Catching Up

Ah leisurely coffee hours, how I’ve missed thee! Sorry that it’s been a while since my last post. Life has started moving to a new beat these days and I’m still figuring out how to keep up with its rhythm. I’ve been working on something to share here but wanted to update you a bit before that post goes up.

Change is a great thing and there’s a ton of it on the horizon for me (and this blog). It’s going to be a transitional summer, filled with prep steps as I ready myself for a whole lot of new. New surroundings, new duties, new everything. There will be lots of coffee to be had and plenty of opportunities to indulge my needs to travel and discover. Before then, well, there’s now. And now’s been a bit busy….

Soon I’ll tell you more about this crazy next chapter. And I’ll let you in on the caffeinated spot where I’ve been spending most of my time these days. I’ve got bunches of shots on my camera that are dying to organize themselves into posts and there are so many more cafés and local eateries out here that need to be hit up before the summer is over.

Until then, here’s a recent latte, sipped at the Coffee Gallery on the North Shore. I’ll give you more details about this coffeehouse soon, too. Just thinking about it stirs up cravings for one of their yummy macarons. Here’s the violet-grapefruit one I munched on last time.

Coffee Gallery

North Shore Marketplace, 66-250 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712
(808) 637-5571

A Time for Tea

At the Tea Farm Cafe in Moili’ili, you’re greeted simultaneously by the person behind the counter and a rather imposing wall of teas. A few dozen black, green, white and oolong teas and several tisanes stare down from their orderly shelves, samples that showcase how different each one really is. Pick up a canister that intrigues you, shake it around, smell it. Pick up another… and somehow eventually decide which one will fill your cup. 

I like popping off all the lids and looking at the leaves. So many different colors and textures. Fuzzy white tea needles; large, crinkly oolong leaves; the uniquely-colored Golden Monkey tea. Each would brew up a completely different tasting liquor. Which way should we go today?

Brooke wanted to try a green tea, so I scanned the shelves, looking for a good one. Ooh, they have Dragon Well! I grab the canister and just as I start singing its praises to her, the owner, too far away to hear me, suggests she try the same tea. I knew I liked this place…. Brooke’s sold, so he starts preparing her cup.

I’ve always been fascinated by Dragon Well (Longjing, in Chinese). First of all, it’s a visually beautiful tea, both before and during infusion. Its leaves are pan-fired flat, looking almost as if they’d been ironed, all neat and tidy. While brewing, they open up and seem to regain their pre-plucked freshness. (Indeed, Brooke’s leaves looked vibrant, as if they were dancing in her cup.) And its liquor? Rich, nutty, gorgeous.

I actually had wanted to visit Hangzhou, the land of Longjing, while I was in China. The thought of wandering along the banks of its West Lake enchanted me. And drinking a steaming cup of Longjing tea at its source? What could be better? Here are a couple of Wikimedia Commons photos to show you just how lovely this corner of China really is.

This one’s by Jakub Hałun

And this one’s by Louisa Salazar

Okay, back to Honolulu now….

As for me, I decided to go the pu-erh route. Hey, if Brooke was going to have a magical tea, so was I. After hearing my pick, the owner asked if I wanted the loose-leaf pu-erh or some from the cake he had in the back. I only ever had pu-erh in the solid form, whether chipped from a large cake by a friend of a friend at his Oakland apartment or the cute, individually-wrapped mini cakes from Peet’s. So yes, cake please!

Pu-erh’s an amazing tea with a deep, earthy taste that, unlike most teas, actually improves with age. It also seems to have an acquired taste, as Brooke wasn’t nearly as fond of it as she was her Dragon Well. Okay, I’m fairly certain she hated it. But in my digging around the Internet, I’ve found some passionate pro pu-erh folks, including the man who created this amazing homage to the dark tea.

While Brooke’s tea leaves were sprightly and alive, mine were a bit lethargic, choosing instead to sit there and quietly steep. It didn't brew up as darkly as it could have, but was still nice.

To make things fair for my tea after posting those lovely Hangzhou pics, here’s a shot of a tea field in Yunnan Province in China, where pu-erh is grown, taken by a Flickr user called inyucho. Check out his “Sets” but be prepared to experience major travel-envy….

And here’s a shot of the pu-erh and plum bubble tea that I had at Chamate (一茶一坐) in Shanghai. So good!

 

As my tea continued to brew, the café slowly started filling up with people. But instead of being energized by this patron infusion, the atmosphere remained calm and quiet, with most seats filled with college kids studying. Silent cafés seem to be a Moili’ili thing, in my experience. Still, it was a pleasant setting to catch up in, so we were happy.

Being a thoughtful wife, Brooke decided to grab an iced green tea latte for her husband before we left. She also had a bunch of tea questions for the man behind the counter, which gave me a chance to shoot them without being noticed….

Coffee or tea? Given the name of this blog, I’m sure you’ve figured out that I usually opt for the former. Every so often, though, my taste shifts teaward. It’s nice to know there’s a spot out here to sit and watch the leaves brew.

The Tea Farm Cafe

2600 South King Street, Suite 106, Honolulu, HI 96826

(808) 945-2679 theteafarm.com/cafe.asp

Memory Sipping

I’m really not sure when I stopped drinking flavored lattes. I guess to the coffee purist, they seem somehow… wrong. But how is a café mocha okay and a hazelnut latte not? Or perhaps mochas are also on the taboo list….

Back in my early coffee drinking days, I loved ordering almond lattes. Something about the smell of the orgeat syrup as it warmed up in my drink, mmm. That scent memory had nearly been forgotten until last Sunday, when I ventured out to Kailua to check out ChadLou’s.

The first thing I spotted on their drink list was the Kula Latte.  Kula’s an area on Maui known for growing lavender, and the drink brought together lavender with a bit of vanilla. Hmm, I like that blend in a body cream, but would it work well with coffee? The lavender-strawberry macaron I had the other day was great and all, but I was still skeptical so I asked the barista about it. Customers seemed to like it, he said, but he wasn’t fond of it. Yay, honesty! Then what drink did he like? Keeping in the flavored latte genre, he suggested going for the almond-raspberry.

Sipping it, my taste buds shot me back to my first café job in Charlottesville, Virginia. My fellow baristas and I would experiment with the syrup rack when it was slow, coming up with inventive lattes and Italian sodas. The winning concoctions were then written on the “Drink of the Moment” board we posted next to the counter.  I’m sure almond-raspberry was an early pairing, before we started experimenting with more bizarre flavor combos.

Actually, this shop has the same basic feel as my C-Ville café, with local art displayed on the walls, live music some nights and a variety of funky seating options, including couches. 

Couches are a necessary element in a great coffeehouse, in my opinion. It’s social seating, urging people to comfy up for a conversation. Why aren’t there more couch cafés out here? 

According to their website, one of ChadLou’s big draws is their ice cream sandwiches. A frozen case filled with tubs of local favorite Dave’s Ice Cream sits next to a pastry case stocked with cookies. Pick a pair of cookies (mix and match flavors, whatever you like), choose your ice cream (the ube or purple yam seems to be a popular choice, making for a pretty-colored dessert) and then yum away! I’m not sure if I could do ice cream and a coffee at the same time. Well, affogato is a different story. Wait, that sounds good right about now….

Honestly, this is the kind of coffeehouse I’d like to see more of on Oahu. The independent, quirky kind. Sophisticated coffee is great, and may offer up a superior cup, but if I don’t feel like I can settle into a seat and write or meet up with a girlfriend and split something decadent, I won’t go back often. If only I lived closer to this one….

Here’s the view from the street.

And here’s the building across the street. ChadLou's is in Kailua’s slightly more industrial area.

 Since I was in Kailua, I also stopped by FatBoy’s. I’m addicted to their garlic chicken.

Then I drove around aimlessly for a while listening to Hawaii Public Radio. It was a random but good afternoon.

ChadLou’s

45 Kihapai Street, Kailua, HI 96734

(808) 263-7930 chadlous.com

FatBoy’s Local Drive-In

301A Hahani Street, Kailua, HI 96734 (There are other locations around Oahu)

(808) 263-2697

Sawatdee Kah Oliang!

 

I love Thai food. I love coffee.  But strangely enough, I’d never had Thai coffee before last Saturday at the Thai Songkran Festival at Kapiolani Park. Being won over by the charms of Thai iced tea years ago, I never had any desire to stray. It was finally time to give its coffee counterpart a chance, so we scanned the festival's food tents until we found one that was selling iced coffee.

After a few stirs of the straw, I took a sip. Hmm, not what I expected. It was sweet and…different. A couple more sips. Is this really coffee? It had a similar aftertaste to Thai iced tea. Could she have given me the wrong drink? Or somehow mixed a coffee-tea hybrid? Another sip. Nope, it’s coffee. Interesting.  

Curious, I decided to look things up when I got home. Thai iced coffee, or oliang, is often made from a powdered mix that contains coffee and a few other ingredients. The Pantainorasingh brand, for example, is made with 50% coffee, 25% corn, 20% soybean and 5% sesame seed. Ahh, that explains things a bit.

 

Of course, there was more at the festival than just iced coffee. Next was the daunting task of choosing between all of the tempting food options prepared by members of the Wat Buddhajakramongkolvararam, the Thai Buddhist temple in Pearl City. 

Brooke and I decided to split the Pad Thai and the Som Tam (green papaya salad). It was interesting to watch the colorful ingredients come together to make our meal. Skilled cooks, fresh ingredients and the right amount of chilies made for a nice lunch in the park.

Lazy Day Milk Tea

It’s nice to have a completely open Saturday every once in a while. Nowhere to go, no set time to be there. The only thing on my agenda yesterday was to get a cup of milk tea. Hong Kong-style milk tea, to be exact. Kukui Cafe was the place to go.

Lists of dishes and drinks were spread across several menu boards, some hand-stenciled, others written in marker in Chinese and English. I ordered my milk tea and a bowl of ham and egg soup with macaroni.

Macaroni? I know, I never thought I’d see it on an Asian menu until I spotted macaroni dishes at the Shooting Star Cafe in Oakland, another Hong Kong-style cafe. Somehow it just works. And yes, ham and egg soup is considered a breakfast food. Breakfast can be had at any time on Saturday, in my opinion.

It was a simple yet satisfying meal. The milk tea was bold; as sweet as it was strong. It was the first time I remember having the chilled version, but I liked it. I needed to take the rest of my soup with me, being so densely packed with macaroni and having a second serving of sliced ham hidden under the egg.

Okay, the Kukui Cafe isn’t in the best of areas, but there are a couple of impressive structures nearby. On the other side of Nuuanu Stream is the Izumo Taisha, a Shinto shrine.

And across Kukui Street is the Lum Sai Ho Tong Building, housing a temple to Lum family deity Tin Hau. 

What a nice milk tea afternoon. Now I just need to check out those Hong Kong-style dessert spots that everyone is talking about…. 


Kukui Cafe 

Chinatown Cultural Plaza, 100 North Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
(Around the back, at the corner of Nuuanu Stream and Kukui Street)
(808) 537-4528

Social Drinking and the Siphon

 

I have a confession to make: I can’t handle my caffeine. Even after all of these years of sipping lattes, including the time I spent behind the espresso machine, caffeine still affects me in bizarre ways. Sometimes everything will seem fine until about 4am when I’m lying in bed, unable to sleep and deeply regretting that mocha I had 12 hours earlier. Other times, like the day I visited the Beach Bum Café, the chemical rushes straight into my brain, making me coffee drunk. Yes, sometimes a cup of coffee can hit harder than a couple of vodka tonics.

Appropriately enough, this downtown coffeehouse is set up much like a bar, with counter seating wrapping around the drink prep area. I settled into a chair and started studying the menu. A friendly guy sitting next to me suggested going for the siphon brewing method, if I had time. Ooh, I’d never gotten around to trying that before. Sad, but true. Sure, I had some time to kill. Let’s give it a go.

The barista pulled out the components of an elaborate coffee chemistry set from behind the counter and quickly assembled it. He then ground the coffee, spooned it into the top part of the contraption, filled the bottom with water, lit the Bunsen burner... and then we were off! Wait, this shop is in the middle of grab-and-go country; an area where you sneak away for a coffee while your boss is in a meeting. How do the 9-to-5ers have time for this?

Following the barista’s suggestion, I tried the Rusty’s Red Caturra. It was interesting and different; a nice cup indeed. Sorry, I’m out of practice when it comes to describing coffee…. I shall study up!

It’s good to finally have a shop out here that takes their brewed coffee seriously, instead of focusing primarily on espresso drinks. 100% locally-grown coffee, brewed by the cup. 

The owner was holding a tasting while I was there, explaining the nuances of a few different brews to a group of people.

 

Oh yeah, then I got wired. Majorly. Feeling a bit awkward sitting alone at the bar, I drank my coffee rather quickly. I also felt like I shouldn’t just sit there mute, so I asked the barista a bunch of questions. As the caffeine started surging through my bloodstream, I’m pretty sure my questions grew progressively more off the wall. By the end, I was convinced he either thought I was some sort of coffee spy or a random oddball. Caffeine-induced paranoia….

The plan for next time: Don’t drink on an empty stomach, drink slowly and don’t drink alone. 

Beach Bum Café 
1088 Bishop Street, Suite 101, Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 521-6699 beachbumcafe.com

Now Serving...

I’m excited to announce that some of my coffee shots are being featured on coffee | served daily over the next few days. Kim’s site provides daily caffeinated inspiration in the form of beautiful coffee photos, many with great stories attached. I love this site and am honored to have my pictures in the company of so many lovely cups.

In tribute to coffee | served daily, I’m sharing this coffee photo sent to me by my best friend Brooke. While on her way back from her January honeymoon in Thailand, she and her husband Jeremy had a long layover in Seoul, Korea and decided to check out the city. I suggested a few places to go (since I spent a year and a half there) but they also stumbled upon some nice spots on their own.

“Sorry, but my latte art wins! This was from Amandier in Insadong. I think it wasn't there when you were there, unfortunately... It was the perfect remedy for a long flight and frozen toes.”

Aww, what a sweet bear! Latte animals are the best.

Well, you may not be able to easily pop by Amandier, but there’s always an open table for you at coffee | served daily. Stop in for a cup.

coffee | served daily

coffeeserveddaily.com

 

Amandier

175-3 Jongno-gu, Anguk-dong 110-734, Seoul, Republic of Korea
02-736-9651 amandier.co.kr