Taste at the Beach 2011

This Sunday, August 21st, is one of our favorite local events to eat......I mean to participate at!

No where else will you find such a fun, aloha filled atmosphere where you can taste a hearty sampling of goodies from the best restaurants in the South Bay.

2010 Event with 'baby-on-board"

Need I say more...look at this delish array of pupus!

A perfect local event to check out this coming Sunday
http://www.tasteatthebeach.com/ for tickets.

Grab your aloha shirt and come out and enjoy!

Ki ho'alu...loosen the key

Kona Essence is back! After a long hiatus from blogging, I am giving it another go. Nothing like surrounding myself with a day of aloha to get into the mood.Yesterday we had the honor of listening to Hawaiian legends express their love of Hawaii, it's land, it's people and that special "energy" I call Aloha. 3rd Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival at Redondo Beach Performing Arts. Mark in on your calendar for next January!

Ki ho'alu...loosen the key. The art of "slacking" the strings (or "keys") to allow many different tunings creating a variety of sounds. This tradition was actually started by Mexican cowboys in the late 19th century. Upon arriving to the islands, they shared these guitars with the Hawaiians...from there the Hawaiians adapted it to fit their own style. More on this great story in a future blog.

Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar has to be one of the most mesmerizing experiences....watching 10 fingers leap around "slack" keys faster than ones eyes can follow. Your ears and heart are engulfed by this collection of sound yet in awe it is from only one instrument. If you are like me, it only takes a moment until I have found myself back in Hawaii, sitting at my favorite beach front spot, hearing the waves crash and listening to a local artist strum away. Yes, probably my friend's famous Mai Tai may be there as well :)

Back to the stage....it is filled with peaceful aloha shirts, palms trees that appear to be swaying, music playing and tears come to my eyes as the graceful hula halau floats across the stage!
Halau (hula school.) These ladies were breathtaking! Ahhh...what a perfect afternoon. I really miss Hawaii but I know what will help :) Time to roast a fresh batch of 100% Kona Coffee!

Until I figure out how to post music...google Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar and treat yourself to a Hawaiian vacation this morning.

Trip to Coffee Farm

Coffee Grows on Trees! 

See those nice bright red berries, they are perfectly ripe coffee cherries ready to be hand-picked by Farmer Gary and his crew at Kona Earth Farm. Gary will tell you all the details but pretty much inside is a slimy, white coffee seed that gets squeezed out, goes through some fancy cleaning and drying in prep for roasting.

Farmer Gary with rows and rows of 100% Kona coffee trees. This beautiful farm sits nearly 2000 feet above sea level, perfect for growing coffee. The farm is in a small town called Holualoa, famed part of the 100% Kona coffee growing region. I actually used to live in Holualoa...that was when I was young and still drinking the "other coffees."

You know the ones with no roast date, no idea when they were packaged or where the beans came from and even worse...the ones that say "Kona Blend"... you know what I am talking about. So Sad :(
But now older and wiser, we only enjoy the finest and freshest of coffee, 100% Kona Coffee. Having a Kona Essence morning, starts every day with a smile! Ok so sometimes I have KE afternoon as well ;)

Green "Raw" Coffee Beans

This is how our coffee arrives to our house from Farmer Gary.

They are a dense, greenish seed with a not so yummy smell. Thinking about tasting one....wouldn't recommend even dipped in chocolate!!

KONA Essence.. Medium and Dark Roast 100% Kona

(aka French Roast and Full-City roast)

What's the difference...check out our SHOP page and find out!

Even better, try a bag of each and let us know what you think ;)

Bring Family to Work Day

Mom and Dad Erich (Tom and Eileen) joined me for a day of roasting at Polly's.

Dad of course was already thinking about how he could build one of these roasters!! Mom...well she was just hoping this would not become one of his new Tommy Tinker projects!

Great to have them out in sunny CA, defrosting from the weather in PA. xoxo