Coffee comes in many varieties. Figuring out what to purchase from a menu of different coffee beans, roasts, styles of preparation, and added flavors takes so much time you barely have any left over to enjoy your coffee. If you want to skip right to the best, choose kona coffee, which is seen as a special delicacy.

Kona coffee gets its name from the locations where it is grown. Only the coffee beans grown on Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii can legitimately be identified as kona. No other coffee can rightfully use that term.

Coffee enthusiasts prize kona coffee, which can only grow in a small, select area. In order to flourish it requires the best possible conditions with regard to sunlight every morning, rain in the afternoon, and placid evenings. The precise environment necessary for growth makes the coffee extremely rare.

Kona coffee is sold according to quality or seed type. There are two basic types of bean. Type I coffee is made from a variety with two beans per cherry, with one flat side and one oval side. Type II, on the other hand, is made from a coffee variety with one round bean per cherry. Kona extra fancy, kona fancy, kona number 1, and kona prime are made from type I beans, and peaberry number 1 and peaberry prime are made from type II beans. Type II coffee is generally more rare.

While shopping, you may encounter coffees that are labeled kona blend. These are generally blends of true kona and more common coffees, but the proportions may vary widely. Sometimes, there may be as little as ten percent of true kona. The rest is generally made of Brazilian, Central American, or other beans. Hawaii's laws mandate that manufacturers display the proportions on their products, but federal law does not require this.

Many retailers have this coffee available, both in and outside of Hawaii. You may even be able to find it at some restaurants or a local coffee shop in your town. Kona coffee is sure to become one of your favorite types of coffee, no matter where you try it.

Who knew coffee could be so complicated? Now, with all sorts of establishments offering many different coffee beans, one is sometimes confused. Why not cut to the chase and go for kona coffee, a bona fide star in the crowd? Kona is special and delicious in part because it cannot be grown just anywhere but only on the Big Island in Hawaii. There are two ways to get kona; straight up or in a kona blend. Begin with kona plain. Your pocketbook may eventually dictate the cheaper blend but try it unblended to savor its distinctive quality. As always, knowing your roaster/dealer will be your best guide.