Viva la coffee revolution!

El Libertador Feature Coffee

Viva la coffee revolution! Liberate your taste!

Cinco de Mayo seems like the perfect day to introduce our newest feature blend.

El Libertador is named for Símon Bolívar, El Libertador (The Liberator) who led the South American fight for independence from the Spanish. Our special blend brings together delicious organic fairtrade coffees from Peru and Bolivia with coffees from Gran Colombia, Bolívar’s short-lived republic.

Roasted medium-dark, El Libertador shows characteristics we love about South American coffees. Semi-sweet chocolate, smooth, rich and full-bodied. Delicious on its own or as a cafe con leche, with a bit of milk for added sweetness.

There is a limited supply of this delicious blend, click here to give it a try and join the coffee revolution!

Did you know that Bolivia used to part of Peru? It became an independent country under Símon Bolívar, who was asked to be its first head of state but turned that down. The new country was named after Bolívar anyway.

International Female Ride Day 2015

The first Saturday in May is International Female Ride Day (IFRD) and this year Sparkplug Coffee was there with fresh coffee - courtesy of KYMCO Canada & Studio Cycle Group - to rev people up before heading out on the ride around Toronto.

Kara and friend Sandy were able to join the ride while Joe & June from Team Sparkplug Coffee packed up the coffee supplies. Thanks June & Joe! You rock! And thanks Motoress Vicki Gray for starting IFRD - what a great idea! And especially big thanks to Cecilia for organizing this year's Toronto Female Ride Day!

Here's a link to the IFRD website that explains how the purpose of IFRD is for women to get out on their motorcycles and scooters and "Just Ride!" to show how fun it is and to encourage other women to try it out.

Brew A Great Cup Every Time coffee class #1

What fun! 10 people signed up for the first ever session of our Brew A Great Cup Every Time coffee class and 12 people showed up! Including a lovely and patient 5 year old who sampled the double chocolate banana bread but didn't partake of the coffees.

We made coffee using a pourover AKA cone filter or dripper, French press, then the AeroPress 3 ways. And sampled coffee made with the Espro press at the end. The coffees were all tasty. I remembered almost all the tips I wanted to share. The feedback forms say that everyone learned something new and enjoyed themselves. 100% would recommend this to other coffee lovers so we may make this a regular thing. I also learned some helpful tips for making future sessions run more smoothly. Overall, a great success!

Thank you to The Healthy Road for donating the lovely kitchen space! And thanks to all you coffee lovers who joined me for this session!

A New Year & A New Feature Coffee

Fireside Blend

Happy 2015! The new year seems like the perfect time to announce our new feature coffee: the Fireside Blend.

Based on a dark and delicious coffee from Sumatra, Indonesia, the Fireside Blend will warm you up on these cold January days. 

The rainforests of the northern Sumatran highlands produce wonderful coffees with earthy, smoky characteristics that subtly evoke some of the same tastes as mulled wine - clove, dried fruit, maybe even a bit of pepper.

The beans in our Fireside Blend are naturally processed - the whole coffee cherry is dried in the sun before the fruit is removed. The natural process (also known as the "dry process") can be tricky to get right. While it is drying, the crop is carefully monitored to make sure it doesn't over ferment. The payoff is a coffee with amazing flavour and aroma baked in from its time in the sun. Click here to give it a try. 

Cheers to the New Year! May yours be filled with happiness and great coffee!