Cave Girl Poetry Contest Winners!

By Nicki | Published: February 21, 2011

Exciting news!  We have TWO fabulous winners for our first Creative Cave Girl Poetry contest!  A big shout out to our two winning authors, Erin Lonard and Leigh Garcia.  Both women will receive our paleo mug and coffee set as well as a box of bacon heart notecards!  Check out their fabulous entries below!

A Day in the Life of a Cave Girl – by Erin Lonard

Wake up, little one. It’s time for some meat.

I’ll slice avocado and eggs I will beat.

Your mind will be ready, your tummy filled.

There’ll be no sugar high- your teacher will be thrilled!

Let me pack you a lunch- how about lettuce wraps?

Last night, I made sweet potato chips for your snack.

Here’s your water bottle. There’s no need for juice.

I’d rather you eat a real piece of fruit!

Get on out the door, we have places to get!

You must get to school and I must make it to Crossfit.

I’ve got a hard boiled egg and some jerky and veggies.

They are sure to give me energy when I’m doing my burpees.

After errands and house cleaning, I’ll make some dinner.

Grass fed meat and fresh veggies- it will be a winner!

We’ll dine as a family knowing we’re doing what’s best.

Then sleep peacefully, getting 8 to 10 hours of rest.

A day in the Life of a Cave Girl – by Leigh Garcia

I wake up with such energy, and I’m ready to start my day—

I make eggs with veggies and bacon—that’s breakfast, the paleo way!

Instead of taking the elevator to the ground floor, I go running down the stairs—

I feel good and pumped and healthy, as if I haven’t got any cares.

Although the weather’s cold now, I still walk the long way to class,

daydreaming about what I’ll have for lunch:  maybe chicken, maybe bass.

So for lunch at the dining hall’s salad bar, my plate’s a glorious veggie rainbow:

tomatoes and spinach and mushrooms (oh my!), all drizzled with EVOO,

and I decide to top it with lots of chicken, for I’m in love with organic protein,

and I secretly judge all of the “fake” food around me—why eat cake or ice cream?

After class I go to Barnes & Noble, where I pick up the newest nutrition book,

and devour the pages like filet mignon, and fantasize about what I’ll later cook.

Dinner’s my favorite meal of the day—I think tonight’ll be grass-fed steak,

paired with a beautiful salad and some fresh fruit—nothing in this meal is fake!

I don’t mind declining to go out for pizza with friends—my health is Number One:

I’m a happy college Cave girl… and everyone knows that Cave girls have more fun!

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Calling All Creative Cave Girls!

By Nicki | Published: January 10, 2011

Are you a Creative Cave Girl? With a penchant for poetry?  Or maybe you’re a Cave Dude who thinks he has the words to melt a cave girl’s heart? Well here’s your chance to share your creativity with the world!  We are launching our 2011 Cave Girl Poetry contest with the following theme:

“A day in the life of a modern day cave girl”

You can take that in whatever direction you choose.  Poems can be no longer than 16 lines. Submissions must be received by Monday February 7th  2011. Submit via the contact page at cavegirlcafé.com

The top 5 entries (we’re the judges) will be posted on our blog on February 14th. The winner will be chosen from amongst the top 5 based upon comments and feedback on both our blog and our facebook page. The winner will receive our Paleo travel mug and coffee set as well as some fabulous bacon heart notecards!

So get to writing!  This is sure to provide some fun!

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Surviving the Holidays Gluten Free! And the whole month of January! I dare ya!

By Nicki | Published: December 23, 2010

First and foremost Happy Holidays from Cave Girl Café!  We hope you all enjoy this wonderful time of year with your friends and families.

Now, if you’re a seasoned Cave gal or gent you have likely mastered the gluten free holiday a time or two.  Your skills are ninja-like and you easily manage to wiggle your way into your relative’s kitchens to help prepare gluten free versions of family holiday staples.  You eat well, you’re satisfied and you don’t get wheat belly! Good on ya!

If you’re new to the concepts of Paleo and Gluten free we’re going to suggest you give it a shot this January via a little challenge! There’s nothing like a challenge and some friendly community to kick start a habit change.  Folks are rapidly gathering over at Gluten Free January as well as on facebook to commit to going gluten free this January.  Just one month!  You can do this people. One month is a manageable time frame and it could end up changing your whole life.

Now if you’re on the road for the holiday’s or travelling abroad there are no excuses.  Just be diligent about asking your server for gluten free menu options.  Just master the words “gluten free” in the language of whatever country you are travelling to!  Going to Italy?  Learn the words “senza glutine”. Going to Greece? “cho̱rís glouténi.”   With the nifty tool of Google translate there truly are no excuses! Enter the words “gluten free” pick your language and voila!

Again, warmest wishes from Cave Girl Café! Stay cozy and drink good coffee!

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Coffee for Coats!

By Tory | Published: December 12, 2010

Every year countless children spend the winter season without a warm coat. Between now and Christmas Day, Cave Girl Café will donate 15% of your order towards purchasing coats for children in need.  If each person purchased just one item, hundreds of warm coats will be provided to children who otherwise would go without this season. We all know how powerful word of mouth can be. Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are a perfect platform to help us spread the word. Please help spread the word and the joy by sharing this information on your Facebook wall and re-Tweeting. Happy Holidays!

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A note from the Roaster

By Tory | Published: December 8, 2010

“The holidays are here and with it our new blend. With 22 years of experience, we know how to choose the best coffees of the year (and we know how to celebrate). The Cave Girl Holiday Blend is a rich, deep roast with a hint of spice. It’s the perfect present to give. . . and that’s what the season is all about.”

-Mike

Are you still looking for the perfect gift for all of your clients and business associates? Everyone loves coffee!  Show your Christmas spirit by giving the gift of warmth with a bag of artisanal Cave Girl Espresso or Coffee. We even offer BULK DISCOUNTS. Cave Girl Cafe is truly a one stop shop! Contact us via our Contact page at www.cavegirlcafe.com/contact if you are interested in ordering our coffee in bulk.

Discounts available:

10-19 Bags   10% Discount

20-29 Bags   20% Discount

30+ Bags       25% Discount

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Boost Your Business!- Business Holiday Card Advice

By Tory | Published: December 1, 2010

Sending out Holiday cards this year to clients and business associates? You are just in luck! Cave Girl Café is offering our holiday cards at an extreme discount when purchased in quantities of 10 sets or more. Even more importantly, we are here to help you with your business holiday card etiquette.

Sending out Holiday cards during this time of year can be very beneficial for your business. Holiday cards give you the opportunity to reach out to past clients and remind them they are important to you.  It also allows you to the opportunity to thank existing clients for their business or service.  There are several “rules” when sending out cards in a business environment and we are happy to share them with you.

If you missed our previous blog about Holiday card etiquette, you may be less than pleased to know that the Holiday season starts the day after Thanksgiving.  That means you may already be behind the curve. Holiday cards, ideally, should be in the mail the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Yep, that means last weekend! Do you have yours done? Not to worry…there is still time to order your cards online at www.cavegirlcafe.com/shop and get them in the mail.

So, what do you need to know about holiday cards?

Handwrite a message and sign your name. As with a personal holiday card, it is important to write a small, personalized message inside the card. Unlike the personal holiday card, it is acceptable to stamp your companies information under your hand written signature.

No company stamp? Send a business card. Although sending a personal business card inside the holiday card is a wonderful marketing tool, consider writing your business name in the holiday card as well. This way, once your business card is separated from the holiday card, the recipient of the card will still know who the card was from.

Handwrite the address labels. You do not want the holiday cards to look like bulk mail. Remember, the idea is to make the client/customer feel important.

Use correct titles. When addressing the envelopes, be sure to use titles such as “Mr.” “Mrs.” or “Ms.”

Send the cards to the client’s business address. Unless you know the client socially, it is proper etiquette to send a holiday card to the client’s business address.

Sending to Couples: Married vs. Not Married or Different last names. This is where it gets a little tricky. If you are sending to a married couple, address it to “Mr. and Mrs. John Doe”. If you are sending this card to a married couple with different last names, the enveloped should be addressed to “Mr. John Doe and Ms. Jane Smith”. If the couple is not married, the proper etiquette is to write their names alphabetically on separate lines:

Mr. John Doe

Ms. Jane Smith

Chances are pretty good you do not have your holiday cards done. If you are one who tends to slack on this front, note that the unofficial cut-off date for business holiday cards to be sent is December 15th. If you have a Paleo conscious clientele, check out our line of holiday cards. Your clients will get a kick out of them!

Remember, we also offer a discount on bulk orders of cards and coffee. They make the perfect holiday gifts!

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Christmas Card Etiquette – Are You Savvy?

By Tory | Published: November 10, 2010

Christmas cards! Why are we talking about Christmas cards already? Halloween has just passed and Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away. I know no one wants to begin to even think about Christmas! The truth is this: Christmas season begins the Friday after Thanksgiving. You know, Black Friday…the day you roll out of bed at 4am to get to the “best sales of the year”.  Standing in line outside of Macy’s because the bamboo cutting board you have been eyeballing the past few months will be 60% off!  Not to mention the new set of skillets you would like, but will purchase for your significant other, knowing they will be in your kitchen the day after Christmas.

Now that I was kind enough to remind you that “Christmas season” is in fact only three weeks away, I’m going to hit you with one last piece of fantastic news;  in good etiquette form, Christmas cards should be sent out the Saturday after Thanksgiving. WHAAT! That’s right folks, two days after you spent nine hours in the kitchen creating the perfect Paleo Thanksgiving (or you spent staring down the mashed potatoes your mother-in-law made knowing damn well you couldn’t eat them). Twenty four hours after you fought the gauntlet that is Black Friday, you should have your sixty Christmas cards in the mail. Uggh!

Now I bet you are wondering what other amazing Christmas card etiquette you were unaware of. Have no fear, the Cave Girls are here to help you with all of your etiquette needs! We have compiled a list of things we thought you may (or may not) like to know about the biggest card season of the year.

First and foremost, were you aware that Americans send out over 1.5 billion Christmas cards each year? On average, 85% of households participate in this tradition, and each household sends an average of 58 cards!

Here are some things to keep in mind while putting together your cards:

  1. Cards should be sent the Saturday after Thanksgiving, allowing all cards to arrive in time, no matter where their intended destination may be. Should cards arrive late into the Holiday season, the recipient may feel as though they were a “last thought”
  2. Have several types of cards. Be sensitive of people’s beliefs and personalities. Do they have children, or are they a bachelor? Rudolph kicking ass at the Annual Reindeer Games may not be appropriate to send to a family with a five year old, but that same child may get a kick out of Santa requesting bacon instead of cookies.
  3. Hand write a message. Should you be savvy enough to think ahead and have a message custom printed into your card, it is still proper etiquette to write a small, personal message in the card.
  4. Be sure to sign your name. NO stamps. If you are taking the time to send a card, take the time to sign your name.
  5. Hand write the addresses. Keep it personal and looking like effort was put forth. No pre-printed labels…sorry.
  6. Make sure there is a return address on the envelope. Having a return address stamp or label is appropriate. This allows the recipient of the card to have your address and send you a card in return. They may not be as prepared as you were!
  7. E-Cards do NOT count. Ouch! Right? E-cards are considered an appropriate response to receiving an E-card, but are not a substitute for a true holiday card.

That was fun, wasn’t it? There is a much larger set of rules if you are a business professional sending the cards to clients. We’ll touch on those fun rules at a later date. The truth is that Christmas cards help enhance business. They are a perfect avenue to touch base with a past client, or to remind a present client you are thinking of them.  If you haven’t been one to send cards in the past, give it a shot. You may put a smile on someone’s face.

Don’t forget the best part! Cave Girl Café has a holiday line of cards designed for the Paleo enthusiast. Maybe you haven’t sent cards in the past because you have  been unable to find a holiday card that expresses your lifestyle or personality. We have the perfect cards for you! Give ‘em a look!

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Costa Rican Brew

By Tory | Published: November 8, 2010

This month’s delicious coffee selection is brought to us from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. Defined as some of the world’s most perfect coffee; perfectly smooth, perfectly balanced! We certainly can’t complain about that, now can we? The Tarrazu region of Costa Rica is located south of San Jose, the country’s capital. At an elevation of over 5000 feet (1500+ meters), the rich volcanic soil, optimal rainfall, high elevation and cloud cover create the perfect environment for growing an outstanding bean.

Described as a “classic” cup, this is a well-balanced brew beginning with a bittersweet chocolate flavor and a citrusy fruit undertone finish. Okay, okay…I know what you are thinking, a chocolate citrusy coffee? Coffee is coffee, isn’t it? I suppose it depends on who you ask. Coffee has as many descriptions to describe its flavor and aroma as wine. You begin to taste first by scent, then by the reaction of one’s taste buds.

Let’s take a moment to dissect the human tongue (Sounds like tons of fun, doesn’t it!). Imagine looking at a tongue and breaking it into four separate quadrants, divided by four horizontal lines. The back section of the tongue being Section 1 and moving your way forward to the tip of your tongue, Section 4. Section 1 is responsible for registering bitter. The lateral sides of Section 2 pick up sour, while the lateral sides of Section 3 respond to salty. Lucky Quadrant 4 lets you know when something is sweet. This being said, it is important to evenly distribute the coffee over the tongue all at once, allowing all the regions of the tongue to register the appropriate flavors. Coffee is intended to be consumed hot. The colder a cup of joe becomes, the more pronounced the flavor becomes. Keeping your brew warm guarantees the original flavor profile intended by the roaster.

Next time you brew up your favorite cup of Cave Girl Coffee or Espresso, take a moment to listen to your taste buds. I’m sure you will enjoy what they have to say!

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Roasted and ready to go!

By Tory | Published: October 6, 2010

Peru is known for many outstanding things: The beautiful ruins at Manchu Picchu, Pisco Sours ( a delicious, tart grape based liquor/egg white concoction I highly recommend if you have the opportunity), Incan gold and, most importantly, rockin’ coffee! This first batch of coffee about to be roasted and shipped to you Cheetah Club members is from the beautiful nation of Peru, from a small scale co-op named CEPICAFE, located in northwestern Peru. The coffee is grown from 900 meters to 1700. The ‘green beans’ used in this roast come from the Typica, Caturra, Bourbon, and Pache plant; all Arabica beans.

CEPICAFE  was formed in 1995 with the intent to contribute to the sustainable development of the region and improve the quality of life of coffee growing families. Currently there are 3,200 members who produce approximately 118 containers annually. With proceeds from the Fair Trade price, CEPICAFE has done a wonderful job with fulfilling the original mission statement; they offer women’s workshops to help with coffee production and business management training along with providing financial aid to their producers. They have built a two-story headquarters with a warehouse, office space and a café! New equipment, including four wet processing plants has greatly improved harvest conditions.

So what does this mean for you? Well, if you have already purchased your Cheetah membership, you can drink your rich, medium acidity, pleasant aroma coffee knowing not only where it came from, but with a sense of pride knowing  the humanity aspect has not been lost to bring you your cup-o-joe. Enjoy!

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Climate-Shlimate… I want Coffee!!!!

By Tory | Published: September 24, 2010

Ahh, the sweet smell of coffee is enough to bring a smile to any cavegirl’s (or caveman’s) face. Here at Cave Girl Café, we strive to bring you the freshest, highest quality coffee available on the market. How do we do this? We only sell coffee beans from regions of the world that are in their dry season/harvest season at the time of your order.  Coffee club memberships are purchased in a once-a-month-deliver for three months package, allowing us to purchases the correct amount of freshly harvested “green beans” from regions of the world in harvest. Once the “green beans” arrive at our roaster, we roast the beans and ship them to you the very next day, providing you with a quality product. Each month you will receive a bag of coffee from a different coffee producing country!

Cave Girl Coffees are roasted from Arabica beans. Arabica beans are grown in cool climates between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.  Ideally, temperatures will linger between 59-75 degrees Fahrenheit and the region will average 60 to 100 inches of rainfall over a nine month period. There are a few consequences should the temperatures deviate from this range. Photosynthesis, the process in which plants convert carbon dioxide into nourishment using energy from sunlight, slows above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. There is also a risk of frost damage should the temperature drop around the 32 degree range.

Countries all along the equator produce terrific coffees, and harvest at different times of year, depending upon when their rainy season ends and dry season begins.  According to weather patterns around the equator, monsoon season in Indonesia is November through March and the dry season is May through September. Due to the climactic change, we should expect to be receiving Indonesian beans such as Papua New Guinea, Timor and Sulawesi  in our summer months.  Hawaiian beans such as Kona are harvest twice a year, as the Hawaiian Island chain has two separate rainy seasons. Expect Hawaiian beans during our Holiday season through March and again in July and August.  Most Central American beans, such as Nicaraguan and Guatemalan are harvested November through March along with our African favorite, the Ethiopian. With some earlier harvests coming from Brazil and Peru in September, expect to see our first shipment of beans from South America.

We can’t wait to share all the fun and informative information about our first shipment of beans! Stay tuned…

Check out our Coffee Cupping Video part 2 with Robb Wolf and Erwan Le Corre and learn some fun facts about coffee!

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