Coffee Talk

Here some thoughts if anyone is reading this. A lot has happened since my last post, my little company has grown slowly but surely. I like being on a first name basis with all my clients, most of which are local. I am struggling with the amount of coffee I want to keep on hand so that it turns over a fresh as possible. To that end I have kept the selection on the lean side. I have to please the FT/Organic crowd and the people whom want the convential coffees, this has also crampled the selection on both sides. As my customer base increases this problem will disappear.

 

On the economic front we are now in a turmoil globally but their are signs of a bottoming out. The CAD dollar is showing signs of a recovery. This will enable me to head south of the border for some bags of coffees I cannot get up here.

 

I also selling Saeco equipment but I ran face first into the aforementioned crash in the economy. But I will persist and get my little showroom built, for those in the Saint-Lazare/Husdon area of Quebec contact me for a personal consulation.

 

Here's to spring arriving and a promise of more frequent and meatier posts. I will be at the Ste Anne Market again this year and will appear at the Boox N beans (Ste Anne) 1 year anniversary for coffee demos and some live roasting.

 

Thought it timely to add a short list of must do cafes in Montreal.

 

 

Cafe Myriade (Mackay - across from Concordia)

Cafe In Gamba - Park Ave

Cafe Art Java - Mont Royal

Cafe Veritas (old city) - I haven't actually been there yet but I have heard good things.

 

There are lots more but I believe to be the leading cafes right now. All these cafes have opened in recent weeks or at most the last year or two.

Well this past Saturday I took a small second step in Evergreens history, I sold freshly roasted coffee at a local market which 'unoffically' calls itself an organic market. I did ok for a first day but would have doubled my sales had I had organic/fairly traded coffee on hand. Well the application is on its way to the transfair organization. I witnessed first hand the power of this movement. Kudos to transfair. Until next week

 

Everyone has their favourite old wives tale about storing coffee. Freeze it, seal it in baggies, containers or a variation of all of the above. As you have learned from reading here coffee begins loosing its freshness 7-10 days after roasting. My advice is kind of a trick question as well as practical information. In the not so distant past coffee was roasted in each supermarket. Like so many old ways of doing things they had it right. You bought only what you needed for a week or two. That's the best advice I have. If you can buy from a roaster every few weeks only what you need, go for it. Regardless, only grind the coffee when you are ready to brew, ground coffee looses its freshness minutes after grinding. Store the whole bean coffee in a tightly sealed container. I find putting the container in a freezer or fridge changes nothing. So simply put buy fresh roasted coffee every week or two, store it a sealed container, and grind only when you are ready to brew it. Enjoy your fresh coffee!!!.

 

Next time - Roast Styles.

 

 

In these days of mass production I am waiting for the day when coffee (you know the brands) will be roasted, packaged and shipped from far off lands like China or India. Maybe they already are I could not say and I'll never drink them and neither should you. When I roast coffee that I know will not be used right away I package the coffee using foil bags with one way valves, heat sealed. The valve allows Co2 gas to release from the sealed bag. It's is a one way valve which means gas can leave but no Oxygen can get in. Oxygen will quickly make the coffee stale, in fact coffee left outside of a sealed bag will begin going stale in about 7-10 days. Co2 is the result of the coffee roast process and if there was no valve then the bag would actually blow open. The valve adds to the cost of packaging but its worth it. When I first got into coffee a roaster showed me a competitors bags where they actually made a pin hole in to release the Co2 gas. So to save some monies they sold a stale product at top dollar to a major retailer in Canada. So look for the bags with the valves this is a good sign.

 

 

Well it took long enough but Evergreen Coffee Company is now operating from Deep Roaster headquarters. I am thrilled to offer you fresh roasted coffee. Its a well known fact that the best pre-roasted coffee (what makes it the best???, the price????) is less satisfying then any quality fresh roasted coffee. Do not be fooled by the fancy bags and labels. Do not buy coffee unless it has got a roast date on it. Best by day does not count. When you find some coffee with roast dates let me know at Sales or better yet buy Evergreen Coffee and save yourself the pain.