Coffee in the Maritimes

I've been out in eastern Canada here for over a week now, and while the focus of my trip has certainly not been coffee, it's hard to not make it a part of my explorations.

Sorry to say that it's in a very sad coffee place indeed.

There is little demand in the Maritimes for high quality "specialty" coffee like there is on the west coast or even in Calgary. I've mostly avoided having coffee anywhere in fact so as to not appear too snobbish or rude as I fear I can come across in these situations.

However, while the quality is still slowly growing up, there are some hidden gems that really seem to care and have passion to bring some of the coffee culture out here. I stopped in one little cafe in Moncton, NB, expecting pre-ground espresso in an enormous cup and was pleasantly surprised to get a decent cappuccino (granted probably closer to 10 oz so hardly a trad. size). The place was very cute, called "Laundromat" and definitely had more of a late night espresso and lounge feel to it than a morning cafe; I don't think they actually open until 10 either. The barista flushed the machine (an old Francis I believe? I'm not a machine buff like some of you out there), and ground the shot just before pulling it. A local roaster again from NB though I didn't get the name, but some really nice cocoa notes coming through, and minimal roastiness.

I avoided any sort of coffee on PEI but was excited to get to Halifax to visit my friends Zane and Alexis. Zane works at arguably the best cafe in the Maritimes, Steve-O-Reno's. He's the 49th rep. out here so I was treated to a nice press my first day; a Tanzania Micro-Lot Karmaro and a lovely little Piccolo latte (I miss my little P&S macc's, so small and sweet!). Some nice little baking as well. 

Zane is also in the process of opening his own little cafe over in Dartmouth with a local baker. He's getting in a Mirage and will be carrying 49th as well. It's looking like it will be a really great spot for the Halifax area!

Other places I was privileged to check out while here were: Just Us! Cafe - a local fair-trade, justice (get it? Just us... justice...) type of cafe, JavaBlend - a local roaster who has been roasting since 1938 with a super friendly, and passionate owner, and Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar - the only place this far east with a Clover.

I'm passing through Montreal next and I have to say that I am very excited to go out to Myriad and see what Anthony Bender's doing there. Very excited indeed!

xoxo elyse

I'll Get to Pt. 2 Later...

A really interesting short audio commentary on the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange and the impart it's going to have on some of gems we know and love that come out of there. They talk to Joseph Brodsky and others about what it could all mean. Definitely give it a listen as it's a good look at what's happening.

Listen here.

I have an embarrassing confession to make... Part 1 of 2

I was making a Sumatra Blue Batak Clover for a customer the other day and he asked me a really difficult question. And I felt like the biggest coffee loser when I didn't know the answer. The question: Where is Sumatra?

Oops. I stared at him blankly. 'Well, uh, you know it's, uh...' Stupid, stupid, stupid. It was like all those bad dreams you have of showing up to an exam that you didn't know about... and you're naked.

So, instead of crying myself to sleep that night, I resolved to learn as much as I could about the amazing region of Sumatra and subsequently, every coffee region that I love.

View of Danau Laut Tawar and Takengon, Aceh Tengah, originally uploaded by A_STA.

Here is part 1 of the results of my research:

Sumatra is located on a large island off the coast of Indonesia. It's a tropical island that is the largest exporter of coffee from Indonesia. Indonesia is the 4th largest exporter in the world exporting about 271 000 tons of coffee each year. However, we're only interested in about 25% of this which is of the arabica plant.

Traditionally, Sumatran coffee is known for being full-bodied, earthy with a balanced acidity. It can also have notes of tobacco and some floral, tropical flavours as well. 

I'm going to delve a bit further into the regions and the processing of Sumatra coffees in part two, so stick around! 

Feel free to post your questions and I'll try my best to find out the answers. I'm very excited to not be ignorant any longer to the coffees that I love and hope you'll enjoy these posts as I discover more about this.

–e

COE Cupping with Phil & Sebastian

COE Cupping with Phil & Sebastian, originally uploaded by e.l.y.s.e.

A table of five pretty amazing coffees. It was hard to pick favourites!

Mystery of Community in Coffee

Barista Jam_(Sep1108) -0018, originally uploaded by SlayerEspresso.

What is there to say about the coffee industry in Calgary and Alberta right now? In some ways, and perhaps this is just a result of being in school for 8 months, it feels like since last summer, the PRBC and Barista Jam, that the community has lost a bit of its connectivity. There are definitely connections being formed among the coffee geeks in Calgary but is it growing up more, or leaving people behind? How is community really created among those who love coffee?

There are days I come into Kawa and I often see this one guy in there at the same time I am. I think I've met him before, and I rememeber seeing him at the pre-competition barista jam last year. Obviously he has an interest in the community, in coffee. Where is he connection and why does he continue to frequent the best cafes in the city?

Is it possible that we have created a sort-of "exclusive" inner-circe that only those we approve can enter in to? I would hate for that to be the case. In my opinion coffee is hugely inclusive, allowing everyone to come in and enjoy it at different levels of expertise, building friendships and community along the way. I think that I can often exclude or look down on those people or baristas who I don't feel know as much as I do. This isn't fair and it isn't right at all.

These are just some of my thoughts because building community among anyone who wants to participate in the coffee quest is an important part of the experience. I didn't start drinking coffee because I was the most exciting thing I'd ever tasted. Sure, I think that now, but in the beginning I loved the community. Connecting with people. Isn't that in some ways what drinking coffee is all about? It's not worth just being a coffee snob in pursuit of a "god-shot" if there aren't some sort of relationships formed along the way. Community is coffee. But how does it work to bring together so many people from different viewpoints and create a tight-knit community? It is even possible?

Your thoughts and insights are very welcome!

Photo by Jason Prefontaine.

Just enjoying a morning coffee...

Yes, there has been a lack of posting. Mostly I feel that I couldn't have anything to say that would be new or interesting to the coffee community, and partly I have a had a lack of time to try to come up with something that would be. So, my only consolation - if there are people out there who might be interested in some of my real coffee musings - is that I will be done the semester in a few weeks at which time I am prepared to make a concerted effort at improving this blog. And also keeping it coffee and food focused instead of all across the board.

I thought I would try asking a question though, if anyone wanted to know my views or thoughts on any one subject in particular just post your own question here.

This weekend I will try my hand at making up my own ice cream recipe. Getting in some practice with flavour pairings in case I decided to try my hand at barista competitions.

Ariel & Adam

Ariel & Adam, originally uploaded by e.l.y.s.e.

Sweet! I just discovered that my photo was featured in Explore on Flickr! #187 but counted as interesting for people to see none the less.