To make the drink we all know and love, ripe coffee beans are harvested, dried and roasted to varying degrees, which affects the flavour and intensity of the taste.
Coffee is the most popular drink in Canada, even more so than tap water. There are more than 5,000 independent coffee shop owners across our country and local coffee roasters buy beans from over 30 countries worldwide!
To make the drink we all know and love ripe beans are harvested, dried and roasted to varying degrees which affects the flavor and intensity of the taste.
Raw, green coffee beans have virtually no taste; it is the roasting process that brings out the aromatic complexity of your favourite brew. The flavour of your favourite cup greatly depends on the type of roast, which ranges from light through to medium, medium/dark and dark. Generally, the more roasted a bean is, the less flavour it has from the bean and the more it takes on from the roasting process. The deeper the roast, the less caffeinated and acidic the bean becomes.
Use good quality coffee. This is true for all brewing methods and although the drip method brings out less complexity than an Aeropress or a moka, it’s still worth using decent raw materials to ensure a better-tasting cup.
Keep your machine clean. Make sure to clean your coffee machine once or twice a month since any build-up of grinds or traces of calcium will give your coffee a bitter taste. Use a mixture of vinegar and water and then run it through a few times once your machine is cleaned up.
Grind the beans yourself. With filter coffee, the best thing you can do is to buy whole beans (choosing the roast of your preference) and grind them right before you put them in the machine to get the freshest and fullest flavour profile.
Don’t let it sit on the heat. Don’t let your coffee jug sit on a heat plate after it’s brewed as this ruins the flavour. Ideally, pour it as soon as it’s ready and then turn off the heat, stat.
Rinse disposable filters before use. This is a great pro tip for your drip coffee as rinsing the filters in cold water primes them for brewing and also gets rid of any dust in the filter.
Of course, there are various ways to prepare a cup of coffee and everyone has their pick.
Many local coffee purveyors now have their coffees available at Calgary Co-op. Often these Calgary companies purchase high quality beans from exotic locales, then bring it home to Calgary or elsewhere in Alberta to roast and refine it.
Calgary’s 521 Coffee is all about delivering fresh coffee beans, roasted to perfection. Coffee is an important ritual to day to day life, so make it count and drink the best brew.
Big Mountain CoffeeCanadian Espresso lives at Big Mountain Coffee Roasters: Hand roasted in small batches in Calgary, Big Mountain offers a full line of small batch coffees guaranteed to wake up your day.
Cal & Gary’s Coffee
For the freshest coffee in Calgary, look for Cal & Gary’s unique roasts, made with the finest beans.
Calgary Heritage Roasting Company
This Calgary-based coffee company found its inspiration over a percolated cup of coffee on a backpacking trip one morning in the rolling hills of Alberta. Their methods and values were forged from their experiences as wildland firefighters. The company is founded on the love of fresh and bold coffee and the urge to explore.
Cappuccino King
Vince Izzo created Cappuccino King's signature blends over 40 years ago—the beans are still roasted in Calgary. Whether it’s a pound for home, or coffee for the office, the quality, taste & price are unmatched.
Fratello CoffeeFratello Coffee Roasters works directly with farmers in the world’s best coffee growing regions to produce a product that is not only delicious, but also ethically sourced.
Call it coffee with a cause: A portion of every bag sold goes to helping people into recovery & finding them a place to sleep at night. Roasted right here in southeast Calgary.
One CoffeeFrom their organic beans, to their fair trade practices, to the way they design their 100% compostable pods, OneCoffee works hard to make the most flavourful, planet-friendly, single-serve coffee.
Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters
Serving some of the best coffee in Calgary, Phil & Sebastian offers delicious coffees and espressos — and it's the very same coffee that's sold and brewed in their iconic local Calgary coffee shops.
Rosso Coffee RoastersRosso roasts all its coffee to order, to ensure your coffee is always fresh. It all began when the dream of opening a quality driven, community-oriented café came true with Rosso opening its doors in Ramsay, and Calgary’s newest hidden gem was born.
Salt Spring CoffeeSalt Spring Coffee is the top Canadian certified organic and fair trade coffee roaster, located in Vancouver, BC. High quality beans, roasted to perfection.
From our family to yours, the Vintage Caffeine Company believes in bringing local communities together through friendship, art, culture, family—and coffee.
