Just did a blind taste test of 100% Kona and 10% Kona Coffee

[fuzzybabybunny]

I have 5 roommates and I had them all do a blind taste test of Kona coffee. A pack of 10% Kona with a pack of 100% Kona. I precisely measured out the grinds and the filtered water, and prepared it through a standard drip coffee maker. Poured the 100% into one color of cup and the 10% into another color.

All of them said that the difference was night and day. They all pointed to the white cups and said that was 100% Kona.

They were 100% wrong.

Turns out that all of them liked the 10% Kona better than the 100% Kona. The 100% Kona was at $10 for 7 oz and the 10% Kona was about $5 for 12 oz.

$1.43 / oz for 100% Kona
$0.42 / oz for 10% Kona

If you're looking for a strong coffee with a bold, active, in your face taste, go for the 10%. For those people like me who enjoy very very very mild coffees that are easy to drink, are smooth, have low acidity, and lack any kind of harsh tones, the 100% Kona might be a good choice. Kona is one of the only coffees that I might enjoy drinking black. But I'm sure there are plenty of cheaper coffees that can pull this off. Kona would be a great coffee for a beginner coffee drinker.

And that's the skinny on 100% Kona. A very mild, smooth, refined, pleasantly low key coffee to drink. Almost zero acidic aftertaste. Good coffee to relax with. Not a strong coffee.

 

[Colt45]

>drip coffee

 

[Kirby64]

Have you tried making the 100% Kona with a french press or chemex? I can imagine that both of those would probably provide a bit more body to the Kona, since you're keeping the oils and such, especially with the french press.

That being said, I love me a gooooood mild coffee. I had a batch that brewed looked like black tea, but was incredibly tasty.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Have you tried making the 100% Kona with a french press or chemex? I can imagine that both of those would probably provide a bit more body to the Kona, since you're keeping the oils and such, especially with the french press.

That being said, I love me a gooooood mild coffee. I had a batch that brewed looked like black tea, but was incredibly tasty.

Which batch was that?

No French press. The idea that most people seem to have is that a good coffee is a strong, flavorful, in your face coffee. I'm sure there's going to be some variation with a press or chemex, but most people like to just keep it simple and get a drip coffee maker and get pre-ground coffee rather than grind their own beans (I used to grind + press).

The point being is that I love Kona because it is so mild. It's enjoyable. I also hate every kind of alcohol but love milk, hot chocolate, and earl grey tea, so I'm predisposed to mild drinks. I don't really enjoy drinking strong bold coffees, especially acidic ones. The stronger and more bitter it is, the more I load up on creamer and sugar. It can even become a chore to try and finish a bag of strong or bold coffee.

I just wanted to give people the correct expectation for Kona. Yup, it's famous. And it's incredibly good. But don't go in thinking it's famous because it makes your taste buds go crazy.

 

[Kirby64]

It wasn't a Kona batch. It was a Bolivian Cup of Excellence from Sweet Marias. I have yet to try Kona itself, actually.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/coffee.archive.new.php?country=Bolivia - the "Cafe de Montana" listed

I roasted it pretty light, so it came out interesting. That said, I brewed it in a vac pot so it was already smooth enough. Final result was something that 2-3 cups was a joy. No bitterness, no burn. Almost no acidity, and a nice light drink.

Speaking of famous coffee, have to tried Blue Mountain? Heard good things, and I figure if you've tried Kona, you've tried Blue Mountain.

 

[sao123]

so if 10% was kona... what was the other 90%?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

so if 10% was kona... what was the other 90%?

Not sure. Because of this, keep in mind that 10% Konas are going to vary a LOT depending on what the other 90% is and at what level it was roasted at. I think that the 10% Kona thing is a complete gimmick. 1 in 10 beans is actual Kona. Might as well be no Kona at that rate. A 10% Kona, depending on the blend, can be anything from tart and acidic from using high elevation beans to dark and bitter to tasting exactly like 100% Kona if they use an equivalently mild bean for the other 90%. *shrugs*

At the end of the day, get what tastes good to you. 100% Kona will be supremely mild and drinkable. 10% Kona will be all over the map depending on the mix and roast level. At that point there's no reason to buy it because it has 10% Kona beans - just buy it for the taste, as you would any other coffee.

 

[glen]

Jamaican Blue Mountain is nto very good at all.
I got some Mavis Bank green beans and roasted them myself, so I knew it would be fresh and done correctly. Not good at all. Likewise, if you like Kona, as I do, you may find most central American Coffeee cheaper and as good or better.Kona is simply an original Bourbon Species of Arabica, but so are most coffees grown in Costa Rica and Guatemala. In fact, some boutique coffee from those regions is actually almost universally considered betetr than Kona, for example Bill McAlpine's La Minita.

 

[lxskllr]

Kona is a clever marketing gimmick. It's a second rate coffee sold at premium prices. I congratulate Hawaii on their deception.

 

[glen]

Kona is a clever marketing gimmick. It's a second rate coffee sold at premium prices. I congratulate Hawaii on their deception.

Actually, I would say it is a first rate coffee sold at premium prices.
JBM is a second rate coffee sold at premium prices.
Half, or more, of the coffee plantaions on Costa Rica and Guatemala are first rate coffee sold at second rate prices.

 

[rivan]

Kona is one of the only coffees that I might enjoy drinking black.

You're drinking the wrong coffee if you have to add milk/sweetener to enjoy it, imo.

 

[Ausm]

Kona coffee kicks ars!

 

[Ninjahedge]

You're drinking the wrong coffee if you have to add milk/sweetener to enjoy it, imo.

Nah.

Like many things (cacao, for instance), you may need a bit of sweet to enjoy it over its own strong overtones.

That said, you can also turn it into a regular soda-pop like sweetie if you are not used to the bitterness.

Odd that I do, given that I like (depending on the mod and the food) rye ales and IPA's..... But I am an inconsistent drinker that usually uses it as a wake-aid rather than a beverage.....

I was not surprised at the possibility of certain nations having great coffee much cheaper than the advertised "premiums". Again, comparing to beer, when Corona can cost as much as a good microbrew, Kona may be getting a bit more rep than the bean itself deserves.

 

[glen]

Coffee is very difficult to grow from seed. A coffee cherry is sort of like a small peach, in that the seed is covered with a pulp web. You have to plant the seed with that pulp web before it dries out or it won't germinate. The first coffee plants grown in the Americas came over on boats as plants, not seeds, where space, weight, and water are at a premium. The Dutch gave the French some plants, and some of those plants were sent to America. I cannot remember who sent them, but the point is that those plants were refered to by the French dynasty, the Bourbons. So, Kona, Guatemalan, and Costa Rican coffee is bourbon variety arabica grown in volcanic soil, and it all taste very simillar. The biggest scandal in coffee is the "Kona Kai scandal" where they were selling Costa Rican as Kona, to the tune of 4 million pounds a year. What is significant about 4 million is that is as large as the ENTIRE amount of Kona grown. They did this for a while without being caught, mainly becasue the CR was as good, or better, than Kona, and certainly had the same taste profile - they are genetically identical plants grown in simillar conditions.

 

[evident]

i also think 100% kona coffee varies from make to make. in general it does have a similar taste to each other though. In general kona coffee is pretty nice. i always try and stock up as much as possible when i'm at a costco in hawaii

 

[GT1999]

In Hawaii you can buy this at their local Walmart for dirt cheap. I brought 4 packages back with me when I flew back last Nov. Of course it was Maui coffee, but still good. They also sell 100% Kona at Walmart as well but it's a little more expensive.

 

[MixMasterTang]

I think a better taste test would have been to tell them here are 2 coffee's, which one do you like better and why. They obviously didn't know what it was supposed to taste like, so they selected the one with the stronger flavor.

 

[ShawnD1]

That being said, I love me a gooooood mild coffee. I had a batch that brewed looked like black tea, but was incredibly tasty.

This. I just buy shit coffee and load it up with cream and fake sugar. It's delicious. "bold" coffee tastes like shit.

 

[RagingBITCH]

This. I just buy shit coffee and load it up with cream and fake sugar. It's delicious. "bold" coffee tastes like shit.

I'm guessing you generally don't care for taste and water down your 15 year single malt Scotch with...oh I don't know...Coke?

 

[NutBucket]

Jamaica Blue Mountain is without a doubt the smoothest coffee I've ever tried. Yeah, its $40 for 8 oz but what the hell, gotta try it.

The one variable in your test FBB is that there's lots of grades of Kona coffee. Many people say its terrible...until you get a good batch. Plus roasting varies greatly and depending where you buy from the beans may have been roasted months ago. All play a large role in determining flavor.

The only Hawaiian coffee I've tried is from Kauai Coffee Co when I was there on vacation. To me it terrible coffee. Certainly not worth the price. My wife and friend (a local no less), both agreed. I've got some Peet's Kona on the way so I'm anxious to try it and compare to JBM.

 

[slayer202]

I'm supposed to take the word of some random person who doesn't drink black coffee?

 

[GT1999]

I'm supposed to take the word of some random person who doesn't drink black coffee?

I've exclusively drank black coffee, and tea, both unsweetened for years.

While this is personal preference, here is how I rate most general coffees:

Kona > Maui > Starbucks > Caribou > Dunkin Donuts > Generic Drip > McDonald's > Coffee Drips from Sewage (kidding) > Keurig "K-Cup" coffee

They have Keurig machine at work, and honestly if it wasn't 100% free I wouldn't touch the stuff. It all is a huge fad if you ask me. Who the hell pays $50c for a K-Cup and it comes out tasting SO terrible. It's watered down and even has coffee grinds at the bottom almost everytime.

FAD

 

[Matthew Simpson]

What your roommates were probably reacting to was the strong taste of the Robusta beans in the 10% Kona. Robusta is more caffeinated than Arabica and so tends to have more of a bitter taste to it.
Kona coffees tend to be very subtle in their flavor,profile:smooth, nutty and sometimes a citrusy aftertaste. Whereas other regions like Africa will be overpowering in their citrus profile, Kona is a little of everything.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to put a link here, but if you like you can read more about what makes Kona Coffee different at my blog:

[ link deleted ]

 

[ShawnD1]

I'm guessing you generally don't care for taste and water down your 15 year single malt Scotch with...oh I don't know...Coke?

Exactly. People who like the taste of alcohol and nicotine are drug addicts. It's that simple. They're in the same category as people who enjoy the bold taste of black coffee because it makes their withdrawal headaches go away.

 

[NutBucket]

Kona > Maui > Starbucks > Caribou > Dunkin Donuts > Generic Drip > McDonald's > Coffee Drips from Sewage (kidding) > Keurig "K-Cup" coffee

Opinions rejected due to high rating to Starbucks. YUCK.