A comprehensive guide on how to properly taste Kona Coffee
Learn to appreciate Kona coffee by learning to properly taste it
Some argue the coffee is a rare treat and its own reward, that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t properly appreciate how to taste Kona coffee.
Sometimes, a few minutes is all someone has to appreciate a cup of coffee. But when you have the time, it’s best to relax and savor the moment. Maximize enjoyment with your very limited Kona coffee tasting. The time you take will go a long way toward appreciation and happiness.
Here’s what you’ll need to properly taste Kona coffee:
- A burr coffee grinder
- Fresh water (preferably filtered)
- Measuring spoons
- A cup
- A spoon
- Another cup, for spitting
First, use only 100% Kona Coffee!
To properly appreciate Kona coffee, use 100 percent pure Kona beans. Kona coffee “blends” add inferior beans and will take away from your experience. In many cases, Kona coffee makes up 10 percent of the blend, with other, less premium beans making up the remainder. Experienced coffee drinkers and novice alike, accept nothing less that 100% pure Kona coffee.
The beans should be ground to a medium-coarse consistency. It should be like course sand or sugar at the end of the grinding process. Do not grind the coffee too fine, it will become bitter. Use a burr grinder as the preferred method.
Take two heaping tablespoons from the coffee you’ve ground and place into your cup. Boil your fresh, clean water and fill up your cup with six ounces. The temperature should be 200 degrees.
Bring the flavors out by mixing the ground coffee and boiling water. Those flavors would be lost with other methods. But, do not let the grounds mingle for too long, or the coffee will be bitter.
Slurp the coffee. The air from your slurps will distribute the coffee around your tongue and mouth. You’ll be able to better appreciate the nuances and tastes of the Kona coffee. Then swirl the coffee, and take in the overall flavor.
You’ll find that Kona coffee is smooth, balanced and medium-bodied.
Spit out the coffee in your spit cup — enjoy the 100 percent pure Kona coffee flavor.