Fair Trade NicaraguaAs I type this, there are five kids chatting upstairs, making animal sounds, and definitely not sleeping. Perhaps they have decided to imitate a zoo? On the television in the other room, the Giants game is on, alternating with the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, on tape delay. We had seven cousins at dinner tonight, but two have gone home with their Aunt Becky, hopefully to a house a little more quiet than this one.
The reason for the big slumber party tonight is the annual CEM Agony Ride. This is a 24 hour ride to raise money for “the ranch” as it is affectionately called. The local newspaper ran an article about it this week, which you can read here. My sister currently holds the woman’s record for the most miles ridden in this grueling bike-a-thon–and tonight she and her husband are out there riding together to beat her own record. My brother and his wife are also riding. It’s hard to imagine the mental and physical toughness that it takes to stay on a bike that long, no matter how many miles you go.
Go Agony Riders!
My part in the ride for the last two years has been babysitter. I’m no good on a bike, and I couldn’t be happier to take care of all the kids. I am so impressed with the commitment of my siblings: last year all three of them rode, although this year Becky joined me in the babysitting capacity after six years of riding. Tomorrow morning we’ll drive up to the Sierra Valley to cheer them on for the last few miles until the event ends at 1:00. They’ll all be falling over as their kids hug them in glee.
All that to say that I never made it to the store today. We do have a wonderful coffee to share with you, but my day was filled with swimming and catching frogs, and this e-mail comes late at night. This week’s coffee is our Fair Trade Nicaragua. It might not keep you going through twenty-four hours of bike riding, but it will certainly help. It will easily carry you through a day with 5-7 kids playing!
Fair Trade Nicaragua has gathered compliments since we started serving it Wednesday morning. It seems to be a crowd-pleaser: smooth, with light nutty and chocolate tones. It’s easy to drink and extremely mild. The tones are reminiscent of the Costa Rican of last week, which might not seem surprising given their geographic proximity. Most Nicaraguan coffees do not have such subtle flavors, in my experience, so this one is unique.
Come on in for a free 12 ounce cup of our Fair Trade Nicaraguan by mentioning the code “coffee of the week.” We’d love to know what you think! Check our facebook page for an update on how the riders do tonight: we’ll post an update after the ride tomorrow. In other news, the garden is starting to produce: we’ve been eating fresh squash for a week or two now. Cheers!
–Holly Fike
Fair Trade Nicaragua
This week: $12.99
List Price: $13.99
