Espresso Tasting: Craft Coffee Roaster North Mountain (Hyper Eco & Local)

This morning, after we completed week 3 of couch to 5k, Andrew and I went to a (free) espresso tasting. Yes, espresso tasting- like wine tasting only with espresso. And actually, no, it wasn't as pretentious as you might think!

 (Yummy espresso waiting to be tasted!)

Hosted by Smiling Goat Espresso (my favourite coffee place in the city) and featuring a small craft coffee roaster: North Mountain Coffee, it was fun, entertaining and surprisingly extremely interesting.

Small craft coffee roasters are becoming increasingly popular in Canada and (unexpectedly) in Nova Scotia. As consumers are becoming hyper 'local' sensitized and wanting highly authentic experiences, the demand is enough to support smaller craft roasters. Despite the 'hipster' quotient, craft roasters often means that you are directly supporting a local business, usually assured shipping, processing and energy costs (and pollution) are low and said roaster likely practices Direct Trade (arguably even better than fair trade).

(The beautiful espresso tasting card and colourful flavour wheel!)

To be honest, Andrew and I approached this event with our fair share of trepidation. We had no idea what an 'espresso tasting' would look like. We managed to snag a few seats and were excited when we were handed beautifully printed 'Espresso Tasting' forms for feedback along with a Flavour Wheel.

(Austin Anderson, owner, being a good sport with my impromptu "Can I take your picture for my blog??" request :) )

Austin Anderson, the owner of North Mountain Coffee, began the tasting by giving a brief and interesting account of espresso's history. I learned that espresso's life started as a cheaper and faster alternative to coffee and it wasn't until Starbucks decided to price it as a specialty item that our culture shifted to expect espresso to cost more. He was approachable, well spoken and extremely down to earth. His passion for all things coffee was apparent with every word and it was obvious that he definitely walked the talk of directly connecting with the farmers.

Since I have never actually drank espresso (beyond a sip of Andrew's once) I was a little nervous about writing down my thoughts on the tasting card. Thankfully, Austin made it clear that the tasting was to share experiences, thoughts and develop our ability to perceive and analyze what we like about different flavours of espresso. So, there are no wrong 'tastes'. (phew!)

(Andrew, absorbing the smell before taking his first sip- serious business!)

Each espresso was brought out without a description to encourage a more personal experience. Guests were encouraged to chat about what they tasted, jot down notes and thoughts. Following each sample, Austin asked each group to share what they thought about the flavour profiles, the look and feel of the espresso, the smell and even the finish (just like wine!). Austin easily made each person's comments feel welcome and valid, which isn't easy with a group of strangers.

(Tasting my first espresso- unbeknownst to me at the time: the Ruli)

It was so neat to have to articulate not only what I liked and didn't like about the four espressos, but to hear my thoughts reflected in others, or even to hear completely different reactions to the same espresso.

What really surprised me, was that espresso can have so many different flavours, roasting styles and processing methods. It was fun to find out that typically smaller craft roasters tend to roast lighter and often from single origin farms.

Our favourites were:

• Ruli (Gorilla) From Rwanda- where the farmers of these beans get around 6x more for their beans directly from roasters than 10 years ago. Taste: not at all what I think of as traditionally 'espresso'; bright and fruity but still rich feeling and delicious. These farmers recently won awards for their sustainable agriculture as well.
• Yirgacheffé (Lion) From Ethiopia- where Austin shared that the coffee trees actually grow naturally and are the most authentic area for 'wild' coffee beans; the trees are organic and heirloom varieties! Taste: rich, dark and malt-y (from a single wash process) and made us think of a really great dark stout beer.

(our card with all my notes and ratings and BOTH coffees!)

Unexpectedly, not only did we get the entire experience for free, but Austin gifted each guest with substantial free samples of North Mountain coffee! AND because Andrew and I liked two kinds, he gave us both!

Where can you buy North Mountain Coffee? Here's a list!

• Smiling Goat (Halifax)
• Steve-o-renos (Halifax)
• Local Source (Halifax)
• Kate's Pantry (Berwick)
• Union Street Cafe (Berwick)
• Designer Cafe (Kentville)
• Paper Pleasures Coffee Shop (Greenwich)
• Kiwi Cafe (Chester)
• Mateus Bistro (Mahone Bay)

You can explore North Mountain's facebook page OR contact them directly!