The October/November issue of the Hawaiian Airlines in-flight magazine Hana Hou! for October/November contains a well-written article on Kona coffee, including a discussion of deceptive ‘10% Kona blends.’
These packages of faux Kona contain up to 90% imported coffee from undisclosed origins. Jesse Katz, the author of the article, accurately observes:
If no Kona flavor can be detected in a ‘10% Kona blend’ — the equivalent of maybe five Kona beans per cup — it is hard to think of blending as anything but a ruse, a terroir bait and switch.
Read the rest of Jesse Katz’s article, Adventures in Coffeeland, online.