Kona Coffee is justifiably world famous. If you can find 100% Peaberry Kona Coffee it is rich, smooth and full of mysterious mineral overtones. The latter can probably be explained by the many minerals which the eruptions of Mauna Loa and Hualalai deposited in the so-called Kona coffee belt on the Big Island of Hawaii. That belt is only about 2 miles wide and 30 miles long so it is quite exclusive--and, of course, the coffee is expensive!
Our Filipina hostess, Joan, at the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Kona resort told us that if we really wanted to find the genuine article we should go to the Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation just 10 miles away on the slopes of an old volcano, Mount Hualalai. At an altitude of over 3, 200 ft, it is the highest coffee grown in the Kona belt on the leeward side of the Big Island.
This makes for the perfect combination of factors which makes Mountain Thunder Coffee so exceptional: volcanic soil, a mild climate, high elevation, light winds, ample rain during the summer and just enough sunshine. The plantation is situated in a "cloud forest" which is really a combination of cloud and fog which must also add some gentle moisture to the magical blend.
The coffee they grow and sell is only available at this location--you can't buy it in shops. It is branded as Mountain Thunder and comes in different roasts at different prices depending upon the quality of the coffee beans. An 8oz bag of Premium Mountain Thunder is $26 and a 16 oz bag of Organic 100% Kona (actually grown at a certified organic farm in Holualoa) is a cool $65. You can get whole beans or ground and a Vienna or French roast.
All beans are hand picked, mechanically and optically sorted and small-batch roasted. We were taken through the whole process in the adjoining sorting and roasting shed. They roast batches about twice a week depending upon volume. They roast in machines made by the Diedrich Company of Sand Point in Idaho. They can roast batches from 7 pounds to 100 pounds.
Typically, each coffee cherry has a pair of flat-sided beans inside. In 3-5% of cherries there is a single bean which is more "pea" shaped--hence
Peaberry Mountain Thunder, which is rare and sold at premium prices. It is said to be more flavorful and to have more caffeine. I tasted a small sample cup and was "buzzed" for the rest of the day!
A few more photos.
This is Margarine the Cat--"Margie" for short.
She has a big breakfast and sleeps the rest of the day!
Regee takes a rest after a strenuous walk around the plantation.
Plants everywhere
This tea is also grown on the plantation. It has amazing
anti-inflammatory properties and controls blood pressure and arthritis.
I bought three packs and am throwing all my pills away!
The processing and roasting shed.
Setting off on the Nature Walk.
The plantation has about 7-10 acres under coffee
One of the many lava tubes on the property.
They are regarded as sacred because they were once used as burial places.
Yes, you guessed right--coffee beans!
Cloud forest at 3, 200 feet. Constant cloud keeps it cool up here.
Beautiful ferns line the steep, steep paths we took to the lookout
below where you can see the whole plantation.
Panorama--looking down the slope of the volcano where the coffee grows.
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