Ha Coffee Bar

Jeff Adams, a Christian pastor for Seaside Church and executive director of the non-profit Seaside Kauai, which does business as Ha Coffee Bar. Daniel Lane photo

There’s a calm urgency inside Ha Coffee Bar. A vaulted ceiling with lazy fans and an uncluttered floor give a sense of openness, which feels peaceful. Baristas quietly pull espressos and cloud workers sit in front of laptops, using free WiFi to get in a day of work. Merchandise is stacked on a shelf, near a play area for children, which is empty at the moment. Contemporary music muffles the discussions of local politicians, who meet over a cup of coffee.

“We are set up to annunciate the idea of ha,” says Jeff Adams, a Christian pastor for Seaside Church and executive director of the non-profit Seaside Kauai, which does business as Ha Coffee Bar. “How do you breathe life into the community? We love Jesus and we want to love our neighbors. Instead of moving in and starting a church community, we asked, ‘What would it look like if we came in and really loved the community?’”

One way Ha Coffee decided to do that is by supporting local businesses, such as bakers, roasters and growers, by giving them the space to grow.

vaulted ceilings with lazy fans and uncluttered floors give a sense of openness, which feels peaceful. Daniel Lane photo.

Kombucha from Kauai Juice Co. is on tap. Coffee is roasted by Kauai Roastery, and includes Kau coffee from Hawaii Island, organic coffee from Papua New Guinea and Bali Blue Moon, an organic coffee with citrus notes.

Baked goods are made from local vendors, including banana bread and brownies from Keoki’s, cookies from Aloha Sweet Delites and scones from Mailani Sweet Treats.

Three Acai bowls offer a different combination of coconut milk, soy milk, raw cacao nibs, hemp hearts (raw, shelled hemp seeds), granola, raw Kauai honey, peanut butter, shredded coconut, sliced bananas, bee pollen, dark chocolate chips and chia seeds.

There are more than 20 types of tea, including two from Kauai Farmacy, which grows organic herbs on the North Shore and blends them into medicinal teas. Tranquility tea calms with gardenia and valerian. Energy tea, with ashwagandha and gotu kola, lives up to its name and I feel energized shortly after I drink it.

“We don’t want people to think, ‘This is a Christian coffee shop,’ or ‘This is a non-profit coffee shop,’” says Jeff. “We want people to come in and think, ‘This is a really great coffee shop.’”

Ha Coffee Bar
4180 Rice Street, Lihue
Hacoffeebar.com
808-631-9241
Open Mon. – Sat.
6:30 a.m. To 5 p.m.

No one pays us to be featured on our blog, book, app or tours. It’s just our professional opinion! All images copyright Daniel Lane/Pono Photo. For more information, visit www.PonoPhoto.com.