I thought I had heard of every innovative, alternative use imaginable for coffee grounds: compost for home gardens, skin care (exfoliant), hair care (sheen and shine) and even home constipation remedies (enema). Then last week in Nicaragua I met Carlos Vargas, a native of the coffeelands who claims to be the first artist to work with coffee-based ink. His work was impressive — mostly primitivist creations applied to handmade natural-fiber paper — but my attention was focused mostly on the medium: coffee ink in a range of rich earthy tones.
The design of this sign made me wonder whether coffee has a future as an alternative to henna for temporary tatoos.
