The coffee we drink today comes from two species that are cultivated around the world. About 80% of the coffee consumed world-wide is of the Coffea arabica species (Arabica Coffee). The second species which is consumed is the Coffea canephora (Robusta Coffee) species, however this species produces a drink that is not as good in qualitiy as the Arabica species. Kona Coffee is from the Coffea arabica species.

The coffee plant itself is quite unusual. It is a woody shrub (Rubiaceae family) with horizontal branches from which the leaves hang nearly straight down. This gives the plant an unusual look as the leaves all look like they are about to drop off. A neglected coffee plant can grow up to 32 feet high, but cultivated plants are kept to around six to eight feet high.

A new coffee plant will begin to flower after three to four years. The small white flowers grow all along the horizontal branches. While Kona Coffee is a self pollinating species fruit will only grow on new growth of the plant. This fact means that in order to maintain a good yearly crop, the plants must be regularly prunned to promote new tissue growth.

After about 15 weeks of flowering the small cherries will begin to appear in place of the flowers. The cherries start out a bright green but after about 30 weeks past flowering they will take on their characteristic bright red cherry color.

The porous nature of lava rock on the Big Island gives good drainage for the extensive rainfall that this area receives. The topsoil holds the nutrients, most important of which are nitrogen, magnesium, and calcium.