  Many of us Minnesotans think about the winter months as a time to hibernate, hunker down with a good book and wait for the Alberta Clippers and subzero wind chills to give way to warmer weather. Some of us find ways to enjoy the winter weather by hitting the frozen lakes for some pond hockey or ice fishing. Despite the frigid temperatures and snow-packed streets, a few bold and dare I say "passionate" Minnesotans are still riding their bikes. This is my second winter season as a Peace Coffee Bike Courier and my tenth winter as a year-round bike commuter. I can safely say that so far, the winter of 2008/2009 has been the harshest that I can remember. After all these years, I think I've finally figured out the key to staying comfortable and having fun on my bike in nearly any kind of winter weather.Trial and error has always been my preferred learning style, and I've tried a lot of different things over the years to help make winter biking a little easier. The following points are the major things that have helped me get through the winter biking season. • Increase caloric intake. Cold weather makes your body work harder to stay warm so you have to keep the tank full. At a minimum, my breakfast consists of toast, 1 egg with cheese, fruit, coffee and juice. If I have it, I will also drink a large glass of whole, raw milk before I head out. I generally "graze" throughout the day because big meals tend to make me tired, so I'll have a couple small lunches and a few pieces of fruit or energy bars. For dinner, I'll eat whatever I can get my hands on. • Don't overheat. Since everyone's body works a little differently, I can't say that my dress code will work for you. My tried and true outfit for temperatures between zero and 10F are the following: Carhartt overalls, Capilene long underwear, merino wool jersey, windproof/waterproof jacket with vents, merino wool socks, Lake winter biking boots, winter biking gloves with wool liners, merino wool beanie, snowboarding helmet and goggles. Below zero temps call for another wool sweater. The take away message: MERINO WOOL ROCKS!!! Find it on sale and stock up.  • Stay hydrated. This is possibly the hardest thing for me to do in the winter, partially because my water bottle freezes in about 10 minutes on some days, but also because I just don't get as thirsty in the cold weather. Drink lots of water, about 3 liters a day will do a world of good.• Stretch a little before and a lot after you ride. When I don't stretch after a long day in the saddle, I don't sleep as well that night and my legs take a lot longer to warm up the next day. • Keep your chain, rims and break pads clean. For obvious reasons. Of course, my favorite pre-ride routine entails sipping a hot mug of our Sidamo single origin coffee while looking at the weather forecast. My fellow bean hauler, Meagan O'Brien, put it best when she said, "Wool and butter help me get through the winter." Take these words to heart folks and get out there for some winter biking bliss! (Back to Headlines)   Greetings Peace Coffee friends! My name is Angelica Cox-Vazquez and I have recently moved to the Twin Cities from Las Vegas, Nevada to join the Peace Coffee team as the Events and Demo Coordinator. Despite the extreme weather conditions, I am extremely excited to be a part of a socially conscious community and company. As the EVC, I will be attending several events and demos to talk to folks about our company, our role in the fair trade movement and to promote our delicious coffee. Since my first day at Peace Coffee, I have had several opportunities to do just that! I have attended numerous presentations, events, and in-store demos. The most recent being the grand opening of the Seward Co-op Grocery & Deli!My love for coffee began in 2005 when I was sent to Costa Rica as a Peace Corps Volunteer to work with a small organic & Fair Trade coffee producing cooperative. This is where I was able to witness the benefits of Fair Trade -- where farmers had a secure market and access to pre-harvest financing. For me, it was a life changing experience working with amazing people who produce the labor intensive crop that millions of people consume every day. I remember my first time picking coffee in the rainy steep mountains and coming to the realization that many people do not appreciate their cup of coffee or think of where it comes from. This was when I decided that I wanted to work for a coffee company that supports small coffee farmers. I never dreamed I would actually work for a great coffee company like Peace Coffee! These past two months have been an exciting adventure. I cannot wait for the upcoming year to meet new people and "spread the word." If you are ever interested in coming to our office for a tour of our roastery, please send me an email at angelica@peacecoffee.com. Also became a fan of ours on Facebook to receive updates for upcoming events we are participating at. Here are a few fun ones you won't want to miss: Art Shanty Project on Medicine Lake: Jan 17th thru Feb 14th Black Snow Beer Release at Town Hall Brewery: Jan 19th till the kegs run out! Twin Cities Bike Swap: Feb 8th (Back to Headlines)   Each coffee has been updated in the same way. We start with an overall impression of the coffee. Next is roast level. Roast level is dependent on many things, but for simplicity sake has been divided into the basic options: light, medium, and dark. For both acidity and body each coffee is given two assessments. First is its intensity or quality, seconds is a notable characteristic. For example the Rio Azul's acidity is medium in intensity with a citrus characteristic. Finally, for both the aroma and flavor notes are the associations and characters that come with the cup of coffee. Enjoy exploring all of the updated information.Overall Impression: Full flavored and robust with nice acidity and a clean finish, the perfect segue from a medium roast to a light roast. Roast Level: Medium-light Acidity: Medium, citrus, crisp, clean, and becomes intense as it cools Body: Medium-heavy, full and creamy Aroma: Cocoa, coriander, caramel & toasted pecan Flavor Notes: Toasted hazelnut, cocoa, toasted cardamom, honey & cereal Farmer Cooperative: Rio Azul Cooperative, Huehuetenango, Guatemala I've been getting ready for a trip to the Rio Azul Cooperative in Guatemala over the last week. It's been a stressful and exciting time, from buying a ticket without even know if I had a place to go, to making reservations at the Hotel California in Huehuetenango. It is the first time that I've done a majority of the planning for a trip, with a lot of help from other people of course, but that is the way all good things happen. Rio Azul's coffee is what we use for our Guatemalan Light Roast coffee for about half of the year or more. Cheers, Keith (Back to Headlines)  To celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama, we are offering our own Economic Stimulus package this month -- 15% off your order (before shipping charges are added). Try our Ethiopian Sidamo or any of our other products. Use promo code OBAMA to receive this discount (code expires February 20, 2009). (Back to Headlines)  From bean-bag to money-bag Here is the VERY FIRST Peace Coffee wallet. It is made of the plastic bag and only the plastic bag (besides the thread) that the beans come in AND it even used the zip closure to ensure that no monies fall out!!! How do you reuse our coffee bags? Send us photos of your crafty reusable creations to crafty@peacecoffee.com. We will share them with readers in next month's newsletter. In trade for your creativity and effort we'll give you a Peace Coffee t-shirt and a pair of Peace Coffee socks which you can use for making Sock Monkeys!
(Back to Headlines) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
