commonly coffee

Every year there are a few coffee’s that standout from the crowd and remind me that no two bags of coffee are ever the same. It’s what I love about drinking coffee. And it’s why I love sharing with others about specialty coffee and why it’s so incredible.

This past year there have definitely been a few coffee’s where I wished I had an endless supply of. Each of these coffee’s were able to showcase a variety of factors that lead me to have them in this list. Things like the uniqueness of their region, surprising tasting notes, and the backstory to the farmers/producers.  I am really proud to say that each of these three coffee’s are roasted in Canada: two in BC and one in Alberta.

So as the year comes to a close here are the three coffee’s that I am proud to say are my top 3 of 2018 are:

RoofTop Coffee Roasters (Ethiopian Mokonisa)
This coffee is easily my #1 coffee of 2018. From the backstory, to the incredible floral aromatics and notes of wild berry I fell in love with this coffee at the very first sip. Getting to chat with the Sarah & Keegan at RoofTop over these past few months I can see why they have chosen to offer this coffee. Sourced through Apex Coffee based out of Calgary, and carefully roasted in small batches in Fernie, BC this naturally processed coffee is exactly what you’d expect it to be. This small-town roaster is quickly becoming a big-time player in the specialty coffee industry. This coffee is one of the reason’s why.

Rosso Coffee Roasters (Myin Dwin)
Prior to having this coffee I had never experienced a coffee from Myanmar. I know that this is likely true for many others. A newer country of origin in the specialty coffee market, it’s one (in my opinion) that deserves to get even more attention in the coming years! It blew my mind as single-origin espresso and as a pour over. This naturally-processed coffee can really do no wrong! It was complex, balanced, and had such mouth-watering fruity notes. Kudos to Paul & Cole over at Rosso for their excellent job in souring this coffee and bringing greater attention to this region. Calgary continues to prove to Canada and to the world that it’s a major player in the specialty coffee scene.

LÜNA Coffee (Jelly Donut)
With a name like Jelly Donut, Nate & Laura over at Lüna have certainly put their creative spin on the specialty coffee scene. This washed processed coffee really is light & lively (a Lüna trademark) with brilliant notes of stone-fruit and according to Lüna a “cotton-candy like sweetness!”. When I was out in Vancouver this past summer I got to meet up with Nate & Laura to grab this coffee and had the chance to sit down with the two of them to chat more about it, and to discover even more behind what drives them to source & roast such mind-blowing coffees. Nate & Laura do such a great job at providing so much information about farmer pricing, export & import costs and other key parts that makes “delightful coffee”.  They were even nominated for a Sprudgie!

So there you go! Three amazing coffee’s that this year have captured my attention and peaked my interest. There are so many others that were so close to making this list. I continue to be amazed with how many incredible roasters are popping up here in Canada. I can’t wait to begin drinking coffee’s in 2019, to find out which ones will wind up on next year’s list.

I would love to know what coffee’s you loved this past year? What ones would you say are your top 3? Are there roasters or regions that you have come to love this past year? Leave me a comment below.

-Tyler