What Is Kona Snow?

The Big Island of Hawaii is the only Island in the chain where you can sit on the sand in 84 degree tropical air and be staring up at a giant mountain’s frozen, snowy summit. But today we’re not talking about that kind of snow here. That’s an entirely different blog.

Today we’re talking about Kona Snow, the name given to the beautiful, delicate, aromatic white flowers of the coffee tree.

The Kona coffee belt of HawaiI Island is a warm, tropical environment high in the hills at the perfect elevation and temperature. This belt is only about 30 miles long, and maybe 4 miles wide. In this precise area, the coffee shrub (originally hailing from Ethiopia) thrives. It grows from small seedlings into strong, bushy trees. These trees produce shiny green waxy leaves that stay year-round. They also produce the famous red cherries and it is the seeds inside those cherries that we roast up and grind into our favorite energizing drink. But what very few people ever get to see, is the incredible white flower blossoms that the coffee trees produce. Why? Because the coffee flowers only last but a few weeks. During the months between February and April only, these flowers are in bloom all along Kona’s high hills.

The flowers light up the entire coffee region with white…and so here in Kona, the name “Kona Snow” has been given to this yearly event.

Many tourists and coffee lovers from around the world flock to the island to see this unique and short-lasting event. The sweet, fragrant smell fills the air and enlightens the senses.

But humans aren’t the only ones who celebrate this event. Kona Snow is really made for the BEES! They get busy during this time, climbing into each and every flower on the tree and pollinating each one. Without this incredible natural wonder, there would be no cherries and thus no coffee.

The Kona Coffee & Tea “Kona Snow” Honey

Kona Coffee & Tea has hundreds of hives scattered throughout the 500 acre family farm. For our special “Kona Snow” honey, we harvest honey from the hives just before the coffee trees blossom, also known as “Kona Snow,” and again after the coffee cherries begin to form little buds. The honey collected during this time when Kona Snow blossoms on our farm is harvested separately in order to provide the one-of-a-kind Kona Snow Honey available at our café and on our website. The subtle hints of jasmine and neroli reflect the wondrous perfume you experience during the Kona Snow on the farm.

We are committed to maintaining and encouraging environmental and ecological health and prosperity from seed to cup. Having honey bees on the farm is a mutually beneficial relationship, where the bees receive ample resources as well as proper care and maintenance, while we receive the benefits of pollination and honey they produce. While the honey bee may not have originated in Hawaii or America, no one would deny that they have become an essential part of the biodiversity essential to the health and prosperity of nature worldwide.

Our passion for 100% Kona Coffee is parallel with our passion for the health and prosperity of the islands and nature. We are buzzing with excitement anytime we find ways to honor nature in our daily work. Nothing brings that better into perspective, perhaps, than our relationship with the honey bees on the farm.

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