Kona coffee is highly regarded among coffee enthusiasts all over the world thanks to its silky smooth texture, rich flavor profile, and luscious aroma. Once you get a taste of this incredibly popular brew, you’d never want to go back!
That said, Kona coffee is also one of the most expensive coffee beans out there. With such hefty money on the line, be sure to put some effort in the selection.
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No worries though, this is where we come in! Today we’re presenting you with 11 of the best Kona coffee beans available on the market, so you can enjoy a true Kona coffee experience down to the last drop!
- Kona Coffee & Tea Kona Coffee Private Reserve
- Kauai Hawaiian Ground Coffee
- Landor Trading Company Hawaiian Kona Coffee
- Don Francisco’s Whole Bean Kona Blend
- San Diego Ground Kona Coffee Blend
- Royal Kona Hawaiian Kona Coffee Ground
- Kauai Coffee Garden Isle Single-serve Pods
- Solimo Kona Blend Coffee Pods
- Victor Allen Kona Blend Coffee Pods
- Aloha Island Coffee Kona Pods
- Tassimo Gevalia 15% Kona Coffee Blend
Our Picks of the Best Kona Coffee Beans
1) Kona Coffee & Tea Kona Coffee Private Reserve
Kicking off our Kona coffee list with a bang, this Kona coffee from Kona Coffee & Tea is just about as fancy it gets. It’s certified as 100% single estate Kona coffee, which gives you a good idea of the kind of quality we’re dealing with.
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These Kona coffee beans are sustainably farmed and hand-picked. They actually placed first in the Kona Coffee and Cultural Festival Crown Cupping competition in November 2018.
The beans are roasted to order and shipped to your location in vacuum-sealed bags to make sure you receive your coffee beans as fresh as possible. Moreover, the bags are resealable to help you extend the freshness.
This particular roast, the light roast, offers delightful tones of light cedar with notes of strawberry, raw hazelnut, brown sugar, and butter.
- Certified 100% Single Estate Kona coffee
- Sustainably farmed
- Roasted to order
- Maybe too mellow for some coffee enthusiasts
- Can be quite expensive
2) Kauai Hawaiian Ground Coffee
Kauai Coffee is the largest coffee grower in Hawaii, making use of the rich volcanic earth, the warm pacific sun, and the abundant mountain rain to create perfect conditions for cultivating amazing Kona coffee.
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Kauai Coffee contains 100% pure Arabica coffee beans that deliver a deliciously smooth flavor with a luscious aroma. The Coconut Caramel Crunch variety is the company’s most popular flavored ground coffee.
It combines the smooth tone of medium-roast beans along with hints of nuts, caramel, and coconut for a sweet and satisfying cup of coffee. This unique blend of flavors is something you can enjoy at any time of the day.
Kauai Coffee is also committed to employing sustainable farming practices through different steps of manufacturing from growing coffee beans all the way to roasting and packaging.
- 100% pure Arabica beans
- Notes of caramel, nuts, and coconut
- Very smooth finish
- Affordable
- Not 100% organic
3) Landor Trading Company Hawaiian Kona Coffee
The Hawaiian Kona Coffee from Landor Trading Company is one of the most popular single-origin coffee beans grown in high volcanic mountains you can find across the world.
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Landor Trading Company uses %100 pure Kona beans that are certified Hawaiian Kona Whole Coffee Bean. This means that their coffee isn’t a blend, which adds to the quality of their product.
The Arabica beans are medium-roasted to give you a nice range of rich flavors without overpowering the brew. However, It may come off as being too light and mild if you prefer a stronger tasting cup of coffee.
For the best brewing results, the company recommends using approximately 56 grams (½ a cup) of ground coffee per 30 ounces of water.
- Certified Kona coffee beans
- 100% Arabica beans
- Low bitterness and acidity
- A bit on the mild side
4) Don Francisco’s Whole Bean Kona Blend
Praised by hundreds of Kona coffee aficionados, Don Francisco’s Whole Bean Kona Blend brews an excellent cup of coffee with the flavours of Hawaiian Islands. Headquartered right in the United States, the company has been in the industry for more than 140 years.
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This blend consists of 10% Kona coffee mixed with premium-quality Arabica coffee beans sourced from other countries. It delivers a thin floral aroma and fine notes of fruit topped off with a smooth, non-bitter finish.
Don Francisco’s Kona Coffee is blended and roasted in the United States. They’re also committed to empowering sustainability by being involved in each step from harvesting to roasting.
This Kona Coffee Blend may not hit the spot for folks who like their coffees dark with a big bite. However, it’s a wonderful option if you’re a fan of medium-roast tones.
- 10% Kona blend
- Subtle fruity notes
- Great value for money
- May not be strong enough for some
5) San Diego Ground Kona Coffee Blend
San Diego Ground Kona Coffee Blend is another tasty choice if you’re into medium roast coffee. It’s a fine blend of premium Arabica beans from Kauai, Maui, and Latin America. The result is a soft, mild, and half-bodied flavor with low acidity.
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This Kona coffee blend is roasted using techniques that have been perfected over 30 years to give you a nice medium roast with a fuller body appearance and a highly aromatic experience.
San Diego’s Ground Kona Coffee is blended and roasted right in the United States, where the beans are roasted in small batches to ensure you receive the freshest possible coffee. The bag isn’t resealable, so you should store it in an airtight container away from heat, light, and moisture.
- Low acidity
- Smooth taste
- Blended and roasted in the U.S.A.
- The packaging doesn’t show a roasting date
6) Royal Kona Hawaiian Kona Coffee Ground
Royal Kona Hawaiian Kona Coffee Ground brings you a cup of coffee right from the heart of the Hawaiian Islands. The company has been roasting Kona coffee beans since 1969, providing an authentic experience with every bag. It’s the largest roaster of Kona coffee worldwide, supplying the island’s restaurants, hotels, and retailers.
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This coffee ground is made using 100% Kona coffee beans milled at the company’s facility in Captain Cook in the Kona district in Hawaii. It brews a delicious cup of coffee with a full-bodied flavor and a smooth finish.
The Royal Kona Coffee Blend is a bit on the pricey side, but it’s well worth the money for hundreds of coffee enthusiasts.
- 100% Kona coffee
- Full-bodied profile
- Nice aroma
- On the pricey side
7) Kauai Coffee Garden Isle Single-serve Pods
Back to Kauai Coffee once again, this time their Garden Isle Single-serve Pods are stealing the show. With thousands of positive reviews to back it up, this blend is no doubt a crowd-pleaser thanks to its delicious taste and inviting aroma.
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Kauai Coffee contains 100% pure Arabica coffee beans that deliver a deliciously smooth finish with a luscious texture. The Garden Isle variety offers a bright flavor profile with subtle floral hints so you can sip on it day or night.
The single-serve pods are highly convenient. They’re also compatible with all K-CUP brewers and they use less plastic to be extra environment-friendly.
Kauai Coffee is also committed to employing sustainable farming practices. They carefully monitor every step of the process including growing the coffee beans, roasting, and packaging them.
- Bright flavor
- Uses less plastic
- Convenient
- Compatible with K-Cup machines
- You can’t double-brew the pods
8) Solimo Kona Blend Coffee Pods
Solimo is another brand with thousands of coffee lovers ready to testify in favor of its quality and flavor. Their Kona Blend Coffee Pods are 10% Kona coffee from Kona Moku on the island of Hawaii, mixed with premium-quality Arabica coffee beans sourced from Latin America.
Sipping on this brew, you can taste a mild sweetness along with a smooth, non-bitter finish. The medium roast level delivers a delicate body and a soft aroma, coupled with vibrant acidity for a balanced and clean flavor profile. It measures a solid 5/10 on the intensity scale, so you know it’s not too weak or too strong.
Offering amazing value for money, Solimo Kona Blend Coffee Pods comes in packages containing 100 pieces for ultimate saving.
- Balanced finish
- A sweeter tone
- Amazing value
- Refunds within a year of purchase
- Not premium quality
9) Victor Allen Kona Blend Coffee Pods
The Victor Allen Kona Blend Coffee Pods are also admired by lots of coffee enthusiasts for their unique taste and overall high-quality beans. The company started back in 1979 and has been dedicated to manufacturing great tasting coffee ever since.
This Kona coffee blend uses 100% Arabica beans that are known for flavorful brews. It has a light floral aroma with a mild taste and a silky smooth finish.
The Victor Allen Kona Blend Coffee is certified kosher by the orthodox union. It’s also gluten-free and non-GMO. The box contains 80 single-serve pods that are compatible with K-Cup Keurig 2.0 brewers.
- Nice mild flavor
- Affordable
- Certified kosher
- Gluten-free
- A little bland
10) Aloha Island Coffee Kona Pods
The Aloha Island Coffee Kona Pods are a blend of pure Hawaiian coffee and organic Arabica coffee. It’s a favorite among many coffee lovers across the country thanks to its excellent taste and evident quality.
The blend is chef certified Kona-Smooth, which means it has an exceptionally smooth finish and low acid flavor. It also brews a cup of rich coffee with a mellow medium roast tone that lets you focus on saving the essence of the Hawaiian Islands.
The Aloha Island Coffee Kona Pods is available as a pack of 18 single-serve pods, wrapped in individual packets for extra freshness. They’re compatible with most coffee brewers including Senso, Bunn, and Cuisinart.
- Chef certified Kona-Smooth
- High-quality blend
- Works with many single-serve coffee brewers
- On the expensive side
>>Bonus
11) Tassimo Gevalia 15% Kona Coffee Blend
If you got yourself a Tassimo brewing system, then you’re in luck because this is one of the best Kona coffee blends on the market and it’s specifically designed to work with the company’s single-cup home brewing system.
Made using 100% Arabica coffee beans, the Gevalia blend has a bold, full-bodied flavor with a reminiscent taste of the Hawaiian Islands. It contains 15% Kona coffee combined perfectly with premium arabica to deliver sweet roasted notes, hints of nuts, and a velvety finish.
The Tassimo Gevalia Kona Blend comes in boxes that include 16 servings, each brews a cup of about 8-ounce size.
- 15% Kona coffee blend
- Sweet undertones
- Compatible with all Tassimo machines
- Might not be strong enough for some
What is Kona Coffee?
To put it simply, Kona coffee is coffee that’s been grown in the Kona region of Hawaii’s largest island. This district provides perfect conditions for cultivating coffee, so the beans harvested from Kona are of incredibly high quality.
Kona coffee beans create some of the richest, most flavorful roasts. They can also get notoriously expensive, especially if you want to buy 100% pure Kona coffee beans.
Wrap Up
If you’re on the hunt for the best Kona coffee, then any of the 11 options on our list of top picks could be your perfect match.
That being said, if you’re into mellow tasting coffee with notes of nuts and strawberry, then the Kona Coffee & Tea Kona Coffee Private Reserve should be right up your alley.
But if you want something a bit bolder, then you should check out the Royal Kona Hawaiian Kona Coffee Ground.