For the first time in eight years, artisan roaster Peet’s Coffee is adding a new blend to its line-up of beans.
Uzuri African Blend, available starting March 3 at all Peet’s coffee houses and at Peets.com, will help generate greater income for 6,000 small farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Pronounced ”oo-Zur-ee,” the name of the new coffee means “excellent” and “beautiful” in Swahili. The name was chosen by East African farmers who are now producing the coffee to Peet’s exacting standards, and in the process, earning 30 percent more for their crop. That’s not insignificant, considering that coffee farmers typically live in extreme poverty, earning less than $2 a day, according to TechnoServe, an organization that empowers people in developing countries to build businesses to improve their lives, and which is collaborating with Peet’s to produce the coffee.
The new blend, which also will be available through March 31 on grocery stores nationwide, is smooth as can be with a subtle fruitiness to it. A 12-ounce bag sells for about $9.99.
Five lucky Food Gal readers will get a chance to try the coffee for free, too. Peet’s is generously allowing me to give away five 12-ounce bags of the Uzuri African Blend, one bag to each of five winners.
Contest details: Deadline to enter is the close of the day, March 6. Five winners will be announced March 8. The contest is open to only those in the continental United States.
To enter: Describe something that perks you up. The best five answers get the coffee.
Here’s my own answer to what perks me up: The smell of garlic sizzling in a hot pan. Just-washed laundry when it comes out of the dryer. Going for a long hike with a good friend on a perfect spring day — then pigging out on cake afterward. Fetching the mail, because I just never know what goodies are going to show up on any given day.
Now, it’s your turn…
And without further adieu, let me announce the grand prize winner of the Food Gal Global knife contest, in which I asked folks to describe something sharp and something dull. Faced with an unprecedented number of incredible entries (more than 70), I’ve decided to choose two runners-up, as well, who will each get a cookbook from my vast collection. Here are the winners:
Runner-up: Shelly, who wrote, “Sharp: Anthony Bourdain in an Armani suit and a wry grin, wielding a (Global) chef’s knife above a perfectly grilled medium-rare steak. The scent of a wedge of raw French cheese. The crunch of a jalapeno pepper ring. The warm sting of a good single-malt Scotch. Dull: Rachel Ray bubbling effusively about anything. Wonder bread. American cheese(TM). Sugary breakfast cereal. James Lipton’s predictable brown-nosing on “Inside the Actor’s Studio.†Themed chain restaurants. A half-empty bottle of Merlot, forgotten for a week on the kitchen counter. Biting into a slice of apple pie made with canned apples.
Runner-up: Nancie, who wrote, “Sharp: The wit of my cousin Greg, that guy can pop out a pun in an instant. Dull: Having to hear the gas prices of every little small town my dad passes through on his travels to my house… it’s a 400 mile journey, so you can just imagine. I just about go insane! Don’t get me started, when he goes on and on about the longer trips. I love him, but OMG!
Grand-prize winner: Melly, who wrote, “Sharp: My husband’s big toenail. I could shave my legs with it! Dull: My brain in the morning..before coffee.”
To collect your prize: Send me an email (you can use the link on the right-hand rail of the homepage) with “Contest Winner” written in the guide. Include your full name, address and phone number.