have no idea how to repeat their success.