Science has come to the rescue of Kona coffee growers, after a five-year legal battle, providing the evidence that some competing products did not have the Kona- bean content that marketing suggested.

A Utah biologist team discovered chemical characteristics that amounted to a fingerprint identifying true Kona beans in a new lab analysis. Even for nonscientists, the economic facts are clear: This yielded settlements totalling more than $41 million for the farmers.

With or without caffeine, that should deliver a jolt to anyone contemplating using the Kona brand loosely.