Kona Laurina Champagne Natural - Low Caffeine 100% Kona Light Roast

Tasting Notes

Red oolong tea, vanilla and milk chocolate aromatics.
Strawberry, watermelon, pistachio.

96 pt Coffee Review score

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Origin

Kona Farm Direct — Holualoa, Kona
Produced on a 6-acre farm operated by Kraig Lee, a 30-year industry veteran. In addition to running a nursery supplying trees to farms across the island, Kraig dedicates small plots to trialing exceptional varieties.

Laurina is one of the rarest—just a handful of trees grown here and at a few nearby farms.

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Variety — Laurina (Bourbon Pointu)

Laurina is a natural dwarf mutation of Bourbon, originally discovered on Réunion Island. It produces small, pointed cherries and contains roughly half the caffeine of typical arabica.

Yields are extremely low, and harvesting is labor-intensive. As a result, total production in Kona is exceptionally limited—likely under 500 lbs annually across all farms.

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Why It’s Rare in Kona

In 2009, Paradise founder Miguel Meza sourced Laurina seeds from the Hawaii Agricultural Research Center and helped establish early plantings at Hula Daddy. From there, seeds were propagated to a small number of farms, including Kona Farm Direct.

Despite its quality, the variety remains scarce due to its low productivity and difficulty to grow.

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Process — Champagne Natural

This coffee is processed using our Champagne Natural method, developed in 2019 and refined through ongoing experimentation.

Cherries are:

• Sorted and sanitized
• Fermented in a bioreactor with selected wine yeast
• Fully metabolized into acids, alcohols, and aromatic esters

At the end of fermentation, the fruit becomes crisp, tart, and lightly effervescent.

The coffee is then:

• Dried at controlled temperatures in a humidity controlled environment
• Rested in cherry before milling

This process enhances clarity, aromatics, and layered fruit character.