mfogliet wrote:Social "Farmer's Organic" sounds like your thing.

Thanks, I'll add that to the list!

I'm currently finishing Detour's San Sebastien Columbia. Too juicy and fruity for me, but it does also have this earthy quality that I like. I don't recall tasting that combination before.

i've tried a lot of canadian coffees over the past few years.

though i am new to espresso, my go-to's for coffee were always pilot in the colder months and phil & Sebastian in the warmer months.

recently tried Rogue Wave here in Edmonton was very pleased. will be going back for sure.

anchored, bows and arrows, cherry hill, transcend, parallel 49, matchsticks,

Calgary
rosso,
analog,
Five21 are all decent.
Phil and seb takes the win for Calgary though.

Edmonton
not a fan of transcend, I don't find their beans are anything special considering the price point.
Rogue wave ive been very impressed, but they are a little on the pricier side.
the Colombian - havent had a chance to try them yet. recently heard they stopped date stamping their coffee so I'm not too excited to buy some to find out they are stale.
Iconoclast - their cold brew is on point, but not a huge fan of the espresso. its too bold for me. i prefer brighter roasts.

out east i've tried
pilot,
monogram,
Anchored (halifax).

Pilot has some great stuff. monogram is decent and anchored is approachable, but nothing special, admittedly its been a while since i've used them.

in the BC area
matchsticks - nice, balanced
parallel 49 - i'd say comparable to matchsticks
bows and arrows - depending on the roast, i've had some i've loved and some that were okay.
drumroasters coffee - not bad, but i havent tried enough of it to give it a fair review.
cherry hill - easy pass for me. got a bag as a gift. it was not bad, but there are better options.

TheGriz wrote:I'm not Canadian, but I am close enough to the border.

49th Parallel is a very good roaster and I have been enjoying it for a while now. Peru La Capilla is one of the better single origin light espresso roasts I have had the pleasure of drinking. It makes a mean pour over as well imo.

I tried Peru La Capilla, it's very nice. Very round, and slight tart acidity which gives it a nice juiciness.

I also recently went through a few bags of Monogram Las Faldas. Very nice marzipan and orange notes. Only caveat was that I found it very finicky, if the extraction is not perfect it can be quite sour.

i am quickly finding that i prefer my espresso with darker less acidic/juicy beans than i prefer with my pour overs.

have tried a couple bags of P49 through the espresso machine and really enjoying them. the old school espresso is quite nice, and just moved onto the blue sky espresso

Just picked this up these two Ethiopian roasts as I was getting palate fatigue of Brazilian beans after trying pulp natural, wet and peaberry and varying roasts.

vaszeit wrote:I am very surprised no one here is roasting own coffee. Like my single malt whiskey, I like my espresso single origin, with clear region specific characteristics. SO bean choices are pretty limited in TO and Canada in general, unfortunately, so I've been buying online from the US. Been roasting my own coffee for the past 10 years and can't imagine going back to buying roasted coffee. Love the flexibility, optimal freshness and the ability to roast beans exactly how I like them. Cost savings are significant too.

My favorites:
Yemen Mokha Matari (just ordered 10 lbs from Sweet Maria's)
Yemen Sharasi, Haraz, Ismaili (Sweet Maria's, Mitalena coffee and others)
Ethiopian Harrar (Mitalena coffee)
Thailand Doi Pangkhon (Mr. Green Beans)
Mexican Turquesa (CCM Coffee)
Papua New Guinea (CCM Coffee)

Curious where you're located and how long an order from Sweet Maria's takes to arrive (also....any duty)? I'm thinking of taking the plunge into the world of home roasting and they seem to have a fantastic selection and reasonable prices.

No duty on green coffee. Sweet Marias orders usually take 1 to 2 weeks to arrive. The shipping is expensive but they're still probably the best option for home roasters in Canada. There are a few Canadian green suppliers but their prices tend to be higher and they have less selection. Sweet Maria's is great to deal with.

Another option I've been using lately is that I found a small local roaster who sells me green beans. They bring in good beans and they end up cheaper since I don't have to pay shipping.

+1

49th Parallel Forever

Decided to try some new and location appropriate coffee while up north.
Surprisingly good coffee from moose country. Espresso blend was their second lightest roast consisting of Peru and Brazilian beans but tasted more medium with nice balance of body and acidity.