Introduction to Coffee
Coffee, the most commonly consumed beverage, is the morning
‘wake up call’ most of us cannot do without. Originating from
Ethiopia, coffee today is one of the most famous beverages
around the world. From your favorite grocery stores to local
estate cafes to high-end restaurants, people from all walks of
life never seem to get tired of its intoxicating aroma and the
unique blend of flavours produced by this beverage. Apart from
drinking it, coffee is also used as a flavoring for desserts,
meat and fowl dishes. Flavorful as they are, coffee serves to
compliment the distinct flavours of these foods.
Types of coffee beans
Coffee beans can be categorized into two categories, mainly
Arabica and Robusta. Arabica coffee beans have a distinct oval
shape and are usually pale or green in colour. Found at your
local roaster or retailer, Arabica coffee beans are of premium
The Kona Coffee Company is producers of one of the finest
Arabica coffee beans in the world. Cultivated in the big
islands of Hawaii in the North and South Kona districts, the
climate conditions are highly favourable for Arabica coffee
trees to thrive. Hand picked meticulously by six hundred
farmers and carefully processed to perfection; Kona Coffee is
the best coffee one could ever enjoy.
On the contrary, Robusta coffee beans are commonly found on
the shelves of grocery stores and supermarkets. Trees producing
Robusta coffee beans require high soil humus content and low
altitudes in order to thrive. These species of coffee trees
produce beans that are usually round and brown in colour and
are not climate sensitive as they are able to withstand high
temperatures and heavy rain falls. They are also more resilient
to diseases as compared to Arabica coffee trees.
The coffee processing process is divided into three
different methods mainly, wet processing, dry processing and
semi dry processing. In dry processing, the cherries are
harvested and left to dry in the sun for approximately two
weeks before removing the outer layers, the parchment and the
pulp, of the bean.
Kona Coffee adopts a special wet processing method in which
coffee beans are hand picked and soaked in water to determine
the good beans from the bad. Cherries that are unripe or have
gone bad will float while good coffee beans will sink. The
outer layers of the cherry is removed by a process called
fermenting and what is left is the green bean, which is left to
dry in the sun. These green beans are sold to various roasters
to produce a unique coffee that is catered to the different
taste and preferences of coffee drinkers.
Likewise, the semi-dry processing removes the skin and the
pulp of the bean similar to that of the wet processing.
However, the bean is left out to dry in the sun and not