Koa Wood: It is a rare wood found only in the Hawaii Islands, where it is considered sacred. The wood is highly coveted for its beautiful curly grain with a cat’s eye like effect to it. Koa wood is a tonewood used to make high quality musical instruments, especially guitars. In Hawaiian, Koa means brave, bold & fearless warrior, and is symbolic of courage and strength. It ranges in color from a gold to deep russet to chocolate brown. Harvesting a live Koa tree is illegal as it is a protected species and only dead or decayed trees can be sold to license holders. All Bean & Vanilla Koa wood comes from legal sources.