Did you know that Hawaii is the only state in the United States that grows coffee, though several US territories also grow it.
Located on the western coast of the island of Hawaii, Kona stretches twenty miles north-south and two miles east-west, and is divided into the North and South Kona Districts. Under federal and state regulations as well as federal trademark, only coffee grown here may be called Kona. The Kona region constitutes somewhat less than half of the 7,600 acres devoted to coffee on the Hawaiian Islands; most of the remainder—approximately 4,100 acres—is on Kauai. Kona is the oldest continually planted region for Hawaiian Island coffees; most of the other Hawaiian coffees were planted during the 1980s on available fallow sugar lands after the demise of the Hawaiian sugar plantations.
Kona coffee, Var. typica, was first planted in 1829 and has continued to thrive; many of the trees are over 100 years old. Most of the 680 or so farms are less than four acres, although there are also a few huge estates. Due to the island's isolation and the state's strict import restrictions on agricultural products, minimal pest control is required and, as a result, no pesticides are used, nor may they legally be used. With a rainy growing season and a cool, dry harvesting season, the region is particularly well suited to coffee production.
Kona sold as a "blend" may contain small quantities of Kona. In the state of Hawaii, coffee labled "Kona blend" may by law contain as little as ten percent real Kona coffee; elsewhere, there are no set minimums. The Kona Kai scandal of 1996 was a notable instance of fraud: Costa Rican and Guatemalan coffee was relabeled and sold as Kona. This effected some changes in the sale of Kona, with a "100% Kona" certificate or a "Kona Coffee Council 100%" seal available. All large quantities of unroasted Kona Coffee will have the Hawaii State Certification tag on the burlap bag; the consumer does not usually get to see these bags, but you might be able to ask the roaster to show them to you.
It is worth noting that not all Kona farmers pay for certification—it is not required for the sale of roasted beans or smaller quantities of green—so legitimate Kona may not be specifically labeled as such. Buy directly from a Kona farm, or a well-regarded retailer you trust. Note that although Kona coffee farmers may meet the standards of Fair Trade coffee, for technical reasons they cannot be certified as such.
(source: coffeefaq.com)
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