Here's a list of what the Five'21 Coffee Roasters staff like to give and receive at Christmas.
Some great ideas for the coffee drinker in your life from local Calgary businesses!
]]>On Thursday November 5, 2020, while many of us were comfortable at home working and catching up on our daily dose of Covid-19 news while following along the US Presidential Election, countries in Central America were ravaged by Tropical Storm Eta.
Eta ripped through Guatemala and Honduras leaving hundreds if not thousands of people dead, those numbers may never get fully tallied. The storm brought heavy rain causing major mudslides, sweeping away mountains, people, homes, and livelihoods. An estimated 250,000 people are displaced from their homes, not even with land left to rebuild on, mountain-sides simply vanished.
We don’t hear much of this in our daily news, not until it’s approaching the US. Out of sight is out of mind, or ignorance is bliss...being intentional with our lives we don’t believe this is the case.
We want and need to help.
Our industry feeds its’ profit off the same people affected in these storms, most times these countries are already considered third world and struggle to make ends meet. They work off their land to grow the best cherries, all to delivery an incredible cup of coffee to start our day.
We’ve carried the superb, organic coffee beans from Guatemala for some time, a best seller for much of that time. We brought in Honduras organic, fair trade coffee beans this summer, it has proven to be an incredibly flavourful cup of coffee and adds that unique fruitiness you taste in some of our blends.
Our mission is to not only help you live a life of intention but to truly live these values within ourselves. We want to ensure those farmers and their families are well taken care of, and are treated the same way we would treat our neighbours or those struggling here in Canada. That is why we’re giving back, to both Guatemala and Honduras to help every little bit that we can during these trying times.
For the next month we will be raising funds and giving our own funds back to those who have been affected in 2 ways. We will ensure the funds are going to NGOs on the ground, the ones who are doing the grunt work to rebuild or recollect livelihoods.
Help us raise some funds to make a difference in the lives of these well-deserving people. We know we think about them as we enjoy their coffee to start our day, it’s the least we can do to help.
*As we post this these countries are on the brink of another Tropical Storm Iota (November 14, 2020)
Thank you and much love!
The Five’21 Roasters Family
]]>You won't see oily beans in our bags of dark roast coffee beans - only the freshest coffee you can get!
A single origin dark roast is perfect to identify and lock down what you enjoy.
Do you prefer a more earthy, chocolate tasting dark roast? We carry Peru Dark Roast
Do you prefer something that's got a bit of a fruit note? Rwanda Dark roast is the one for you.
We also offer our dark roast in a smooth, nicely bodied dark roast .Decaf Dark Roast
We've added tasting notes to the photos below! Simply click to order or you can pick them up at Bite Groceteria Inglewood or Blush Lane Organic Market!
]]>
Organic, fair trade beans that are curated and selected without middlemen.
Five'21 Roasters follows a model for choosing our suppliers that focuses on environmentally, socially and economically progressive practices.
]]>We can confidently say that we vet our bean sources and follow a model of selecting not only the best quality beans, but also the most environmentally, socially and economically progressive suppliers. We use organic beans that are often fair trade and rainforest alliance certified, and we source with only one person between us and the producer. Let's redefine coffee.
Once the beans are roasted and we decide on the blend, we cup (taste) the coffee with a barista and prepare it in several ways (each way of preparing coffee brings out particular notes.)
This is the quality we'd expect of a small artisanal roaster, and it is the quality we hold ourselves to at Five'21 Roasters.
Light roasted coffee beans are fragrant, with notes of vanilla, bergamot and citrus. They are beautiful prepared in a Chemex. We think you'll find the best coffee beans in Calgary with our curated light roast.
For those who prefer a nice body, a rich morning coffee you'll enjoy the Blue Bird Medium roast. Notes of butterscotch make this a spectacular coffee with cream or milk. Perfect for lattes or cappucinos.
For a dark roast, we bring you the rich, earthy cocoa note laden last mile, designed for a full body dive into the world of dark roasts. We do not roast them to an oily stage. We take it right to the edge, where we are able to preserve the fine tastes of premium beans.
]]>
We chose the Finca Churapampa farm and Tocto family to supply our beans. Please take a moment to view this video from @Rawpowercollective featuring the Tocto brothers, and get a feel for what you are supporting :)
Finca Churupampa farm is in Chirinos, Cajamarca, in the North Western part of Peru. It’s a family run organization that started in 2011 and the Tocto brothers have worked hard to transform Finca Churupampa into a sustainable operation since they took over from their parents.
Finca Churupampa has grown to include 162 producing members since its founding.
The farm is certified organic, and every batch is cupped to check for quality.
Cupping coffee at origin - Finca Churapampa
In addition to coffee, the Tocto brothers grow vegetables, fruits, and raise chickens for the local community to support economic diversification and avoid coffee dependence, which has historically resulted in slash-and-burn practices in the Amazonian rainforests.
The Tocto brothers also run a soil management program and use a wide selection of organic material to compost. The farm also features a fresh-water pool and soccer facility for local youth. Finca Churupampa is not only a coffee and vegetable farm. It is also a training and marketing facility for neighboring farms and members of the community.
The goal is to improve production practices not only on their own farm, but in the entire region and invest in quality and sustainability.
This Peruvian bean is roasted in small batches in our roastery in Calgary as a dark roast best suited for espresso. Expect nutty flavours, a balanced cup, and a great start to your day when drinking a cup of coffee from the Finca Churupampa.
You heard that right, we are running ATB Boostr Crowdfunding Campaign for Five'21 Roasters!
Our goal is $10,000 which will directly fund some very specific goals which we've got well under way.
-But First-
We're not interested in talking about how COVID-19 has created obstacles for us - In fact, we're interested in how it has created opportunities and tightened our community - that includes both customers and fellow entrepreneurs and YYC Brands.
-So with that-
We refocused the Five'21 Roasters mission for 2020.
With each pledge you are able to choose your reward which is obv, FRESHLY ROASTED COFFEE (but we have some pretty cool "experiences" on offer for our crowdfunders, too!)
Your support of our ATB Boostr Crowdfunding Campaign for Five'21 Coffee Roasters Calgary will directly funds 5 goals.
1.) Run a best-in-class online business model that is beautifully integrated with social media, with responsive customer service. We've been working hard to offer free coffee delivery in YYC on the daily, contact-free.
2.) Fuel intentional lives through social media content. We promote optimism, ingenuity and taking advantage of this time to slow down, remove distraction and really think about what we want from our lives. There's NO better time to do this than now. We walk our talk. We'd like to revive the podcast, produce moooooar content and get some amazing guest instagram takeovers who really live intentional lives. We're not just here for coffee. We're here because we want you to live a damn good life.
3.) Be part of the coffee production evolution. Build relationships right at source and travel there (thanks to Instagram, we'll be able to take you - our customers - with us to meet your farmers of YOUR coffee.)
We want to be part of the change in coffee sourcing where the roasters are able to connect directly with the producers, source responsibly, cut middle men, and those icky suboptimal supply chain practices (some of them are pretty shady and remnants of an old system that is no longer necessary in this connected world.) We really mean it when we say our goal is to choose for yourselves and ourselves our coffee farmers. Those who are using socially and environmentally progressive approaches.
4.) Design and prepare all of our packaging and labeling for retail. We'll be ready to get Five'21 Roasters Coffee out to YYC shelves with this support and this is an important funding infusion we need.
5.). Expand collaboration with YYC brands. Let's make sure Calgary's small business ecosystem thrives - we've been busy setting up shared deliveries & joint offerings. You may have seen our work supporting Fahr Brewery, BFF Cookies, Buttermilk Fine Waffles and more. We do a lot behind the scenes to make sure our small businesses come out of the other side excited.
ARE YOU READY TO JOIN US?
BOOST FIVE'21 ROASTERS HERE - AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
]]>Here at the Five'21 Coffee Roasterie we had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Mr. David Gaudet of Undoing.Ca and the Background Noise Podcast.
We had the chance to talk all things entrepreneurship and coffee roasting in Calgary! In our wide-ranging conversation we cover the Five'21 Roasters Mission, founding the company, what it actually means to live with intention, the opportunities and challenges in entrepreneurship, balancing things with a career and young family - and scaling amidst Covid-19.
This is the first time we've actually sat down to be interviewed and there's been so much happening this year that in all honesty, it was nice to sit down for more than 15 minutes and reflect on how far things have come.
We'd love to share our vision and mission with you, and please consider rating Background Noise on I-Tunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts - This podcast has real conversations, in real time, in real entrepreneur locations around Calgary. Smart questions (hopefully smart answers - we came off a 24 hour shift.)
Check out previous episodes - you're recognize some real Calgary luminaries in there. Lots of wisdom to share.
Enjoy. Click on the image to listen.
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/cafe-diem/id1496864692?i=1000473016744
#entrepreneurship #coffee #coffeeroasters #five21roasters #calgarybusiness #yyc #leadershiptraits #intentionalliving #coffeelovers #startupsvscovid19 #covid19canada
]]>Mountain Rhino Donuts and Five'21 Roasters are offering you a special coffee and donut deal!
]]>Mountain Rhino have been featured in Avenue Calgary Magazine's Top Eats and Where to Get Donuts in Calgary and as a family who tries to minimize gluten, we love their products.
We are offering a limited time special of Mountain Rhino Gluten-Free Donuts and Five'21 Roasters coffee, with free delivery in Calgary. This combo of freshly roasted Five'21 Coffee (Your choice of a 3/4 Lb Bag) + Assorted 6 pack of Mountain Rhino's gluten-free donuts highlights the best of products, oh and it ensures that morning doesn't rhyme with boring.
You will be able to choose your Five'21 Roasters bag of coffee right here & we will deliver everything contact-free to your door within 24 hours of your order.
If you haven't heard of Mountain Rhino let us describe the donuts you'll receive
The sticky, gooey toffee pudding gluten-free donut.
The Chocolate glaze donut with topped with hand crafted salted caramel pieces.
The double chocolate donut with Callebaut chocolate glaze.
The perennial children's favourite donut. Chocolate with sprinkles.
If you'd like to treat yourself, simply click here for free coffee and donut delivery in Calgary - remember, there's only a limited few available.
]]>
I just wanted to jump on the blog and let you know that while we are dealing with Coronavirus in Calgary and the Covid-19 Lockdown, Five'21 Roasters will be providing CONTACT-FREE coffee delivery in Calgary, on all specialty coffee deliveries in YYC. If you order a minimum of $30, there is no charge.
Our delivery is contact-free. Straight from our roaster to your doorstep.
The coffee beans have not had any human contact.
We are currently roasting and delivering daily, so you will receive your order within 24 hours of placing it in our online store.
There are many Calgary businesses delivering during the Coronavirus lockdown, and we'd love it if you could #sharetheloveyyc and support them on Social Media.
If you need food, drinks or supplies, simply pause a moment and ask yourself, "can I support a local business that delivers this for free to my house?" For example, instead of asking if you can have Starbucks Coffee Delivery, why not choose of of the many incredible local roasters? Instead of asking if you can order fast food from uber eats, why not protect uber drivers and opt for local cafes or restaurants who are offering curbside pickup :)
By doing this you are
1.) Making a MASSIVE contribution now and to the future of local business - this is a beautiful chance to see a massive renaissance of buying local and ensuring the continued success of so many Calgary entrepreneurs.
2.)Protecting front-line workers including those who still have to work in Grocery stores, by minimizing time outside and human contact.
3.) And most importantly of all, protecting yourself.
Sending you all our best wishes for a safe & fulfilling time of reconnecting with family and nature. We'll all get through this and come out better for it. In fact, we're excited to see all of the incredible innovation happening - on social, medical and business fronts.
]]>
Stuck on ideas for your caffeinated loved ones?
Why not take a look at our fun list of Christmas gift ideas!
]]>In this Calgary Christmas Gift Ideas for Coffee Drinkers you'll find a few things we've picked out. We've also added some uniquely Calgary gift ideas.
Enjoy! We've linked directly where we can. We do derive a small (and we mean small) commission from Amazon should you choose to purchase from there via one of our links.
1.) A gift card from Eight Ounce Coffee Supply In Calgary - a wonderland of fun stuff for the Coffee enthusiast, amateur barista right up to the professional barista.
Click here to grab a gift card from Eight Ounce Coffee.
2.) The Aeropress - Still one of our favourite ways to make coffee and the perfect gift for international travellers (we've taken ours around the world & on many camping trips.)
3.). Black Rifle Coffee Company T-Shirts these are available locally from Crown Surplus Outdoor & Tactical in Calgary. It's a great store to explore and they have some pretty cool stuff from WWI and WWII.
Click here to purchase from the Crown Outdoor & Tactical Online Store.
4.). Covert Coffee Insert - Totally random but also totally fascinating. In the odd event you need to transport a USB with highly sensitive nuclear warhead information... well...there's a concealment device for that (?)
Also available from Crown Outdoor & Tactical
5.) The Espropress P1 travel French press. We absolutely love this high quality Canadian to-go coffee mug which is also a French press. It is incredibly durable and has a double seal. You can literally toss it in a backpack upside down and not worry about it. We've bought in matte black, white and silver. Available on our online store (Calgary only) - free delivery in YYC Mondays. Espro P1 Travel French Press from Five'21 Roasters
6.). Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil. If you are curious about Keto or Intermittent Fasting, this + collagen are excellent to incorporate into your plan. A bulletproof coffee in the morning will get you through to early afternoon no problem, and the oil increases Ketones. If you are curious about bulletproof coffees, read our blog here: Explain To Me: Bulletproof Coffee. Otherwise, best price for Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil is on Amazon (that's where we order ours.)
7.) There are loads of cool antique coffee grinders on Etsy available for a variety of prices. Though we'd probably recommend going with an up to date grinder, these are pretty cool decor items... or maybe a good arm workout you're really up to it? See results for Antique Coffee Grinders on Etsy.
8.) If you make any sort of pour over coffee, the goose neck kettle is amazing and most coffee lovers want this, if they do not yet have one. It's great for tea with programmable temperatures and a "hold" setting.
See results for goose neck kettles on Amazon
9.) An airtight coffee storage container with one way valve. The valve, much like the valve you see on coffee bags, allows for off-gassing of the beans and preserves maximum taste. This container on Amazon consistently gets high reviews.
Litthing Coffee Storage Container with Valve
10.) This Birch Mug from Kiln Kandy in Sudbury, Ontario - a great Etsy.Com find! Rustic Birch Coffee Mug
11.) Our Five'21 Roasters Coffee Christmas Gift Box - filled with three of your favourite bags of coffee. Choose from the best of the African or South American Contents - or choose based on Dark, Medium or Light Roasts. Free delivery in YYC on Mondays (only available in Calgary.)
Shop the Christmas Boxes in our Online store (YYC ONLY)
12.) Build-on-Brick Coffee Mug by Kyonne. For those of you who more often than not wind up drinking your coffee at 6:30am while simultaneously building lego. with your 4 year old. Not that we've been there or anything..
13.). The Coffee Sock Home-Made Cold Brew Kit
This home-made cold brew kit comes with a re-usable coffee filter. It's a fun and expensive way to dabble in the world of cold brew (which trust us, is a fun world indeed.).
14.) Book: High Performance Habits by Brendan Burchard
.
]]>
Inside each magnetic black box will be 3 exclusive beans that we have recently sourced and bought into the city, that showcase some incredible flavours from around the world that you may not have tried: Burundi, Nicaragua and of course the famous Ethiopia which is world-famous for its fragrant taste.
You can now order these on our online store. We deliver free on Mondays in YYC, making your christmas shopping even easier!
Simply click on the image below to be taken to checkout.
]]>
We are excited to announce that Five'21 Roasters Calgary will be a vendor at the 2019 Spruce Meadows International Christmas Market! After several successful market residencies this summer, we are honoured to be among those chosen for this spectacular christmas event. On the blog today we wanted to share some of our favourite things to do at the Spruce Meadows Christmas Market :)
(Btw, stay tuned for more Five'21 Roasters Calgary christmas market announcements!)
The 2019 Spruce Meadows International Christmas Market runs THREE weekends in November:
Friday November 15th - Sunday November 17th
Friday November 22nd - Sunday November 24th
Friday November 29th - Sunday December 1st
Tip: Buy Tickets for the Spruce Meadows International Christmas Market Online!
The Spruce Meadows Christmas market is $12 at the gate, but you can save money by pre-purchasing your tickets for $10 online - which also saves you major time if you download these tickets to Apple Wallet. It's a huge market with A LOT of vendors & attendees, live music and entertainment.
Aside from Christmas shopping, the market is a spectaular event for the whole family - we've been going since our kids were born.
Things to do at the Spruce Meadows International Christmas Market:
-Visit the reindeer
-Grab a hot wine (a European tradition) and enjoy the fire pits outside
-Enjoy the live music performances inside the market
-Walk around the christmas light display at night time, followed by hot chocolate & bratwurst in a bun in the courtyard.
-Weather pending, skate on the pond at night time (surrounded by christmas lights!)
-If it is extremely cold, do not worry, you can drive around the christmas light display - we have done this in past years, with hot chocolates and snacks in the car (and carols on the radio of course!)
We can't emphasize it enough. The christmas lights at Spruce Meadows are worth a drive down for.
Give coffee for christmas! The Five'21 Roasters christmas gift boxes
We know that many of you will be on the lookout for stocking stuffers and gifts...this year we will have special coffee christmas packages.
Choose any 3 bags of Five'21 Roasters coffee and we'll package them in a specially designed black Five'21 Roasters gift box. Distribute to family and friends for an awesome christmas gift or stocking stuffer :-) Trust us, you'll love the design.
We will also make sure you, the hard-working christmas shopper are rewarded with a significant discount on a 4th bag of coffee (for yourself of course.)
Stay tuned on the Five'21 Roasters blog. We LOVE christmas and christmas gift ideas and will be sharing lots of them as the season approaches, both here and on Instagram
]]>Our beans are single source, ethically produced and most are organic, fair trade and rainforest alliance.
Here at Five'21 Roasters we fell in love with roasting coffee in Calgary, when we started out with green coffee beans, a whirly-pop popcorn maker on our stovetop and a whole lot of Youtube Videos.
Everybody starts their coffee roasting journey in the same place and it's a fun learning curve - we absolutely love supporting fellow coffee fans! We found the Calgary coffee roasting community to be amazing - it's a great group to be part of.
Send us a DM and we'll get you set up!
]]>
These beans come from a 33 Hectare farm named Cerro Lancandon Chochajau. , in Guatemala’s highlands, near lake Atitlan.
Lake Atitlan, the deepest lake in central America, resides in the Sierra Madre mountain range. Atitlan has three volcanoes on its southern flank. The lake basin itself was formed by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. The volcanic origins give the land an agricultural advantage and lend to the unique flavours found in the coffee grown there.
The lake is a cultural hotspot, with 12 different Indigenous villages surrounding it and 22 distinctly different languages being spoken in the area. Traditions are kept alive in this region, with not only different languages being spoken, but traditional clothing being worn, and deep roots in the great Mayan civilization. These Guatemalan coffee beans are meticulously sorted to remove damaged and sub-standard beans, which really allows the cup to shine.
In fact, these beans have won silver at the Golden Bean coffee roasters competition two years in a row.
Want to get your hands on a bag of Guatemalan coffee? We are offering these beans as a medium roast, and we offer free delivery in Calgary, direct from our roastery, right to your doorstep. Or, if you are someone who dabbles in roasting at home, buy green coffee beans from us and try roasting this lovely South American bean!
]]>
]]>
Zambian Specialty Coffee in Calgary is now available from Five'21 Roasters. The Zambian coffee is a fantastic foray into specialty coffees and more complex tastes if you are ready to give your palate an adventure.
What is Zambian coffee like? It has bright floral and fruity flavours! Our particular roast showcases a number of tropical flavours including blueberry, guava and mango. These are not copied from a coffee website, these are the actual flavours that we - the average coffee drinker - picked up quite distinctly.
These Zambian specialty coffee beans come from the Kateshi estates in the Mafinga hills, where the volcanic soils help develop the incredible tastes. These hills are a plateau on the border between Zambia and Malawi, and they are home to the highest point in Zambia!
These Zambian Coffee beans are Rainforest Alliance certified, so you can be sure you’re getting an ethical cup. You can read about Rainforest Alliance certification here. Coffee is a major cash crop in Zambia, and the coffee industry is bringing in the investment and development needed to introduce this coffee to the international market, which has traditionally been difficult for Zambian producers.
Free housing for residential workers is provided right on the estate, along with basic health care. Right in the community is a primary school with 900 students in attendance, and daycare is provided for workers' children. Not only do they take care of their employees, but they are also working to train Zambia’s first female tractor drivers - a highly employable skill in the agricultural regions.
Coffee is still relatively new to Zambia, with the industry gaining momentum in the early 1980’s. The Kateshi estates are at the forefront of this relatively new industry and are pioneering the growth and processing of specialty beans in the country.
As a small-batch specialty coffee roaster in Calgary, we put care into developing every roast to ensure that the tastes of the region are on display. We don't have a signature "roast" for each type of coffee - we adjust the many elements of roasting to showcase that specific bean. Craft roasting coffee in Calgary means that we get to experiment, taste and experiment some more as we develop each roast, and our Zambian beans have been under development for about a month before we were happy with the profile.
We are also happy to offer green coffee beans in Calgary at wholesale coffee prices - we love to support hobby roasters who are beginning to catch the bug and started out just like us. Just drop us a line.
We're so excited to offer a beautiful Nicaraguan coffee in Calgary!
At the end of the year we took delivery of the first bag of Nicaragua green beans to be sold DIRECT from a small, family run Nicaraguan farm to Canada (us!) This is Don Isidro!
We are so proud to directly support one of his highly regarded crops from late 2018 without the middlemen, ensuring more profits go to his farm and family.
We chose to partner with Gold Mountain because of their amazing progressive approaches including social and environmental initiatives.
Yes the bag does cost more than average but it is incredible how much goes back to the producers and gold mountain initiatives. It is one person, no middle men and shady shell companies.
What does this bag fund:
-Free weekly computing classes that are 90% female to break through "cement ceilings" for women.
-The installation of running water in a school far off the utilitiy and water grids near Finca Idealista farm (they purchased all the supplies and the community helped with installation).
-Provide local schools with textbooks, desks, small libraries, and other educational necessities.
On the top of our priority list is travelling direct to source eventually, so that we can show you how direct trade (farm to roaster) is better for everyone, plus personally we feel better being connected directly with the farmers and knowing where our coffee comes from (and being able to show you it on Instagram!)
We are going through test roasts right now to bring out the flavours that Nicaragua is known for. We'll generally go through 4-5 roasts, adjusting settings and then taste them with our barista. When our picky palates are satisfied, we launch it on Instagram.
We announce everything and you can check out your bags being roasted fresh on our San Franciscan each week on Instastories.
]]>
Five'21 Roasters offers small selections of green beans on a seasonal basis for the hobby roaster.
We'd be happy to chat about your needs.
Contact us today.
]]>
]]>
]]>
We went through a few test roasts to make sure that this decaf showcases the premium tastes of the Central and South American as well as Indonesian beans in this bag.
The Swiss Water Process is a natural, chemical free method of reducing the caffeine in Coffee. When we roast, we use heat, air circulation and time to control the roast. In Swiss Water Decaffeination, they use water, heat and time.
This is a video explaining it from SwissWater.Com
]]>
We are thrilled to add coffee from Northern Peru to our stock. These beans roasted beautifully as a dark roast, offering a smooth, cacao taste that will please the dark roast fan.
These beans are sourced from a small cooperative in the Amazonian Highlands of Peru, Asociación de Productores Cafetaleros Juan Marco El Palto (JUMARP), which brings 200 coffee producing families together in the production of organic and fair trade coffee for the international export market.
Most of these families produce coffee on small plots of land ranging from 2-3 hectares, working their crops in with the natural flora (dense, humid natural forests of the highland regions.)
The cooperative has a number of social and environmental initiatives, including funding and building of schools to address the low completion rate of secondary (high school) education among its farming population. In a study run by the European Economic Review, coffee farmers in the Cusco region of Peru had a 62% completion rate of education beyond primary school.
These amazonian beans are grown at a higher altitude, which make them well suited to darker roasts.
Peru knows coffee. In fact, it is the leading agricultural export in Peru. The coffee harvesting season typically occurs in Peru between June and September, and we received word from our supplier that this year was an excellent crop from this cooperative.
This is the fun of being a micro-roaster; we can move quickly, take on great crops and design our roast to showcase the notes of that bean while supporting cooperatives we feel good about, that are making a positive impact in their communities.
If you'd like to learn more, we highly recommend the write up by 32 cup who visited the cooperative and farms themselves and have a very informative article.
Sources:
https://www.32cup.com/coffee/peru-el-palto/
Today's topic is what is is like being a small-batch roaster and to give you some insight on the flexibility and control we are able to have over our process (a big bonus for small roasters.)
What do we do before we officially release a coffee to our lineup, print labels and put it on our store?
First, the beans arrive from our importer, direct from origin. We are in constant contact with our importer, watching which crops and harvests are particular good ones. Also, each region of the world has a taste it is known for. Just recently we bought in a Colombian coffee bean directly from the farmer himself, who has traditionally received low prices for his great coffee because he has to mix it in with other regional beans at a large cooperative. We order directly from him, for his exclusive beans and are the first roaster to do so! That's what we can do as a small, nimble and flexible business that is driven by our deeply held value to serve and uplift others.
One thing we've always wanted to do with Five'21 Roasters is have a fun variety from around the world (we love to travel by the way) and offer something different for everyone.
Once we receive the beans, we spend about a week doing several sample roasts and cup (taste) the coffee with a professional barista. We are a young family and the coffee has to meet our lives, so we prepare it in several ways: With an aeropress, in a french press, with a manual top-of-the-line machine and with a drip machine.
When we say sample roasts, that basically means that we play around with different roast profiles on our SF-6 San Franciscan Roaster (varying heat, air, and timing.) Each roast is brewed and put to the test.
Every region is known for particular tastes.
For example, Koke (in this picture) which we have just taken delivery of, is grown very naturally as an indigenous heirloom crop in a particular region of Ethiopia. It is known for its berry-like tastes and really shines as a pour-over. It's a fragrant coffee.
When we develop a “roast profile” ultimately our goal is to showcase and bring out the natural flavours of that region.
This is why micro-roasted coffee is so unique, from bean to bean.
We don’t develop one way of roasting and apply it across the board like the big commercial shops.
We meticulously refine the roast process so that it is unique to that bean.
It really is part art, part science.
Roasting coffee this way is like traveling the world and immersing yourself in the culture of a country. We travel the coffee world and adjust our roasting to immerse the customer in the cup of coffee from that area of the world.
This is different from the big commercial producers, who apply their style, to beans from different areas of the world (kinda like staying in a hotel and not venturing out to explore, taste, smell and see the local culture!)
]]>This bean shines in espresso & americanos.
This coffee is grown in the protected Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil at 800-1100metres. The Cerrado Mineiro region has received a Designation of Origin status, meaning that the Cerrado coffees receive a distinct status, and the name is protected, not unlike Champagne wines, from the Champagne region of France. The farms vary in size, from 2 hectares to 500 hectares. They must also cup at least 80 points.
Brazil has a well-established coffee growing industry, with an ideal climate and soils. It is the largest producer and exporter of coffee. The country produces approximately 3 billion kg of coffee per year. If you are interested in Brazil's coffee growing regions, the Perfect Daily Grind has an excellent guide.
Every lot of coffee produced within the Cerrado Mineiro is assigned a QR code so that the beans can be traced right back to the farm, processing method, etc. This improves traceability and allows consumers crop-to-cup knowledge.
]]>Freshly roasted coffee is a great gift idea for fathers day in Calgary! Subscribe to our email list to receive exclusive discount codes for special days like fathers' day and mothers day.
As parents of three young children, WE SALUTE YOU.
]]>Many of these can be purchased around Calgary (we'll let you know) as well as Amazon. Visit us on Instagram to follow our stories for more gift ideas for dad.
FOR THE WEEKEND WARRIOR / ATHLETE
You'll notice that our coffee bags have a one way valve. This is to allow for a process called off-gassing.
When coffee is roasted, chemical reactions create gases (mostly CO2.) Some of this gas is released during the actual roasting process, but over the next 48 hours it continues to be released from the porous bean structure, particularly when you grind your fresh beans.
The release of gas during each stage is actually a very important event.
It indicates a freshly roasted batch and plays a large role in the taste, helps to form the 'crema' and influences the taste / profile of the cup.
Typically we allow our beans to off-gas in special bins after roasting, after which they are sealed in bags with a one-way valve to allow the process to continue without gas pressure becoming too high in the bag.
(( Personally, we feel the one-way valve is has an equally important role in smelling coffee - there is nothing better than squeezing a freshly roasted bag and taking in the smell and gas released through the valve!))
If roasted beans go straight to bag for delivery immediately, we'll let you know how long to allow your beans to off-gas.
]]>Talk about fair trade and truly going crop-to-cup!
Don's farm is just outside of Jinotega, Nicaragua with nature preserves on all sides.
Coming from high altitude (1500+ metres) and very fertile soils, a well-brewed cup of this coffee is described as creamy, bright and crisp - however as always, we believe taste is very subjective and you simply just have to try it for yourself!
Don Isidro uses drying racks and hand sorting to filter out imperfect cherries and is very progressive with his workers, and has many charitable projects on the go in the more remote areas near his farm.
This lot is literally on the trees right now, and will be harvested in late June / July, then flown directly up here to Calgary to be freshly roasted.
You'll be the first ones to try this coffee.
]]>