From: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal | Date: January 1, 1997
Over 10 years ago, before Panama coffee became recognized as a superior cup, second to no other, it was being sold through Kona Kai, as Kona coffee. The scheme had been going on for almost a decade before the fraud was discovered.The specialty coffee industry is built on the uniqueness of its products and on the consumer's confidence in the superiority of those products. Without origin differences and special qualities inherent in different coffees - and equally, the consumer's knowledge of those properties - it's just coffee.
What is it that makes Kona unique? What is it that makes Guatemala Antigua or Panama Geisha unique? These things need to be made clear to the consumer and they need to be accurate. Written and verbal descriptions should match the cup profile. To perpetuate myths and inaccuracies does nothing for the specialty business. The marketing of memories and romantic notions, as is often done with Kona, may sell more Kona in the short-term, but it develops no loyalty with the coffee in the long-term.
Kona does not rank high with many cuppers. They say it does not have the qualities they look for, such as complexity, acidity, and focus of flavor. As a result, many roasters don't cup Kona as carefully as other coffees, if they cup it at all. Many report rarely cupping it, saying it doesn't matter. They are carrying it, they contend, only as a service to those customers who demand it. Any Kona or Kona blend, they add, seems to satisfy this demand.
The coffee that was being sold as Kona, was from Panama and Costa Rica. A blend of better Konas with another well-grown, well-processed, high-grade bean such as a Panamanian coffee will satisfy consumer demand better than many 100% Konas, depending on the quality of the coffees involved.
To read the complete article on the Kona Scandal click this link:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/fullarticle/1G1-19213608.html
To understand the complexities in coffee, so you know you are getting what you are paying for, be educated by an expert. Many coffee tasting tours are available when you come to Boquete, Panama. One of the best is with Boquete Mountain Safari and Native Coffee Panama Roasters. They visit several different estates and will educate you on how to distinguish the body and aroma of a cup of coffee; so when you are paying $15.00 for a cup of coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the U.S.,you will now it is from Panama.
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