Home About Us Breakfast Club 100% Kona Testimonials Talk Story Time Shop Contact

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

A rare treat available from Kona Essence - Honey Coffee!



This is not your typical Kona coffee.  A different processing technique gives the beans a distinct flavor profile. There is no honey involved and the taste is not much sweeter but definitely more complex with a rounder acidity and less citrusy brightness.

A better name for the coffee would be ‘Pulped Naturals’. About once a year, when the conditions are just right, it is possible to skip the normal fermentation step (used to remove left over sugars from the pulping of the Cherries). It's not easy to do and the coffee can easily be ruined if the weather doesn't cooperate and the beans aren't dried quickly.  Making pulped naturals is something our farmer will attempt only when the conditions are perfect. It didn’t happen last year but this season we are all in luck and have the opportunity for a rare treat.

Drying the coffee beans with much of the fruity "honey" sugars still in place creates a very distinct coffee flavor. A professional description might be, “Slight caramel, stronger hazelnut, clean complexity with blueberry hints.” I prefer the less formal description of "It's Yummy!"

We aim to do a special roasting just for this coffee on the 27th June with delivery and shipping on the 28th. If you are interested, please let me have your orders before Tuesday the 25th June. To preserve the unique flavor of these beans all of the Honey Coffee will be Medium Roast.

With a roast date of the 27th June the timing is perfect for enjoying during the 4th July celebrations. It will also make a wonderful gift for your discerning friends.

Due to limited supply, early ordering is recommended. Contact us at 'dream@konaessence.com' if you would like to reserve some of this special treat.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

More Coffee Art

A customer sent me this picture of Audrey Hepburn - it is painted with brewed coffee by Brazilian artist Dirceu Veiga.
Check out his other images at 'dveiga.com' they are amazing.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Elves Festival

Come along and join in the fun at the 7th Annual Elves Festival in Hermosa Beach.

Kona Essence will be there supporting our friends at Starfish.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Cool Coffee Art

I drink my coffee - some people do more creative things!



Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair

It's the end of the summer and so time for the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair.

Kona Essence will be back again this year - see you there!

October 6th - 7th 2012


Friday, August 17, 2012

Taste of the Beach #7

What a great event. Everybody enjoying themselves and some familiar faces.



Come and join us at the Taste of the Beach #7

Sunday August 19th at 3PM to 7PM at the Hermosa Beach Community Center.

See you there!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Ohana Gathering

Helping Cole Paddel Home

Come on out and welcome home Cole Barres, lifelong Manhattan Beach resident, on his return home.

3:00-7:00 June 24th on the 400th block of 10th Street in Manhattan Beach.


Monday, May 7, 2012

Plaza El Segundo Farmers Market

Starting this week Kona Essence will be at the Plaza El Segundo Farmers Market.

The market runs 10:00am to 2:00pm each Wednesday.

Drop by and say hello if you are in the area.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Not So Serious Golf Outing

Kona Essence is delighted to be supporting this fantastic event to raise funds for the Child Abuse Prevention Center.

We have donated a gift basket and will be providing coffee to the participants to add a little special Aloha spirit to the day.

Details at : www.BrightFutures4Kids.org

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Taste of the South Bay

We attended the 4th annual Taste of the South Bay on Sunday.

A fantastic, fun event raising money for the Kings Care Foundation. Great event, great people, great fun!


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Kona Essence will be at the 4th Annual taste of the South Bay

Come and join us this weekend at the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach.

Tickets are available at the LA Kings website:
www.lakings.com/taste


Monday, February 6, 2012

Valentines Day Special Offer

Check out our special offer for Valentines Day - FREE coffee!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Sampling at Grow in MB

We will be sampling Kona Essence coffee at Grow in Manhattan Beach on Monday 30th Jan.

Come by and say hello.







1830 N.Sepulveda, Manhattan Beach.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Coffee Powered Car Breaks World Record

A team of engineers in England have found a unique way of using those left over coffee grounds!

They have converted a car to use them as fuel to break the Guinness World Record "for vehicles run on gas from organic waste". They reached a staggering 77.5 mph in a V6 powered Rover SD1.


The coffee grounds are burnt in a gas generator to produce a synthetic gas which fuels the engine in the car.

(credit: coffeecar.org)

Kona Essence is moving it's roast dates forward!


Good news for everyone who likes the freshest coffee at the weekend.
In the future we will be roasting a couple of days earlier so that we can have the freshly roasted beans packed and on their way to you a little earlier.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Taste at the Beach 2011








This Sunday, August 21st, is one of our favorite local events to eat......I mean to participate at!

No where else will you find such a fun, aloha filled atmosphere where you can taste a hearty sampling of goodies from the best restaurants in the South Bay.



2010 Event with 'baby-on-board"

Need I say more...look at this delish array of pupus!


A perfect local event to check out this coming Sunday
http://www.tasteatthebeach.com/ for tickets.



Grab your aloha shirt and come out and enjoy!


Monday, January 25, 2010

Ki ho'alu...loosen the key

Kona Essence is back! After a long hiatus from blogging, I am giving it another go. Nothing like surrounding myself with a day of aloha to get into the mood.Yesterday we had the honor of listening to Hawaiian legends express their love of Hawaii, it's land, it's people and that special "energy" I call Aloha. 3rd Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival at Redondo Beach Performing Arts. Mark in on your calendar for next January!

Ki ho'alu...loosen the key. The art of "slacking" the strings (or "keys") to allow many different tunings creating a variety of sounds. This tradition was actually started by Mexican cowboys in the late 19th century. Upon arriving to the islands, they shared these guitars with the Hawaiians...from there the Hawaiians adapted it to fit their own style. More on this great story in a future blog.

Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar has to be one of the most mesmerizing experiences....watching 10 fingers leap around "slack" keys faster than ones eyes can follow. Your ears and heart are engulfed by this collection of sound yet in awe it is from only one instrument. If you are like me, it only takes a moment until I have found myself back in Hawaii, sitting at my favorite beach front spot, hearing the waves crash and listening to a local artist strum away. Yes, probably my friend's famous Mai Tai may be there as well :)

Back to the stage....it is filled with peaceful aloha shirts, palms trees that appear to be swaying, music playing and tears come to my eyes as the graceful hula halau floats across the stage!
Halau (hula school.) These ladies were breathtaking! Ahhh...what a perfect afternoon. I really miss Hawaii but I know what will help :) Time to roast a fresh batch of 100% Kona Coffee!

Until I figure out how to post music...google Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar and treat yourself to a Hawaiian vacation this morning.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Trip to Coffee Farm


Coffee Grows on Trees! 

See those nice bright red berries, they are perfectly ripe coffee cherries ready to be hand-picked by Farmer Gary and his crew at Kona Earth Farm. Gary will tell you all the details but pretty much inside is a slimy, white coffee seed that gets squeezed out, goes through some fancy cleaning and drying in prep for roasting.

Farmer Gary with rows and rows of 100% Kona coffee trees. This beautiful farm sits nearly 2000 feet above sea level, perfect for growing coffee. The farm is in a small town called Holualoa, famed part of the 100% Kona coffee growing region. I actually used to live in Holualoa...that was when I was young and still drinking the "other coffees."

You know the ones with no roast date, no idea when they were packaged or where the beans came from and even worse...the ones that say "Kona Blend"... you know what I am talking about. So Sad :(
But now older and wiser, we only enjoy the finest and freshest of coffee, 100% Kona Coffee. Having a Kona Essence morning, starts every day with a smile! Ok so sometimes I have KE afternoon as well ;)

Green "Raw" Coffee Beans

This is how our coffee arrives to our house from Farmer Gary.

They are a dense, greenish seed with a not so yummy smell. Thinking about tasting one....wouldn't recommend even dipped in chocolate!!

KONA Essence.. Medium and Dark Roast 100% Kona
(aka French Roast and Full-City roast)
What's the difference...check out our SHOP page and find out!
Even better, try a bag of each and let us know what you think ;)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Bring Family to Work Day

Mom and Dad Erich (Tom and Eileen) joined me for a day of roasting at Polly's.

Dad of course was already thinking about how he could build one of these roasters!! Mom...well she was just hoping this would not become one of his new Tommy Tinker projects!

Great to have them out in sunny CA, defrosting from the weather in PA. xoxo