Hawaii Coffee Company

What is Hawaii Coffee Company?

A family of Hawaii coffee brands under one Honolulu roof.

Hawaii Coffee Company describes itself as a family of sister companies, and each has its own story. Lion Coffee began in 1864 in Toledo, Ohio, one of America's oldest coffee companies, and moved to Hawaii in 1979; its red bags are the most familiar coffee in the islands. Royal Kona has worked with Kona coffee farmers since 1969, before most of the world knew the name. Hawaiian Isles Coffee Roasters is a local favourite, and Hawaiian Islands Tea started in 1995. All of it is sold from one store and shipped from 1555 Kalani Street in Honolulu, where the company also runs a cafe and roastery tour.

For a buyer, that means one shop for three kinds of coffee: pure Kona, Kona blends that are 10% Kona, and flavoured coffees like vanilla macadamia and toasted coconut.

The coffees we review

• Royal Kona Private Reserve: medium roast, 100% Kona, the brand's best seller, $34.95 for 7 oz.
• Hawaiian Lion 24k Gold Roast: Lion's 100% Kona, the brighter style, $34.95 for 7 oz.
• Royal Kona Vanilla Macadamia: flavoured, 10% Kona, ground only, $13.95 for 8 oz.
• Lion Vanilla Macadamia Nut: flavoured, no Kona, $13.95 for 10 oz.

What 100% Kona means, and what a Kona blend means

The number on the bag is the whole story, so read it before the word Kona.

Kona coffee is coffee grown in the Kona districts on the west side of Hawaii's Big Island, on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa. Coffee grown anywhere else in Hawaii is Hawaiian coffee, but it is not Kona. The supply is small, the farms are small, the picking is by hand and American labour costs apply, which is why a bag of pure Kona costs three to five times what a good mainland roaster charges for a single origin.

That price is also why Kona blends exist. Hawaii's labelling law lets a coffee be called a Kona blend if at least ten percent of it is Kona, and the label must say how much. A 10% Kona blend is nine parts other coffee to one part Kona. It can be a perfectly good cup, but it is not the same thing as 100% Kona, and the price difference tells you so. When you shop, look for the percentage first.

How to choose

Decide first whether you want Kona, some Kona, or a flavour.

If you want pure Kona, the choice is between two styles at the same $34.95 for 7 oz. Royal Kona Private Reserve is the fuller medium roast with chocolate and nut notes, and comes in a 2 lb bag at about $165 a kilo. The Hawaiian Lion 24k Gold is brighter, and comes in a 24 oz bag. For a flavoured coffee, the two vanilla macadamias cost about the same per kilo in their big bags; the Royal Kona one has 10% Kona and is ground only, the Lion one has no Kona and comes whole bean too.

Beyond these four, the range includes Kona blends at different roasts (Mountain, Pacific, Volcano, French and Espresso Roast), Lion's classic roasts, decafs, single-serve pods, and 100% Hawaiian coffees from other islands, such as Ka'u and Maui, which are Hawaiian but not Kona.

What it costs, and what it does not tell you

Fair prices for Kona, and less information than a grower gives.

Pure Kona costs $165 to $176 a kilo here depending on the bag, and the flavoured coffees about $47 to $62. Shipping is charged by weight from Honolulu, and free shipping turns up only in promotions. Subscriptions save 20% on the first order, 15% on the second and 20% after that, except that pure Kona is capped at 15%.

What Hawaii Coffee Company does not publish is a roast date, or the farms its Kona comes from. That is the main difference from a grower that roasts its own crop.

Hawaii Coffee Company vs Koa Coffee

The two Kona sellers we review, and they are different kinds of business.

Koa Coffee grows and roasts its own Kona on the slopes of Mauna Loa, prints a roasted on date on the bag, and sells pure Kona and Ka'u coffee. Hawaii Coffee Company is a roaster and brand house in Honolulu that buys Kona from farmers, and sells blends and flavoured coffee as well. Koa is the one for a single estate story and a date on the bag. Hawaii Coffee Company is slightly cheaper for pure Kona in bulk, and the place to go for Kona blends and flavoured coffee. Its sustainability page says it works on fair pay with local farmers and reuses roasting chaff and cherry pulp as fertiliser.

Is Hawaii Coffee Company worth it?

Yes, for Kona at fair prices and for Hawaii's flavoured coffees.

It is a long established Honolulu company selling what Hawaii drinks, with honest labels on its blends. If you want a roast date or a named farm with your Kona, buy from a grower. If you want the familiar Lion and Royal Kona bags, or a 2 lb bag of pure Kona for less, this is where they come from.

Who should buy it (and who should not)

Buy it if

• You want pure Kona in a 2 lb bag at a lower price per kilo.
• You like Hawaii's flavoured coffees: vanilla macadamia, coconut, chocolate macadamia.
• You want a Kona blend and want to know its percentage.

Skip it if

• You want a roast date and a named farm; Koa Coffee, above, prints both.
• You want cheap single origins with a roast date; see Fresh Roasted Coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns Lion Coffee and Royal Kona?

Hawaii Coffee Company of Honolulu, which also owns Hawaiian Isles Coffee Roasters and Hawaiian Islands Tea.

Where is Hawaii Coffee Company?

1555 Kalani Street, Honolulu, where it also runs the Lion Cafe and a roastery tour.

Does it sell 100% Kona?

Yes: Royal Kona Private Reserve and Hawaiian Lion 24k Gold Roast are both 100% Kona.

What is a 10% Kona blend?

Coffee that is 10% Kona and 90% from elsewhere. Hawaii's law requires the percentage on the label.

Does it ship outside the US?

Yes. International options are chosen at checkout, and the buyer pays any import taxes or fees.

Is there a subscription discount?

Yes: 20% off the first order with code SUB20, 15% off the second and 20% after that, with pure Kona capped at 15%.