About 30 years

3,200 feet or 675 meters, one of the highest elevation Kona Coffee plantations.

A cloud forest is generally a tropical or sub-tropical moist forest characterized by low-level cloud cover and are usually characterized by mosses covering ground and vegetation.

Almost every day – estimated annual rainfall is in excess of 100 inches

Not much need with the rainfall we have, however, we do have some backup irrigation in place.

Kailua- Kona has a mean year around temperature of 74 degrees with lows in the upper 60’s and highs in the mid-80’s. The typical temperature at Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation is about 15 degrees cooler

that in Kailua-Kona with morning sun and afternoon clouds and rain.

Mountain Thunder buys cherry coffee from dozens of small farmers, selecting only the best available.

Presently 8 Acres of USDA Certified 100% Kona Arabica Typica and 12 Acres of 100% Kona coffee are under the company’s management. The company is actively seeking more high-quality acreage. Stay tuned!

All processing is done on the main property at 73-1942 Ha’o Street, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. All tours are through the actual mills and roastery we use for all our production.

Only our Ha’o Street property is USDA Certified Organic. The others produce regular Kona Coffee.

We ship worldwide.

Yes, Mountain Thunder Coffee Club members enjoy 10% off of their entire order, are first to receive exclusive VIP notice of limited edition roasts and receive periodic shipments. We can ship twice a month, monthly, every other month, or quarterly. You choose!

Not at this time.

There are many exotic fruits, certain flowers, vanilla, and boutique vegetables for the restaurant trade. It is not practical to grow macadamia nuts, pineapple or sugarcane, due to the elevation, temperature, rainfall and irregular terrain.

Many native plants including Ohia Lehua, Amaumau Fern, Hapu’ui’I, (Hawaiian Tree Fern), among many others.We exclusively used roasting machines manufactured by the Diedrich Company of Sand Point, Idaho. We have roasters with a capacity of 7 pounds up to 110 pounds.Coffee is commercially grown in Puerto Rico and attempts are being made in Santa Barbara, CA. Coffee is commercially grown on almost all the Hawaiian Islands in addition to the Kona District.

Actual roasting time can be from 12 – 16 minutes, varying with roast type and size and brand of roasting machine.

American – our lightest … with about 20% more caffeine.

Vienna - a medium roast and our most popular.

French – our dark roast.

The longer and hotter the roasting process, slightly more caffeine is driven off in the roasting process. Contrary to what may seem logical the darker, stronger tasting roasts have less caffeine than the lighter roasts.

Typically, each coffee cherry has a pair of flat-sided coffee beans inside. In perhaps 3 or 5% of cherry there is a single more “pea” shaped bean … referred to as Peaberry. It is not easy to tell if a cherry has two beans or one Peaberry bean. Most trees produce both. You might describe it as an accident of nature. It is believed that Peaberry is more flavorful and may have more caffeine. Considering its rarity, it almost always commands a higher price.

The only “best” is what you like best! Like wine, one can argue all day long which is best … the reality is if you like the flavor best … it is the best roast for you!

The same answer as the best roast. Whatever machine and style that produces the coffee that you find most pleasing to drink. Many people find that they prefer a different roast or brewing method for breakfast coffee than they do for their last cup of the day.

Private Reserve – Vienna roast.

Yes, Mountain Thunder generally packages whole beans, however we will gladly grind any coffee to your specifications.

Our highest quality coffee is Peaberry, then Private Reserve, followed by Premium.

This is a mix of French (dark) roast and American (light) roast. Some coffee aficionados prefer the blend of the taste and aroma nuances of the two roasts combined. Allows you to have a lot of flavor and a lot of caffeine in the same cup!

Lesser grades of 100% Kona coffee are sold wholesale to companies that produce 100% Hawaiian coffees. The lowest grades are used in body scrubs and other body products.

Roasted coffee that is sealed in the original vacuum sealed bag should be used within a year. After the bag is opened, depending how it is stored, we suggest using it within a month if it is ground or within six months if it is whole bean.

We recommend a ceramic or glass container with an airtight seal that is kept in a dark cabinet where the temperature is relatively constant. Coffee should NOT be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. The dry coffee beans will pick up moisture and odors from other foodstuffs, that will impact the taste.

There are several methods. Our provider uses the Swiss Water technique, which removes caffeine in a natural, safe, and effective way.

RoastMasters typically have 3 – 5 years’ experience assisting before they take the lead position. There are some training programs, however we believe on the job training is best.

A number of unsuccessful attempts were made … in 1813 Don Francisco de Paula y Marin planted seedlings on Oahu, in 1825 John Wilkinson who came on HMS Blonde brought plants from Brazil, others may have tried too.

The missionary Reverend Samuel Ruggles in 1828. The first commercial production is reported in 1845, just 248 pounds on the island of Kauai!

Kona’s geography provides ideal growing conditions with morning sun and ample afternoon moisture … combined with well-drained, rich volcanic soils at elevations providing warm days and cool nights, nothing could make a coffee tree happier!

Kona coffee is rare, perhaps less than 4,000 acres are planted. Kona coffee comprises less the 1/10 of 1% of the world’s coffee production. Real estate in Hawaii is expensive, labor is expensive, all supplies and equipment, even fertilizer must come in by ship to Honolulu and then shipped again by barge to the Big Island of Hawaii … probably the most expensive place to grow coffee in the world!

Kona’s geography provides ideal growing conditions with morning sun and ample afternoon moisture … combined with well-drained, rich volcanic soils at elevations providing warm days and cool nights, nothing could make a coffee tree happier!

Kona is a geographical term. Only coffee grown in the Kona District can be labeled Kona Coffee. If it is grown on Maui, it is Maui Coffee. If it is grown on the Big Island, but not in the Kona District is maybe Ka’u Coffee or Hawaiian Coffee, but not Kona Coffee.

The Kona Coffee belt is an area approximately 26 miles in length and 3 miles wide, mostly between 700 feet and 2,000 feet of elevation. This is the region where growing conditions in the Kona District are ideal for growing gourmet coffee.

Yes! The entire Hawaiian Island chain is volcanoes, most are dormant, a few on the Big Island of Hawaii are active like Kilauea in Volcanoes National Park. Kona Coffee is grown on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualala’i mountains.

Over 600

What species are Kona Coffee trees … are they all the same?

A few farmers experiment with other varieties, the vast majority are Arabica, var. Kona Typica which originated in Guatemala many years ago.

Some farms in the Kona District adhere to the strict standards established by the United States Department of Agriculture and are certified Organic.

Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation is currently certified Organic for crops and crop processing.

Coffee is a fruit that grows on a tree. The trees are often pruned to reduce height, improve yield and ease picking to the size of a large bush. The coffee bean is equivalent to the pit inside the coffee cherry fruit.

How old is a coffee tree before it has coffee fruit, and how long does a coffee tree live?

First commercial production usually occurs at about 3 – 4 years. Well cared for coffee trees live 50 – 60 years … perhaps 100 years.

This varies on elevation and rainfall, but typically the coffee trees flower in February and March. The abundant white flowers are often called “Kona Snow.”

Untended coffee trees may reach 30 or 40 feet in height, most growers prune their trees regularly. The resulting trees are generally less than 15 feet tall.

Ripe coffee cherries are bright to slightly dark red. Green and yellow is not ripe yet. Brown or black cherry is over-ripe.

Tell me about the Coffee Borer Beetle.

The borer beetle (Hypothenemus Hampei) is a worldwide problem for the coffee industry costing the industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost production and attempts to control and eradicate. The beetle was first found in Kona in August 2010. Beetle-infested trees have both lower quality and lower quantity production. The beetle is extremely difficult to eliminate.