Coffee, Gardening, and Creativity

http://rustyshawaiian.com/store/

This week, I discovered some of the history behind Rusty's Hawaiian Coffee on their website.  My introduction to Rusty's coffee was at Beach Bum Café, which used to be in the Executive Centre in Downtown Honolulu.  I had the best coffee of my life there; some cups have come close but never quite as good.  Perhaps it was owner Dennis' personality and stories and the coffee education he and his staff bestowed upon us that made the coffee taste that much better, but for whatever reason, drinking Rusty's coffee at that shop was what opened my taste buds to molasses and chocolate notes in my coffee.  Dennis talked a lot about Rusty's coffee and experimenting with various beans and roasts -- all pretty foreign concepts to me at the time.

Several years and cups of coffee later, I think I finally have a much better appreciation for coffee and all that goes into making even a single cup of it.  I've been making my own espresso every weekday morning for the past few years and have come to love the routine:  Measuring out the right amount of beans, coaxing them through the burr grinder, spooning the beans into the filter, tamping them down firmly but not too hard, watching for the right pace and evenness of the flow of the coffee, and enjoying the grand finale -- a swirling dance of heavy cream and coffee.  It feels like making art.

On Rusty's Hawaiian Coffee's website, I discovered that after Rusty passed away, his wife kept the farm going after his death, and Rusty's eventually became what it is today.  Persistence pays off, and persistence is more likely if you are dedicated to or love what you do.  I feel like God and the universe have conspired to send me this message about grit and persistence.  So, this weekend, as part of exercising my creativity, I put in a lot of time into my lanai gardening.

Lilikoi climbing

I won this cute little lilikoi plant from the H.U.R.T. Aiea Loop Express race, and that's been growing pretty nicely so far.  It sure does love to climb!  I'm also growing a few more tomatoes before dumping that soil.  I also started some asparagus and Japanese cucumbers and am trying beets again.  Green onions and the herbs and arugula seem to have no problem growing here, but it's hit or miss with some of the other veggies.  It's a work in progress, but I really love the smell of the dirt and working with my hands, taking care of my worms, and watching these plants grow.


To bring it full circle, I add the spent coffee grinds from our morning coffee into my worm bin.  Worms supposedly love coffee grinds as much as I love my Rusty's coffee :)

Green onions, lilikoi, and little beet shoots