How do we love coffee? Let us count the ways …
If you’re among those who have a passion for the brew, feel free to literally wax poetic at FarmLovers Farmers’ Markets’ second annual Hawaii Coffee Fest. Among the day’s events are performances of coffee poetry, and everyone is welcome to take a turn at the mic.
The festival runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday10/3 at the Kaka‘ako Farmers’ Market at Ward Warehouse.
Pamela Boyar and Annie Suite, co-owners of the markets in Kakaako, Haleiwa, Pearlridge and Kailua, are serious about casting a spotlight on local products. (Their chili festival at Pearlridge last month was a big success.) To provide visitors with a comprehensive experience of local coffee, Boyar and Suite received two grants — from the County Product Enrichment Program and the Hawaii Coffee Association — to fly in farmers from other islands to their event.
This will allow visitors to taste the coffees of Maui, Hawaii island and Kauai, and chat with coffee farmers who grew the beans for the brews. Representatives from the farms will participate in one of the day’s events, Methodology 101, in which they will prepare their coffee using various brewing methods. The audience will get a chance to taste the impact of the different methods on the final product. A different island will be featured each hour.
Meanwhile, a barista showdown will have contenders shopping the actual market, then producing a drink from their purchases. Chefs Russell Siu of Kaka‘ako Kitchen and Arnaud Jager of the Waikiki Yacht Club will demonstrate recipes for Coffee Panna Cotta and Cappuccino Mousse With Biscotti, respectively, while chef Bob McGee will host a coffee tasting.
Vendors will offer various coffee-inspired foods, and coffee guru Shawn Steiman will be on hand to talk shop. He is the author of “Hawaii’s Coffee Book” and co-editor and contributor to the book “Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry.”
What goes well with coffee? Cake. Get a piece when Mocha Java passes out some to celebrate the festival’s second birthday.
Call 388-9696 or email kakaakofarmersmarket@gmail.com.
