Thursday, November 29, 2007

Holiday Newsletter

Here is the text of our latest e-Newsletter. If you'd like to receive it, just go to www.javagogokc.com and sign up!

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Happy Holidays!!!
E-Newsletter #3
November 2007
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Greetings!

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already come and gone. But it has. We hope you had a great time. There was certainly a lot going on and a lot to enjoy this weekend--great food, lots of good family time, and some great football! Whatever you did, we hope you had a great time!

So now we're back, and we're ready for the Holiday season. We have several exciting things to tell you about in this Holiday edition of the newsletter, so let's get to it!

All our best!
Josh & Amy
Owners, JAVA GOGO

In this issue
1. Give the gift of JAVA GOGO!

2. Holiday Signature Drinks - Triple Play

3. Holiday Savings - Free Money!



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1. Give the gift of JAVA GOGO!
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Got coffee lovers on your holiday gift list? Well, then what could be better than giving them a JAVA GOGO gift this year? Here are just a few great gift ideas:

i) JAVA GOGO gift cards - Everyone loves getting a gift card from their favorite store, and ours are available in any denomination. So whether they like lattes, frappes, mochas, or just good old drip coffee, this is the perfect gift. Just ask your barista to set one up for you!

ii) JAVA GOGO coffee - The coffee lover in your life will love having JAVA GOGO brewing in their home. Our House Blend, La Bella Vita Espresso and other select single origin coffees will be available. Buy it in whole bean or ask us to grind it for you! Prices start at $8.95 per bag.

iii) JAVA GOGO merchandise - Our travel mugs have been extremely popular since we introduced them last month. And in December, we will roll out new JAVA GOGO caps and visors, just like the ones your barista wears! These make great gifts, and as usual, it's easy to pick one up right at the drivethru window. Travel mugs are $14.95 and hats and visors will be $19.95.

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2. Holiday Signature Drinks - Triple Play
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Usually we have one drink special, but for the holidays, would that be good enough? NO WAY! Now when you swing through the drivethru, you'll see that we're featuring three holiday-themed specials that will warm you up and put you in the spirit.

In the Egg Nog Latte, we use 2/3 real egg nog and 1/3 milk for a latte that will make you think you're already at your holiday party.

You'll imagine you're snuggled up in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve with our Caramel Apple Cider, steamed fresh for you with real apple cider and decadent caramel. What a treat!

And it'll feel like it's already time to open the presents when you sip our yummy Peppermint Mocha. With the Torani peppermint syrup, visions of candy canes will dance in your head....

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3. Holiday Savings - Free Money!
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The holidays are a season of giving. You give gifts, you give donations to charity, you give your time to friends and family. But what do you get in return? Well, at JAVA GOGO, we think you deserve to receive as well. So we're doing some giving.

Exclusively for you, our loyal newsletter readers, we want to give you a dollar every time you come by. So from now until December 8, just swing through the drivethru and make your purchase, and get a dollar back. It's that simple. There's no limit to the number of times you come through, so come early and often!

Here are the ground rules:
• Minimum $2.50 purchase
• One dollar per vehicle, per trip
• Must mention "Holiday Dollars" to receive

That's it! Happy Holidays! See you at the drivethru.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

El Salvador Finca Los Planes

Just started serving a new featured drip coffee this week. The Finca Los Planes from El Salvador is one of the better coffees I've tasted lately. It is a lighter roast with distinct fruit flavors in the finish and some hints of chocolate. I love it. So much so in fact that we're going to offer it for sale by the 12-ounce bag. And I'm personally planning on using it to stuff stockings when the holidays get closer.....

So next time you come through the drivethru, try a cup. And if you like it, pick some up to take home or to give as a gift. Java-licious........

Friday, November 09, 2007

New York Marathon

Ok, so this is definitely not coffee-related, but I thought I would blog on my experence in NYC this past weekend.

I had the privilege of running in my second New York marathon on Sunday (seventh marathon overall). And it was an amazing experience. First off, I am an unabashed New York lover. I lived there from 1994-97, and for me it's always fun to go back. But no matter how you feel about New York and New Yorkers, the city really understands how to pull off a world class event, and the marathon is no exception. Everything about this event was expertly orchestrated, from the Expo, to the shuttles to the start, to the starting "village", to the aid stations, to the water stops. Of the 38,000 runners, almost half were international, so they had everything organized in multiple languages even. Really impressive.

As for this particular day, it was a picture perfect day for a marathon. It was 52 and sunny at the start and about 58 and cloudy by the time of the finish. Not too hot, not too cold, just right! I took the Staten Island ferry to the start and saw Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty on my way there. Then my shuttle bus took me to the Start Village at Fort Wadsworth, where I met up with my buddy Greg. Greg and I crossed the start line about 6 minutes after the gun--not bad for 38,000 people. The crowd was pretty thick as our adrenaline pulled us up the Verazzano Bridge along with our thousands of new friends. Man, everyone was just buzzing as we crossed the bridge--the weather was perfect, the bridge itself is stunning, and the views were awesome. We came back down into Brooklyn and that's where the real fun began.

Thanks in part to the weather, the crowds were in full force. And these are crowds like I've never experienced anywhere else--it's not even close--they are along almost the entire course, and they are loud and rambunctious throughout. Sunday was Greg's birthday, and he was smart and had a shirt printed that said "Happy 48th Birthday Greg" (I, of course, was not so smart and didn't have my name printed anywhere, but oh well). From the get-go, the crowd was in love with Greg. He didn't just get a cheer here and there, it was non-stop! You would have thought these were his life-long friends or that he'd paid them to cheer him, but men, women and children all yelled out birthday wishes. And Greg just about wore himself out yelling back thank-you's. It was priceless! And of course it put a big spring in his step, so we were moving right along. It was just fantastic. Miles 3-13 are in Brooklyn, and you really see and feel the changes as you move from neighborhood to neighborhood, from predominantly Hispanic, to predom. Greek, to predom. African-American, to predom Hasidic Jewish. But all were vocal. After 2 quick miles in Queens, we crossed the Queensborough Bridge into Manhattan.

Greg and I got separated around mile 16, which is too bad because mile 16 is where you cross into Manhattan, and I really would have loved to hear the crowd's reaction to him on 1st Avenue. But anyway, they were rampant, and I was feeling good. Generally speaking when I'm feeling good I feed off the crowd, and when I'm feeling bad, they drive me nuts. That day, I felt great, so I they really gave me an awesome lift. About 8 miles later, I had crossed into the Bronx and back into Manhattan. Soon I was running along Central Park. Around mile 23 is a hill that gives the Broadway stretch of the Hospital Hill Half-Marathon in KC a run for its money, but I made it up that and into the park, where the crowd gets thicker and louder and rowdier. At Mile 24, I passed the 3:30 pacer and I didn't look back. I shattered my old PR and finished in 3:28:25. And for the first time ever I did a negative split--my second 1/2 marathon was 1 minute faster than my first!

An awesome day! YES!