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Coffee and carbs are one of the great pairings in the world. But even if your bike has fuel injected as a rider, you're probably coffee ingested.
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Welcome to the Throttle and Roast podcast. I'm your host, Niels Meersschaert. In this episode, we'll talk about the connection of coffee culture with motorcycle culture. We'll discuss how coffee is often a part of many rides, and we'll explore how one of the motorcycle styles the Cafe Racer, got its name and even some great motorcycle themed coffee shops that exist today. Finally, we'll look at the craft of coffee making and how it parallels motorcycle tinkering. So grab a coffee, let's jump into this episode.
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Now, as we discussed in an episode on ride planning.
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Starting at a gas station or a place to get some coffee or some food is a great way to ensure that your riders are ready to go.
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And of course, a coffee shop is a great way to do that. Now, it doesn't have to be a artisanal coffee shop. It could be just a diner and you're just grabbing a coffee before you go. but oftentimes when we're getting ready to start a ride, having a cup of coffee before we get going is a great way to fill up.
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The other thing is that if you're riding along for a while and you want to take a break, this is another good time when we'll stop and we'll grab a cup of coffee. It's a great way to refill your tank, so to speak, and get that energy back in there and remember caffeine. It keeps your senses on edge. So this is why we tend to a lot of motorcyclists will go out and grab that bit of coffee just to rejuvenate themselves. And while you're drinking that coffee, if you're with a group of riders, this is where you can have some amazing camaraderie. You can share stories, you can give tips and receive some tips from your fellow riders. And it's about the building of friendships. So this is why I think that coffee has become a big part of motorcycle culture. And of course, if you really want to do, you can even seek out new coffee shops where that can be its own experience. And if you want, check out Tank of Coffee for the rides and reviews of coffee shops throughout the Northeast.
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United States. It's a great resource to be able to see what you can do if you're riding along and want to find the best coffee shops out there.
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now I want to switch into discussing cafe racers. Now, of course, this style of motorcycles is a pretty cool one in that it was really about trying to turn a standard motorcycle into something a little bit more sporting so they'll have clip on handlebars.
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Most commonly they'll reduce any bit of weight that they can take off of the bike just to make the bike as quick as possible. Now, why did this start? Well, this really got probably the big genesis of the Cafe Racer movement. Was at the Ace Cafe in London and where that cafe is located? Right at the junction of a whole bunch of different motorways is probably what made it such a great starting point, because from there you could launch off to any other place that you would want to go and as a result, this is why that was a natural beginning point. Cafes tend to be that way, and whether it's a cafe, like a European cafe, like Ace Cafe, or whether it is a cafe that is just local in your local town, some place that is close to major roads will be a good kick off point And if you think of a lot of European cafes, you wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of motorcycles and scooters parked out in front of them. Really common sort of just aspect of European culture and this stopping for coffee mindset is just a typical thing within Europe, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't happen in the United States as well. In fact, in the United States we have a few motorcycle themed coffee shops, and while motorcycles aren't quite as prevalently used for transportation as they are in Europe or Asia, we do still like to combine coffee with our bikes.
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Now I do want to highlight a few motorcycle themed coffee shops in the US. I'll start with the ones that I've personally visited. So when I lived in Brooklyn, I'd often go to Jane motorcycles as it was just a handful of blocks from my apartment, and it's both a motorcycle inspired clothing shop, but also an espresso shop.
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And they have some wonderful custom bikes throughout the shop.
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And I'll add the link to this in the show notes that you guys can go and visit it for yourself.
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But it's a great experience. And if you're deep in the heart of Brooklyn, certainly in Williamsburg, it's a great option. Now, a couple that we've highlighted on Tank of Coffee would include Churchill After hours in Eldred, New York. Now, this is quite a ways up from New York City. It's pretty far out there, right close to the Pennsylvania border. Along that Delaware River. And this place is really cool. It's an espresso space along with a motorcycle and classic car service shop.
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And they even offer picture cars for film and TV use. But they have an emphasis on classic Land Rovers. But when I've gone and visited it, they actually have a number of old motorcycles as well. So it's a wonderful, wonderful place to go and visit.
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I'll add the link for our review and ride on the Tank of Coffee website in the show notes. Now, probably my favorite motorcycle coffee shop is Moto Coffee Machine. Now, this is a popular destination for riders from as far away as Canada coming down for a fun day ride into New York.
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And it's located in the charming village of Hudson, New York, right on the Hudson River. And it's a perfect location because you have a ton of really great roads right nearby it. I'll link it in the show notes, but this is another wonderful place and an outstanding coffee as well.
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So if you have the opportunity, go and visit Moto Coffee Machine.
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But beyond the ones that I've personally visited, there's a number of other motorcycle themed coffee shops around the United States that are very well regarded. So I'm just going to highlight a few. This is not an extensive list, but just a few that are worthwhile to explore if they're you're in your neck of the woods. So to start a coffee company in Portland, Oregon, they have apparel, old bikes, coffee and even cold beer, which can make it an appealing destination for everybody. And if you're in California and near San Diego, take a look at Cafe Moto. This is a second generation family run business with a love of coffee and motorcycles that's been there since the 1960s. and if you happen to find yourself in Texas, go and check out flat Track Coffee in Austin, Texas. It's another moto themed cafe deep in the heart of Texas. And back here on the East Coast, if you're up in Massachusetts, check out Madhouse Motors in Boston, Massachusetts. This is owned by the motorcycle customizer J Shia and Madhouse Motors can work with you to build a truly custom bike and their cafe while it allows you to relax and read some books on motorcycles, when you're sitting there, you can actually look through the windows at the shop where you can see them working on all of these cool custom bikes. So amazing experience to go and visit if you have the chance in Boston.
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Now, of course, coffee is a craft and the people who make coffee like baristas really do hone that craft over time. And this in many ways is very similar to motorcyclists who like to wrench on their own bikes. They love to create and customize something brand new.
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So you'll see if you go into a custom coffee shop or any of the artisanal coffee shops, you'll usually find that they're going to have a specialty drink of the house. And this is really the baristas. They're creating something that is unique to that space. Now they're going to have all the standard fare of your various espresso based drinks.
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You'll have your drip coffees, but they're usually going to have something that is unique Now, coffee making, because of this, we have this culture of craftsmanship covering both methods and tools. if you think of it, there's things that you could do such as like pour over coffee or aeropress or espresso and more. And we actually have an article on Tank of Coffee that goes into how you could do this at home and really upping your home brewing. So I'll leave a link to that in the show notes.
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Of course, further beyond just the tools. Think about the beans and the roasts. These further allow for variation and nuance as you continue your exploration into coffees. And when you find that bean or that roast that really resonates with you, you're going to be in a perfect situation. I have a few different roasters that are around here that I do try to frequent some of the local roasters, and I have a few that I really just enjoy some of their various roasts. So find the ones that work really well for you and you'll see that this culture of this tinkering, of this refinement is so much like what we have in motorcycling, especially in the custom motorcycle world, Now, as we wrap up, we've covered how coffee is often a part of many motorcyclists rides, whether they get their ride started or somewhere in the middle. We've also talked about how the Cafe Racer got its start with the East Cafe in London. And we also talked about how some motorcycle themed cafes you might want to try out exist in the United States. Finally, we covered how the crafting of coffee parallels some motorcycle tinkering. So my question for you is what is your favorite part of coffee culture to pair with your motorcycle text the podcast through the link in the show notes or leave us a voicemail at throttle rose dot com slash voicemail. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you next week.
