Hawaii Roasters Award Winning 100% Kona Coffee, Whole Bean, Dark Roast, 14-Ounce Bags

FOLLOW-UP TO THE BELOW REVIEW:Two days later:4 STAR RATING: I also contacted Hawaiian Roasters and they immediately got back to me. They found out that Amazon had not thrown away a batch of coffee back in September and I had received a bag of it. While I have received a refund from Amazon, Hawaiian Roasters is also sending me a replacement bag of coffee. Excellent customer service. I received the new bag and it was very good.ONE STAR RATING: I first ordered this coffee during the 2010 Holiday Season and liked it so much that I gave several pounds as gifts. In fact, we liked it so much that we decided to do the automatic order every other month. I would have chosen every month, but at almost $30.00 per pound, I just couldn't quite justify it. My February order just arrived and I anxiously opened it up. Where is the rich coffee smell that should be permeating the kitchen? It just isn't there. It actually has that old, rancid smell. You know the one; like oil that has gone bad. Upon close inspection of the package, I found out why it has this smell. The dark roasted date on the bottom of the package? June 15, 2010!! This coffee was roasted 8 months ago!Needless to say, I immediately contacted Amazon, demanded a refund and canceled any future orders. This is really too bad because when this coffee is fresh, it is delicious. What a shame that they believe they can foist old product off on supposedly unsuspecting customers. They should know that people who pay this much for coffee probably know old coffee when they smell it. Get a clue, Amazon.

This coffee hits you like a sledge-hammer. I do not recommend this coffee to those with high blood pressure.The coffee tastes smooth. It goes down well. But within 10 minutes, you will feel a kick unlike any coffee you've tasted. What's more, the kick remains for a long time.That's good if you like that. Not so good if you are looking for a gentle pick-up.After drinking this coffee, I decided to work-out and I became nauseated and sick. I don't have such problem with any other coffee. I do not recommend rigorous physical activity after drinking this coffee.This is a terrific high quality coffee if you are looking for the strongest caffeine kick possible. Maybe not as good if you are looking for a gentler blend.

I love this coffee. I have been buying coffee from this company for three years now and have enjoyed both the medium and the dark roasted beans. With the good, there is always the bad though. My star rating reflects my perception of the quality of the product, but not necessarily my overall experience. I have two issues that should be mentioned, but they have not been so bad as to turn me off from this coffee. My first issue is that on a few rare occasions, I received coffee that was either not properly sealed, had lost its seal sometime after being in storage, or simply was old (the bag has always indicated the date roasted). When fresh and not compromised, these dark roasted beans come drenched in a luscious aromatic oil that you won't want to miss out on. The permeating smell is amazing and is as aggressive as it is welcome. However, if they have dried out, HUGE disappointment. I don't know whether Amazon or Hawaii Roasters were to blame, but as a busy graduate student I never filed a complaint or sought a replacement because, well...dammit, I needed this coffee yesterday, amirite? I wasn't about to send it back off to wait for more. All I know is that its worth another try if your first batch doesn't seem quite right. My second issue is one of ethical concern. At some point the company switched from selling a 16 ounce bag at the given price for that time to a 14 ounce bag at the very same price but with no clear announcement or statement for which I was aware. I understand that costs go up and I am happy to pay just a little more, as I enjoy this product very much. But rather than openly increase the price of the product, they quietly made the bag smaller. It almost seemed sneaky in my own mind as a regular purchaser because I didn't notice until I had purchased it a few times at the smaller volume that I was getting 2 ounces of coffee less for the same price. If you go by 7 grams to a 6 oz cup, that's 8 cups of really, really excellent coffee that you miss out on. Of course I don't feel they were out to dupe people, but it could have been handled differently. I still buy from them regularly and would recommend this product to anyone.

Ordered Kona Bean DARK ROAST and received MEDIUM ROAST. This was the same reason I switched to Amazon for ordering as no one at the Kona Coffee plantations seems to know the difference between MEDIUM and DARK roasts!! VERY ANNOYING!!!!! I would try and return this, however, I didn't realize the issue until I opened the bag and noticed the tan beans instead of the expected dark brown/black beans.Fortunately Amazon shipped a new bag of dark roast at no extra cost! Thank You Amazon!The Dark Roast is great and has a rich flavor (now that I have it). I've always loved Dark Roast and Kona Dark Roast is my absolute favorite. Thanks Amazon for keeping me a happy customer.

I purchased this coffee specifically for use with my French Press as I had been told that coffee from the Kona Coast was "the one". I picked the dark roast because I love a good strong, dark cup of coffee... Although this was a good cup of coffee, I did not find it to be "dark" or particularly "strong". It may be just me, maybe I'm brewing it wrong, as I am a novice when it comes to the French Press process as well as Kona coffee itself. I have yet to use it with my drip coffee maker, but am planning on purchasing another pound of whole bean for that purpose. The verdict is still out.