Curiocity: Dunn Bros Releases Seasonal Kona Coffee

By Adam Estrem

It's not Folgers in your cup, but it may be the best part of waking up, or even the best coffee you ever tasted. Dunn Brothers Coffee has released their seasonal Kona coffee, and for $60 per pound or $5 per cup, it better be the best coffee you have ever tasted.

I had a chance to sit down with Josh Dexter, owner of several Dunn Brothers in the Minneapolis area, to talk about why this coffee is so darn good.

"The Kona area of Hawaii isn't your typical growing area for coffee, and in the end there are only 3,600 acres of land dedicated to this coffee," he said. "It is the only US-grown coffee, it's handpicked, hand sorted and hand roasted."

As Dexter explains this to me, I grill him on the high price of this coffee.

"It's a lot like wine. You can taste the region that the coffee is gown in, it's terroir if you will. The 'vintage' tastes vary from year to year," he said.

Dexter is obviously excited about this coffee, and speaks from the heart as he describes the taste.

"I haven't tasted this year's beans yet, but last year's coffee had an extreme buttery-ness, almost like buttered popcorn," he said.

In order to bring out the best flavor of the coffee, Dexter recommends the French Press style of brewing.

"It is the most natural way of tasting all the flavors, there is no filter or paper in the way of extracting all the oils from the beans and really gives the best representation of what the bean has to offer," he said.

He brews me a cup, almost under scientific precision. When the coffee is ready to drink, he delicately pours the coffee into a small glass and begins to treat it like a glass of wine.

"If you order this by the cup at the store, it's brewed to order, so it's always the freshest you can get," he said.

We swirl the coffee, constantly smelling the thick aromas. In tasting the coffee, it is by far the smoothest cup of coffee I have ever had. There are some butter similarities, but not like buttered popcorn. Big notes of dark chocolate, and some tart berries in the background give this well-balanced cup of coffee its trademark flavor.

Sipping, while thinking of the fog-covered fields of Hawaii, I can almost taste the sweet air. I have had Kona coffee before, and this was a well-executed cup.

I will say that this coffee is not for the casual coffee drinker. With its refined taste and brewing method, this coffee makes a great treat for the coffee enthusiast in your life. Each store will only get about 20 pounds to sell, depending on how much Dunn Brothers can get.

I recommend trying it at least once -- it's a coffee experience you won't soon forget.

Adam Estrem is a writer, photographer, foodie and cook. After traveling the world and tasting the cuisines and wines of Mexico, Spain, France and much of Europe and the middle east, he has gone local and focused on restaurants and food producers of Minnesota. When he isn't working you can find him in his kitchen, creating recipes and entertaining friends. You can follow him on Twitter (@mspfoodie) or email him (atestrem@wcco.com).