Hawaii coffee

20 Hawaii coffees from 10 independent UK roasters, from £4.20.

Hawaii is the United States’ own coffee origin, and its most famous region — Kona, on the Big Island’s volcanic slopes — produces one of the world’s premium coffees. Grown in rich volcanic soil with reliable cloud cover and hand-picked at altitude, genuine Kona is smooth, sweet and clean: mild nutty-chocolate, soft brown sugar and a gentle, low acidity. Strict US labelling and high production costs make it expensive, and “Kona blends” often contain very little real Kona, so provenance matters — buy 100% Hawaiian from roasters who can prove it. Other islands (Maui, Kauai) grow coffee too. This is a smooth, refined, special-occasion bag rather than an everyday one.