Kona Recipe

Prepare beans and water

Weigh 60 g of Kona beans. Bring 900 ml filtered water to 92–96°C (just off boil). Set aside 60 ml of the hot water for bloom/preinfusion step.

Grind

Grind the 60 g of Kona beans to a medium-coarse grind (similar to sea salt) for pour-over. Use a burr grinder for consistent particle size. Aim for even grounds without many fines.

Set up brewer

Place paper filter in dripper and rinse thoroughly with hot water to remove papery taste and preheat the dripper and server. Discard rinse water. Set dripper on scale, add ground coffee, and tare the scale.

Bloom (preinfusion)

Start timer at 0: pour 60 ml of the reserved hot water evenly over the grounds to saturate them. Allow coffee to bloom for 30–45 seconds to release CO2.

Brew

At 30–45 seconds, slowly pour hot water in concentric circles, avoiding pouring directly on the filter, until total water used reaches 900 ml (including the 60 ml used for bloom). Pour steadily over 2–3 minutes after bloom (aim for total brew time of 3–3:30 minutes). Adjust pour rate to maintain an even drawdown; aim for final drawdown at roughly 3–3:30 minutes.

Serve

Once brewing is complete, remove dripper and give the carafe or server a gentle swirl to homogenize the coffee. Pour into warmed cups. Taste black first to appreciate the Kona flavors (notes often include clean floral, honey, nuts, and bright acidity).

Sweeten or milk (if desired)

If you prefer a sweeter or milked coffee, add sugar (about 2 tsp), or 60 ml whole milk/cream, or 15 ml vanilla syrup to taste. Stir gently to combine. For a latte-style drink, steam milk to 60–65°C and add 150–180 ml brewed Kona to 150–180 ml steamed milk to create a balanced milk-to-coffee ratio.

After use, discard grounds and filter, rinse equipment, and allow to dry. Clean grinder and dripper regularly to maintain flavor purity of Kona beans.