10 Canadian Coffee Roasters to Try While Working From Home (WFH)
Even though work/life has been rather nebulous and trepidacious since COVID19, that doesn’t mean we don’t want need coffee. All of these Canadian roasters are still shipping fresh coffee during this nebulous time, and many have deals to make it more affordable!
Keep Calm, and Brew On.
*I’ve included the cafés from which I’ve bought these particular coffee beans in Toronto, however all of these roasters ship all over Canada! Unfortunately I cannot speak to where to purchase these in other Canadian cities - one day!
1. Monogram
Location: Calgary, AB
Café: 4814 16th Street S.W. / 420 2nd Street S.W. / 800 49th Ave S.W. (Calgary)
Toronto Purchasing Centre: Another Land Coffee
This award-winning coffee company sources, roasts, and serves their namesake beans at three cafés in Calgary. Their 20 years of experience is evident in the quality of their beans, that never disappoint.
Their beans are a staple in many Canadian cafés, and are always a delight to sip. They also ship all across Canada, which is perfect during this self-isolating time.
I adore Ruben Dario and La Llama, and their are other brews on my radar!
Photo courtesy of Monogram Coffee official Facebook page.
2. STEREO Coffee Roasters
Location: Toronto, ON
Café: 40 Cawthra Avenue
Toronto Purchasing Centre: STEREO Coffee Roasters, Field Trip Café
If you haven’t heard of Stereo Coffee Roaster yet, turn up the volume!
This Toronto roastery is operated by Geoff Polci, who brings with him over 15 years of experience in the coffee business (and that’s not counting his years before as a coffee aficionado).
As a roastery, Stereo prides itself on bringing out the best from each individual coffee they produce. This is evident in the final product. Each of the coffee beans that I have tried have their own unique taste profiles that, frankly, were far more complex and delightful than I was expecting.
Although I may not be as skilled a barista or coffee producer as Geoff (major, major understatement), the symphony of flavours I am able to produce from the cups I brew at home are undeniable.
If you’re unable to have a cup roasted at Stereo, absolutely buy some of their coffee beans for your home setup. These roasts prove that passion and expertise are truly the key ingredients in a good bag of beans. Highly recommended!
3. Good Grief Coffee Roasters
Location: Thornbury, ON
Café: 28 Bruce Street South (Thornbury)
I discovered this brilliantly designed café when I went to Blue Mountain a few weeks ago (not for skiing - the “Pizza” / “French Fry” lifestyle isn’t for me).
While the coffee shop’s interior and array of dessert impressed me, their coffee beans were nothing at which to scoff! Roasted in-house, the quality of the beans are just as good as the unique design of their packaging.
During this self-isolation period, Good Grief is offering free local deliveries and reasonably priced Canadian shipping to anyone who wishes to try their fabulous beans.
4. De Mello Palheta
Location: Toronto, ON
Café: 2489 Yonge Street (Toronto)
Toronto Purchasing De Mello Palheta
Even if you haven’t been to many Toronto cafés uptown, chances are you’ve still tried De Mello Palheta’s coffee beans.
As the suppliers for many cafés in the city, you can almost guarantee that any cup of coffee here will be well made. The coffee shop sells it’s own beans for those interested in roasting them at home.
During the coronavirus outbreak, De Mello Palheta is offering 20% off all online orders of their coffee beans with the code THANKYOU. Drinking good coffee at home just got easier.
Check out my other posts about De Mello Palheta for more information on this original café.
5. Lüna Coffee
Location: Vancouver, BC
Café: None
Toronto Purchasing Centre: Boxcar Social (on occasion)
Lüna Coffee is another west coast roaster that makes unique beans jam-packed with flavour.
This company constantly selects and roasts intriguing beans with complex flavour profiles. They also take great care into creating packaging that is a worthy addition to any kitchen shelf. I personally always enjoy displaying the punchy and vibrant bags!
You can sign up for their subscription service and get 2 bags a month of freshly brewed coffee! This is an offer available to residents in Canada or USA.
Photo courtesy of LÜNA Coffee official Facebook page.
6. Java Roasters
Location: Toronto (Leslieville), ON
Café: 262 Carlaw Avenue
Toronto Purchasing Centre: Thirty Six Knots, Java Roasters
Java Roasters is a coffee roastery owned and run by two girls who are, in their words, “obsessed with quality”.
Everything about their coffee seems to have been done with care, from the quality of the beans, to the amount of information available on each bag, and the outstanding design of their packages. On top of great tasting beans, these girls are also big on being eco-friendly and ethical. Information about the individual farms and the people from whom they source their beans is available on their website.
My particular favourites include Colombia Cosmic Goose, and Brazil Matão. If you’re all about supporting strong women in the coffee industry, do not overlook this powerhouse brand!
Photo courtesy of Java Roasters official Facebook page.
Photo courtesy of Java Roasters official Facebook page.
7. Rocanini Coffee Roasters
Location: Vancouver, BC
Café: 127 W 5th Avenue / 863 Beatty Street / 5631 West Boulevard / 3900 Moncton Street #115
Toronto Purchasing Centre: Another Land Coffee
The most recent coffee beans I’ve had the delight of trying have been from Rocanini Coffee Roasters.
This west coast roaster has some brightly-coloured packaging with beans sourced from unique places, such as Yemen and Jamaica.
The Canadian roaster is a passion project between an “enthusiastic young group” of people. Their name - a derivative of the Latin word for rock - represents that their brand is founded upon presence and strength.
What I would recommend trying are the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Wolde Hirbe Natural. They are fantastic and full-bodied natural-processed beans.
During this current social distancing, Rocanini is offering 15% off all online orders of beans and tea with the code STAYHOME at checkout. However, you can also receive free shipping in Canada if you spend over $40.00. Cool!
Photo courtesy of Rocanini Coffee Roasters Richmond official Facebook page.
8. The Library Specialty Coffee
Location: Toronto (Dundas), ON
Café: 281 Dundas Street West
Toronto Purchasing Centre: The Library Speciality Coffee
The Library Speciality Coffee began as a downtown café, that only got into roasting a few years into operating.
The café clearly took note as to what its customers liked, as its beans are always well made, and varied. On top of classic offerings, TLS often has seasonal blends and geishas. Rather than all the coffee having the same price per bag, each bag of beans is priced dependant on the beans used.
The beans I would suggest sipping are either Los Narajos - Honduras and The Konga - Ethiopia.
Their website has free Canadian shipping over orders of $75.00 or more.
Read more about The Library on my downtown coffee shop post!
9. 49th Parallel Roasters
Location: Vancouver, BC
Café: 2902 Main Street / 689 Thurlow Street / 2198 W 4th Avenue (Vancouver)
Toronto Purchasing Centre: Mercury Espresso Bar, Craque de Creme
Photo courtesy of 49th Parallel Roasters official website.
Since 2004, Vince and Michael Piccolo have been sourcing, roasting, and brewing speciality coffee.
As well as coffee beans that can be found in coffee shops from one coast of Canada to the other, these brothers now own 3 cafés in Vancouver. Coffee and doughnuts are their speciality, but their cafés also have very relaxed and cool interiors.
My favourite at-home brew is the Costa Rica Finca Sircof. Delicious!
49th Parallel offers free shipping for any order above $65.00 all across the US and Canada.
Photo courtesy of 49th Parallel Roasters official Facebook page.
10. Pilot Coffee Roasters
Location: Toronto, ON
Café: 117 Ossington Avenue
Toronto Purchasing Centre: Pilot Coffee Roasters, Te Aro, Thor Espresso Bar
What began as one Leslieville café - the well-known Te Aro - led to the creation of Pilot Coffee Roasters.
This Ossington café is one of the major players in Toronto’s downtown café scene, as it is a full roastery, brewery, and a provider of training for future baristas-to-be.
Pilot prides themselves on their “transparency in the process from farm to cup”. They are careful to only source ethical and Direct Trade coffee, so you can feel good about the cup from which you’re drinking.
There is free Canadian shipping for all orders over $50.00.
More adventurous palettes should try Las Palmas “El Cabildo’ - Colombia. For a more classic and straightforward blend, go with Academy.
To read more about Pilot, check out my best downtown coffee shops in Toronto post!
THANK YOU FOR READING, LOVELY! Happy self-isolating!
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