aloha kona coffee giveaway

i suspect a few readers are feeling the tuesday morning blues so here's a little news that is sure to perk you up! a giveaway just for h|h readers compliments of the aloha kona coffee 'ohana who are treating the winner to two one-pound bags of their popular medium dark roast beans ($50 value) sustainably grown on their big island farm.

simply send along an email with your name & current hometown by 11:59pm on thu, sep 4th. the lucky winner will be announced on friday.

good luck!

p.s. if you have trouble with the link, please send the requested info to aloha [at] hapahale [dot] com and put akc giveaway in the subject.

{mahalo dana!}

{update: winner list posted}

aloha kona coffee

truth be told, the closest i ever come to drinking coffee is when i order up a mocha milkshake, however the abundance of coffee farms in the islands combined with the number of coffee lovers in my 'ohana means i am always on the lookout for small producers who grow their beans au naturale.

an abbreviated version of six degrees of separation was all it took for my recent discovery of aloha kona coffee, a small sustainable family farm located up on the fertile, coffee-producing slopes of holualoa on the big island. the farm was started by dana & mark leong and their story is a sweet one - maui girl meets oahu boy. marry & start a family. fulfill dream of ditching the corporate rat race and moving to the country to live off the 'aina. oh, and in between they both crossed the finish line of the ironman a few times.

although akc is not certified organic (which can be a lengthy and expensive process), the leong 'ohana nixes pesticides in favor of organic homemade teas to keep their coffee plants healthy and happy. production is kept in-house with every family member pitching in from tending to their own section of the farm to assisting with harvesting, roasting and packaging the final product.

the estate grown beans are roasted fresh (from medium to espresso) for each and every order, and, if you prefer your cup o' joe to have a different intensity or fancy a batch of green beans to roast yourself, simply drop aloha kona coffee a note to request a special order.

and, coffee aficionados will be happy to hear that the akc 'ohana is sweetening the pot for h|h readers with savings of 10% off your next caffeine fix!

• secret code: kona08
• expires: dec 31st, 2008

p.s. behind the scenes farm tours of akc's holualoa property is available by appointment (email for more details).

the sweet taste of hawaiian tap

the bottled water addiction can be a hard habit to break, but the owners of lanikai bath & body are making it a bit easier to go green with the introduction of their reusable hawaiian tap water bottle. a simple way to quench your thirst while doing a little good for our planet and your coin purse (those bottled water purchases add up!).

those unaware of the hidden costs behind the convenience of bottled water may want to reconsider that next sip once you discover the amount of energy and h2o (more than 6 times what you actually drink) needed to produce and transport a single serving. plus, let us not forget the hundreds of millions of bottles languishing in landfills missing their one chance to be recycled into a hip fleece jacket or lanai furniture.

scoop one up at lanikai bath & body's shop in kailua or order online before the end of the month and enjoy complimentary shipping. added bonus: a portion of hawaiian tap sales will be donated to help preserve the kawainui marsh!

• secret code: hawaiiantap
• expires: wed, apr 30th

souvenir special

hawaii pillow

there were only a handful of readers when i first posted about this folksy embroidered hawaii pillow way back when, but i recently stumbled upon the makers' website and discovered that the hawaii design (one of many created for catstudio's geography collection) is now offered on everything from glassware to dishtowels.

and, as further evidence that it truly is a small world, while clicking around the website i learned that carmel swan (a former music exec turned textile artist) who owns catstudio with her husband, just happens to have a hawaii connection too.

hawaii glass

if you want to pick up one of these charming additions for your space just know that online orders have a $40 minimum however ground shipping is free.

p.s. you can shave a few dollars off the hawaii pillow (which takes 40+ hours to embroider by hand) by ordering direct.

tabletop luau

a quick roundup of fun design finds which will add a little tropical spark to your thanksgiving table.

1/6 - floral and tiki summer melamine plates from target keep disposable serveware out of the trash and can be used season after season.

2 - napastyle's pig bowl is made of reclaimed wood for a one of a kind luau centerpiece.

3 -  italian ceramic hibiscus bowls add a pop of color for condiments and crudités.

4 - vessel's rechargeable luau lamp lets you take the party wherever you please.

5 - no worries about guests losing track of their drink with these reusable tropicalia clinqs.