May

Coffee Drinkers + the Green World Coffee Farm / Oahu, HI – peace. love. quinoa

May 26

“Coffee is always a good idea.” is a tweet that Free People posted on Twitter this morning. I’m not a coffee drinker so personally, I don’t relate with the tweet however that tweet made me think of the the people in my life who find great joy in their daily cups of coffee, and it made me smile. My boyfriend, my best friend, my awesome grandpa – none of them would dream of beginning the day without first indulging in a carefully chosen, fragrant cuppa coffee. Observing coffee drinkers, whether it be in my home, in their homes, at a coffee shop, or via social media, I take notice to the experience that these people allow themselves, an experience I feel like I miss out on. Contemplation, relaxation, preparation, and light conversation are all perquisites of a coffee drinker’s day. Myself, I tend to begin my day the instant I get out of bed, often times not even sitting down to nourish my body with a little breakfast in the morning before I go.

I’ve read several articles, books, and blog posts advising how to begin the day, I’ve even bookmarked a few. A morning stretch, an expression of gratitude, meditation, journaling, planning, positive thoughts are all things that could and probably should be done prior to “going.” Unfortunately, I don’t always adhere to my intention of a healthy morning ritual. From what I observe, a habitual coffee drinker takes more time in the mornings (and even afternoons) for solemnity.

When we were in Hawaii over the previous Holiday season, we woke up one morning earlier than usual to catch the sunset and road trip up to the North Shore to visit a coffee farm. My boyfriend is a devote coffee drinker, it would have been a blunder to pass up the opportunity to visit the coffee farm while on the island.

People enjoy coffee for a variety of different reasons: the morning experience, the caffeine, the flavor, and some people (my boyfriend) believe that it enhances their overall performance.

Personally, I am not an advocate of caffeine which is one of the reasons I’m not a coffee drinker. I don’t like the way it makes me feel and while some people believe it to be a positive way to jump-start their day, I am laser-focused on the negative effects. While I enjoy the smell of fresh brewed coffee , I don’t at all enjoy the flavor – the number one reason I don’t drink the stuff.

But look, I’m not judging.

I possess a genuine curiosity in how things grow, like quinoa, olives, coffee, nuts, chickpeas, and cocoa. I recently discovered a video series called “How Does It Grow” – they’ve covered apples, cranberries, garlic, mushrooms, and cauliflower so far. I’ve got my fingers crossed for an episode on any of the items listed above.

In this post, you see several photos that I took of the coffee beans at the Green World Coffee Farm. At first glance, the red, ripe “berries” look like grapes, but they are in fact a Coffee Cherry that houses coffee beans.

In this particular garden, the coffee plants were situated in rows that encouraged tourists to take a casual stroll through, experiencing the plants and growth all while sipping on a sampled cup of coffee. The Green World Coffee Farm creates and sells several different flavors of coffee, and samples 5-6 flavors a day. Patrick says it’s the best coffee he’s ever had and has become quite the Hawaiian coffee snob. A friends mom (whom we never met) took a trip to Hawaii and he bothered to have her bring some coffee back to the mainland for him.

Not only does Green World grow and sample their coffee, they also offer bakery items and Acai Bowls. When we arrived on the island, we were encouraged to try an Acai Bowl before leaving so I was relieved to find them on the menu that morning.

Thankful for the recommendations, the fully-loaded Acai Bowl brought me the same joy and excitement that Patrick found in the coffee.

As Patrick sits on the couch and enjoys his morning coffee, I mentioned that I’m finally writing this post about the Green World Coffee Farm. His smile exposing a child-like excitement, he can’t help but to remember the awesome experience we had. Aloud he said “That place was magical!”

Tagged with → Acai Bowl • Coffee • Coffee Farm • Free People • Hawaii • North Shore • oahu