Providence Cycledrome

As many of you probably know, Providence is a super bike-y city. People love their bicycles here. It's awesome to see. Kids making custom bikes, Recycle-a-Bike, monster bikes at the Steelyard, Circle A Cycles, Dash, Legend, Providence Bicycle...am I forgetting anybody? I heard a rumor also that more bike lanes are happening soon, on Broadway and maybe some other places.

Full disclosure, I know how to ride a bike. But I know nothing about them. I've tried to learn all the parts and how to fix them and everything but that information does not stay in my brain. I truly admire people who know how to do all that stuff though. I've had lots of friends who can talk for hours in front of me about bike parts and it's like they're speaking another language. It's amazing. (It's kind of like when our tech guys, especially you, Todd Mackey, talk about espresso machines and parts in front of me. They know so much. I know how to drink it and sort of how to make it, but they could write a book. Seriously guys, maybe you should write a book.)

Anyway, what does this have to do with coffee? Welllll you may have seen, or even sipped, one of our newest blends, Cycledrome. You may know that Providence loves bikes, but did you know that in the late 1920s we had one of the largest bicycle-racing stadiums, or velodromes, in the U.S.? According to this (really great) article from Art in Ruins, the Cycledrome housed a wooden 5-lap track, and the races attracted thousands of fans. The Cycledrome was also where the Providence Steam Roller played football, which another one of our blends is named after.

I'd love to find out more about Vincent Madonna, an Italian-American Providence track-cycling star, made famous locally for his success at the Cycledrome, according to Art in Ruins.

Inspired by some photos of old-timey bicycle racers, I designed this label for Cycledrome Blend.

You can buy it here!

The connection between coffee and bicycles makes a lot of sense to me. Especially with small-batch roasters like us who think about things like Source Direct and Fair Trade and sustainability. Many roasters choose to deliver their coffee by bicycle, and maybe someday we'll be joining them. New Harvest Coffee Cycledrome Bike Team, anybody?

Steam Roller Blend

"A solid blend for all: bittersweet chocolate from the aroma to the finish, complimented by toasted nuts, subtle lemon and creamy cocoa at the end. A Source Direct blend of coffees from our friends at COOPRONARANJO in Costa Rica."

It's also a tribute to the rich history right on our doorstep. You can read more about the fascinating story behind the Providence Steam Roller here, and more about the stadium they played in, the now non-existent Cycledrome, on one of our favorite websites: Art in Ruins. Look for another new blend in tribute to the Cycledrome soon!

The above logo is actually based on the Providence basketball team of the same name. The NFL team had this weird wolf-man logo, which none of us can explain, and apparently neither can the internet. Do you know why there's a wolf-man?