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<v SPEAKER_1>Welcome to the first episode of the Throttle & Roast Podcast.

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<v SPEAKER_1>On this episode, I'll be talking about the similarities between coffee lovers and motorcyclists.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There's a lot more in common than one might think at first glance.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, who do I mean when I say motorcyclists and coffee lovers?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Well, motorcyclists are people who typically own and ride at least one motorcycle.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They often self-identify as a motorcyclist.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And coffee lovers are people who love artisanal coffee, either that they brew themselves or by going to their favorite coffee shop.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So let's talk about some of the aspects that I think are really common amongst both motorcyclists and coffee lovers.

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<v SPEAKER_1>First off, it's passion.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And a motorcyclist can speak at length about their bike or bikes in general and why they're so special.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They really get into the nuts and bolts of it, and really literally that, the essence of the mechanics of it is something that is really very interesting to motorcyclists.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We can speak about why we've got a particular carb or why we've got a particular exhaust or why this particular engine config is so wonderful.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And that passion can be very expanding out into others that are surrounding amongst them.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it's something that is really, really special about motorcyclists.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, on the other side, coffee lovers also are incredibly passionate, especially the artisanal coffee lovers, because they know about the various preparations and even the characteristics of the bean.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So they could speak about why they prefer a cortado versus an espresso versus a macchiato and all of these different aspects of the way that they prepare coffee, but then even the beans, why they have single origin or mixes or why they prefer beans from Kenya versus Ethiopia versus in South America.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So all of these aspects are something that coffee lovers really, really can get into the nitty gritty with and be passionate about.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Another thing is about design.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now motorcycles are often referred to as moving art.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this was actually something that was really remarkable in that the Guggenheim Museum actually had an exhibit all about motorcycles and just seeing all of those bikes there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it's something where we can look at the design of a motorcycle.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We can get really excited about it and see exactly what it is that really gets us excited into there because all of these aspects, whether it's the shape of the tank or even the paint job that's on the bike, can really have an impact on to us.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And you'll see a lot of different groups of motorcyclists will be passionate about one particular segment of it, be it like cruisers or cafe racers, et cetera.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And they're really going to be very excited about what the design and the look of that bike is.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Coffee tools, these also have a design aesthetic to them that can also be very lovely for people to look at.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Look at espresso machines.

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<v SPEAKER_1>While the standard fare are intriguing on their own with all of the various knobs and parts that allow barista to make multiple coffees at once, but even the smaller home coffee tools have their own iconic nature.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Look at the classic mocha pot.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's a stable in many Italian households, and it's expanding into other parts of the world.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Of course, I have one.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I love using my mocha pot.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The nine barista espresso machine, while having some similar visual characteristics to the mocha pot, and also heating directly in your stove, is a proper espresso machine, meaning that it will actually go up to nine bars of pressure, whereas the mocha pot is usually around like two or three bars.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And these are things that can really have a beautiful design to them.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Think about some of the other coffee making materials that we have, whether it's something like a pour-over design.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You might have one of the particular vessels that we're using to put a filter into and drop into your beans into that filter and then pour your water through.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There's something about it that we just really, really love and get very passionate about.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And then if you think of customization, this is another aspect where it really becomes a shared similarity amongst motorcyclists and coffee lovers, particularly in motorcycles, of course.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Everyone knows about the custom scene that exists there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Who hasn't seen a motorcycle that's been customized by their owner to look different from other bikes, maybe of the exact same model?

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<v SPEAKER_1>And while there are some extreme customizations where people have actually changed out the frame and completely built it from scratch, think of things like the Orange County choppers from many years ago, a lot of them are just some farcals that people have added on, be it they changed out, you know, adding on like different grips or changed the seat or something like that.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But it's something that really made it their own.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's their bike, not just a bike.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this customization aspect is something that is really unique about motorcyclists.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Probably the closest parallel to that in other sort of automotive aspects would be like real car junkies where they may actually customize the car.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But I think motorcyclists still do because there is an aspect of adapting the bike to you that you don't have in a lot of other things.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Cars, you typically be like, oh, the car is just the car, and I may adapt it and maybe customize the appearance of it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But in motorcycles, we're often adapting the bike to us.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So we might change the handlebars for more comfort or for a particular look of what it looks like with us sitting onto the bike.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And that's something that's really, really different within the motorcycle community as opposed to a lot of other aspects.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And now think about coffee lovers.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We love to customize what we're doing.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We might have countless options for how we may make a drink.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Maybe we decide we're going to make something that's going to be a typical drip coffee style, or we're going to make something that's more of an espresso style where it's a pressure-based.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And there's even some mixes in between these, such as think about things like the AeroPress, where it's both a little bit of pressure but also a bit of a pour-over or a blend into there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is something that, when you think of the other aspects that we can use to customize our drink, whether it's the origin of the beans, the particular roast that was used, the grind size that we choose to do, the ratio of water to coffee, the process that we use for brewing it, all contribute to that final flavor.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is something that we can continue to hone and tweak and adjust to really make it our own.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And what do we love as a particular way of preparing coffee?

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it may not be something that everyone else loves.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It might be a little tweak that really works for us and resonates for us that we can add in.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Then you think about some of the other drinks that people will do.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You've got a core, let's say coffee, like a black coffee that most people might think of.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And adding milk to it can actually further tweak that flavor.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It adds a little bit of a sweetness to it that may not be part of the original coffee or maybe it enhances that part of the original coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So think of any of the espresso drinks that we might have where milk is added in in some ratio or in some particular preparation that adds into that.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And baristas will often sort of add to that flourish of how they actually bring those things together and even think about some of the designs that a barista will do in terms of the espresso art as they finish off a drink with both the milk and the coffee in there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is the thing that really kind of makes it unique and customized for how you want that drink.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And as a result, like coffee lovers, we just really, really enjoy that.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I think there's some really great parallels between motorcyclists and coffee lovers in regards to both passion, design, and customization.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Another aspect I think where we're similar in many ways is this almost Pavlovian response to sounds.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you're a motorcyclist and you hear a motorcycle engine start, it's really rare that you're not going to turn your head and look over and be like, which bike is that?

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<v SPEAKER_1>What kind of a bike is that?

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<v SPEAKER_1>And we often realize the sound of the bike by the way the engine sound is.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it's something that we really know intrinsically in some ways.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So you could hear a V-twin, you could hear a parallel twin, a boxer twin.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You can hear an inline four.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Each of these different engine configs is going to have a sound to it that's really going to be distinctive to us.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If you think about a bike when it's passing us by, as we're maybe sitting outside of a coffee shop and a motorcycle comes by, we're going to hear that sound.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And without fail, every motorcyclist is going to turn their head.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it's going to remind them, even if they're not on a bike that day, it's going to remind them of riding and why they just love it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it's this sort of hunger that pops out.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And you're like, you know, I just want to finish my coffee now and get out on the bike.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So we really hit it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you think of coffee lovers, there's another aspect that we also have when it comes to these sort of sounds.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Imagine you hear the scooping of the beans, and then they're pouring the beans into the grinder.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And then as we're anticipating the grinding of the coffee, and then the actual grinding itself, that noise is something that you just hear and you immediately think coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's sort of funny.

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<v SPEAKER_1>In the morning, I'll be making coffee for me and my family, and my wife will hear that sound at the coffee grinder, and she's like, are you making coffee?

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it's the sort of jump out there where we really do get excited about that anticipation of the coffee just from some of those sounds that we may hear.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The other thing that I think really sort of parallels between these is this just love of the experience.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If you ask a motorcyclist about why they ride, they'll share a lot about the experience from the rumble of the engine, the lean into a turn, how they experience the environment through which they ride, like the smells of freshly cut grass in a field.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is something that it's hard to sort of convey, because if you think of the vast majority of people who are traveling around, they're in a car, and modern cars have so much sound deadening, you don't hear anything really outside of the car, so you're unaware of it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And most of us tend to keep the windows rolled up, so we just have the AC running, for example, so we don't actually smell anything of the environment through which we ride, whereas in a motorcycle, you do, and you'll feel this amazing, amazing thing of, you know, you come into a valley, and all of a sudden the temperature feels like it drops like four or five degrees, and you're not going to notice that in a car, but you will in a motorcycle, and it's all part of it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Or you come along a river, and all of a sudden the breeze from that river just lowers the temperature a little bit.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And these experiences just make for it to be a more fully encompassing aspect that you sort of have on a motorcycle.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And of course, you know, as a coffee lover, the process of making our coffee has its own rewards from, you know, that first grind and the sound that we heard to the pour and then eventually to the sip.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you ask a coffee drinker about why they love it, and they'll often discuss the experience.

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<v SPEAKER_1>That's the experience of making coffee and drinking coffee in its totality is something that becomes part of why we love it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So it's not just that we enjoy drinking it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And many of us do enjoy drinking coffee, of course, but it's an entire experience of the preparation, the anticipation, the sip, the completion.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This is all adding into it, that aroma of the coffee, before we've taken that first sip, just really, really invigorates us.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We look at the color of it, and especially with a cortado, where it's often served in a clear glass.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You look at that color and just this anticipation, that sort of caramel, you know, cinnamony color just adds into our love of what we do.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if we think of another aspect where motorcyclists and coffee lovers come together, it's often about destination.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So coffee lovers often have their favorite independent coffee shop that they love to visit.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And they may sit there for hours on end, maybe have a laptop or an iPad out, and they're just working in there and just enjoying the environment of that coffee shop.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And they probably get to know a lot of the baristas and the locals that come in, and it becomes this community aspect of where we go.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And motorcyclists will also often have places that they like to ride their bikes to with some frequency.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And a lot of it has to do with the roads that they're going along.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They may find that those roads are just amazing roads, and they love them.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But also when we get to where we're going, we just enjoy that experience.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And whether it's a beautiful vista that we get to on the top of a mountain, and you've got this amazing view of the valley below you, or it's a destination like a coffee shop or a restaurant or something that you want to get to to enjoy, this is something that we also do.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And in many ways, for a motorcyclist, where there's a little bit of a distinction here, is motorcyclists, it's often not only about the destination, but the journey is what really brings us together into here.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And so if we think of all of these things, we've talked about passion, we've talked about the sort of response to sounds, this love of experience, that destination, these are all different things where motorcyclists and coffee lovers have come together in terms of having a lot of similarities.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is really the essence about the Throttle & Roast podcast, because we look at these two almost distinct groups of individuals, and we find that there's a lot more overlap than one might think at first glance.

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<v SPEAKER_1>An interesting thing that you will say about some of the destinations is there's some types of adventure bikes, for example, that it's almost a little bit of an in-joke that you'll often see them parked outside of a Starbucks.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And there is this aspect of we want to refill a bit on coffee to get that extra energy level up to get it for the next part of our ride.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So there is this overlap that's really remarkable.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you think about another subsegment of motorcyclists was cafe racers.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And while this wasn't only originally focused on coffee-based cafes, I think a lot of the current understanding of it is really about riding from one coffee shop to another.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And that's where cafe racers are really about ideal of go as quick as you can, grab another sip of coffee, get that energy back up, and then keep going.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this mix has also come together in terms of some manifestations of actual coffee shops themselves that are motorcycle-themed.

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<v SPEAKER_1>For example, we looked at going to one within the Tank of Coffee website called Moto Coffee Machine up in Hudson, New York.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is a coffee shop that also sells motorcycle gear.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And very, very much that theme is running throughout it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They've got a couple of bikes strewn throughout the entire shop.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There's helmets against the wall.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's really expressing that.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And what you'll find is a ton of motorcyclists will go there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They'll visit.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You'll see all these motorcycles parked out front.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But of course, not only motorcyclists.

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<v SPEAKER_1>People will go there because they love coffee.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But it is that sort of bringing together of these disparate worlds and finding that the blends are much more common.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And another one, when I used to live in New York City, I went to, I actually lived in Brooklyn, not far from it, was Jane Motorcycles.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is also a similar theme.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's a motorcycle gear shop that also has a little bit of a coffee shop within it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And these are just these wonderful, wonderful combinations, these sort of blending of motorcycle and coffee that just makes the experience even better.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you're someone who loves motorcycles and you also love coffee, bringing these two together is just hyping it up even further.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And this is why everyone loves it so much.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, even if you don't go to a coffee shop that is also motorcycle-themed, there's a number of places where you can even get just beans that are oriented around the motorcycle culture.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So a couple of good examples of those would be things like Cafe Moto.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Another one would be out here in the East Coast of the United States on Long Island is one called North Fork Moto.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And of course, you know, there's motorcycle-themed cafes all around the world, so you might find one that's right near you.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You know, I hope that I've been able to express a little bit of why motorcycles and coffee have just this wonderful, wonderful overlap and why there's some parallels between those two groups.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You know, it's something that I feel very excited about.

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<v SPEAKER_1>When I talk with a fellow motorcyclist, they're also very passionate about coffee, and it's something that is a really remarkable thing.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And so I hope that you've enjoyed listening to this episode, and thank you so much for listening.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you liked this first episode of the Throttle & Roast podcast, please leave a review in your favorite podcast app and subscribe so you can get the new episodes as soon as they're available.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And if you think that there's something I didn't cover about motorcyclists or coffee lovers, please text the show through the link in the show notes.