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21 posts tagged organic
Barista Nation Canada 2012
Source: Uploaded by user via Salt Spring on Pinterest
photo credits: Edophia
In the specialty coffee community, there is a growing movement of intimate events focused on learning and sharing what we love about coffee. While there are many of these events held regularly across North America, we are proud to be a part of Barista Nation.
Barista Nation is a full day of education sessions and workshops, speeches, and in-depth conversations. It’s a fun, information packed day where you’ll hone your barista skills and get some insights on how to be a better coffee house operator. Last September, we hosted the first Barista Nation Canada and are thrilled to again welcome the coffee community to our Viking Roasting Facility on June 22nd. This year’s event will also coincide with the first Canadian Caffeine Crawl.
Registration is now open for Barista Nation, so if you’re interested in joining us for this fantastic event, email email baristanation@gmail.com and secure your spot today!
Friday 10 a.m. Coffee Cuppings
Aroma. Body. Acidity. Flavour. They all come into play during a coffee cupping. Our expert team of selectors, roasters, and baristas gather for a full-sensory coffee experience each Friday at 10 a.m. at our Richmond Education Centre.
With new offering each week, you’ll compare and learn about coffees from all over the world. Afterward, take a tour of our roasting facility and sign up for our subscription service which delivers freshly roasted beans to your door every two weeks.
Check out these photos from a recent cupping where our Barista Trainer, Stamatis, used our Classic Peru and a V60 pour over to make iced coffee. Don’t forget, these sessions are open to the public - we’d love for you to join us!
Coffee Subscription Pick May 7 - 20: Moka Java
If you’ve ever wondered what the first blended coffee was, look no further. Taking its name from the city of Mocha in Yemen, this coffee blended Yemeni beans with Indonesian beans from the Java region. It quickly became known for its rich, Indonesian qualities while still maintaining the sweet, berry flavours of African beans.
For our blend, we follow the process of mixing African and Indonesian beans, but source ours from Ethiopia and Sumatra. These coffee beans are naturally processed, certified organic and Fair Trade. Though we use different regions than the original blend, our Moka Java still holds the best of both worlds in your cup.
Enjoy!
What’s In A Coffee Trip?
We have a special event lined up for Salt Spring Island this Saturday… our co-founders Mickey & Robbyn will be at our Ganges coffee house to celebrate our Sweet 16!
Part of our birthday events, Mickey & Robbyn will host an interactive presentation of their latest trip to Peru, as well as reminisce over Salt Spring Coffee memories from the past sixteen years. As many of you have read in Mickey’s recent post, this latest origin trip was an important one for Salt Spring Coffee’s Fair to Farmer Direct Trade program, and this presentation promises to be entertaining as well as educational. Joining Mickey and Robbyn are two special coffee guests from the Villa Rica and Pangoa co-op farms in Peru.
After the presentation, guests are invited to stick around for some sweet treats and deals on Salt Spring Coffee merchandise. It’s all part of making our birthday a truly Sweet 16!
Coffee Creation Series: Sourcing trips and how we collect seasonal coffee
Our origin trips not only uncover untapped seasonal coffee but they also allow us to nurture and develop personal relationships. Connecting with our friends at the different co-ops and farms helps us build the personal relationships which are the foundation for our Direct Trade model. Visiting our old friends and up-and-coming farms also provides us with opportunities to discover and share some of the finest coffee in the world.
On any given day during one of our trips, we can sample between 5 and 40 cups of coffee. To ensure we make quality discoveries, our team adheres to the cupping guidelines set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. As you can see in the photo, there’s a reason why Banks is our Director of Coffee. You’ve got to have a keen nose and a quick hand to capture all the tasting notes that come out of these sessions.
Coffee Creation Series: Coffee Processing
This is one of the most delicate steps in the coffee process. When it comes down to processing coffee cherries into coffee beans, every step affects the flavour and character of the finished product.
For our coffee, we buy beans that have been through either a washed or natural process. Washing the cherries helps to create beans that produce a more traditional cup of coffee, and the natural process brings out the sweet, fruity characteristics. For a more visual explanation, watch as Byron takes us through the process known as pulping.
The next time you visit one of our coffee houses, you could get a free cup just for being our friend. Show the cashier that you Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, or check-in on Foursquare and we’ll pour you a free 16 oz. drip coffee!
After all, what’s more social than getting together with friends for a coffee?
Coffee Creation Series: The harvest (aka the hard work)
It should come as no surprise that actually collecting the coffee beans for processing is the hardest part. Traditionally, harvesting was done by hand but more and more farms are turning to technology hoping to increase efficiency.
But in our experience, a mechanically harvested crop produces lower quality coffee bean. For our farmers, tradition wins over convenience and they continue to harvest by hand. On a recent trip to visit our friend Byron in Nicaragua, Banks and Kevin, our Director of Sales, were put to work.
If you’re curious how they fared in the fields, take look at Banks’ trip report, or take a look at their photos. Banks and Kevin did pretty well for beginners - but Byron might leave harvesting to the professionals.
