We have three roasts at Mountain Thunder for our 100% Kona Coffee: American, Vienna, and French. Some use light, medium and dark roast, while others use city, full-city and full city+.
The most important consideration is personal preference. Just like wine, it's all a matter of buying and drinking what you like.
For those who prefer a light roast, we offer our American Roast. The beans are roasted to a medium-to light-brown color and do not show any of the natural oils on the bean. The American roast beans tend to have a slightly sweeter taste and are higher in caffeine level than the Vienna or French roast beans.
Our most popular roast is our Vienna Roast. This is a lighter roast that suits the Kona Coffee beans very well. It brings out the nutty, chocolately and slight cinnamon overtones in typical Kona Coffee. It has a medium-dark color and is sometimes called a Medium or Medium-Dark Roast.
Our French Roast is a bit different from what you may find at a coffee chain or your supermarket. Many "French Roasts" are actually burned coffee that offers the major wholesalers and chains to hide the taste of the lower grade coffee they buy. As such, many coffee aficionados will point out that some of the big chains serve "burnt" coffee. At Mountain Thunder, we have a proprietary process that includes small batches, high tech roasters and the ever-vigilant eyes of our master roasters to ensure that our French Roast is not burned. Our French Roast beans will have some of the natural oils of the coffee bean on the surface.
High on the slopes of Hualālai, darker roasts take on a different character. When grown at elevation and roasted with intention, 100% Kona coffee develops depth without losing its natural sweetness — rich, aromatic, and balanced rather than harsh.
At Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation, our French Roast and Espresso Roast are crafted in small batches using precision roasting and the steady attention of our master roasters. Unlike many mass-market “dark roasts” designed to mask lower-grade beans, our approach highlights the integrity of high-grown Kona coffee. The result is a bold cup with structure and clarity — never burned, never bitter for bitterness’ sake. You may notice a light sheen of natural oils on the bean’s surface, a sign of a carefully developed roast.
Our Espresso Roast is designed for intensity and crema, offering a smooth, full-bodied profile that performs beautifully both as straight espresso and in milk-based drinks. Many espresso purists gravitate toward this darker expression for its balance of strength and sweetness.
For those who enjoy exploring layered roast profiles, we also offer two distinctive Kona blends:
Black and Tan — a harmonious balance of French Roast and American Roast, combining brightness with depth.
Black and Brown — a smooth fusion of French Roast and Vienna Roast, offering a darker profile with a refined finish.
While preferences vary around the world — with many European coffee drinkers favoring the deeper aroma of darker roasts — our philosophy remains rooted here in Kona: respect the bean, roast with purpose, and let the character of the origin speak clearly in every cup.
