Sunday, January 29, 2012

Coffee In Nova Scotia 522.. it’s 902 522

My Friends know never to speak to me until I have had my coffee. No coffee... No nice!

I’m not one of those coffee snobs... but I do know the good from the bad. And if that coffee comes from a Nova Scotia Roaster then it makes it all the better.

One day last summer as I was strolling through my local Sobeys, a bright shinny copper bag caught my eye. Not just any bag, a coffee bag. I said to myself “Self, this is coffee in a shiny bag.... just what every girl wants”

The shiny bagged coffee is from Nova Scotia 522, a gourmet coffee roasting company located in Aspen, Nova Scotia. Yes! I said Aspen, Nova Scotia. It’s just past Melrose.....near Sherbrook, Eastern Shore.

Nova Scotia 522 Coffee is an organic-fair trade coffee. It’s also labelled a gourmet coffee. Not REALLY sure what that mean besides the fact it’s probably made with high quality coffee beans. They make mostly medium roast coffees such as The Berlin and The Vienna which I’ve tried, Espresso Roma for espresso and Coffee Amore which I can’t seem to find in stores. They round out their coffee collection with Paris, the dark roast and Brussels, the light roast. General Rule of thumb: the darker the roast the less caffeine. I tend to try to stay with a balanced medium.

I first tried the Berlin. It was love at first taste. It was full smooth tasting coffee. It's the feeling you get when you first bit into a really fine quality chocolate and you realize just how crappy the rest of the chocolate you’ve been eating really is. It’s made with 100% Columbian Coffee beans. It’s almost perfect coffee. I’m a double cream type of girl and I can also substitute for milk and some sugar. I could literally drink this coffee black.

Then I decided I would try the Vienna. I was hoping I’d also love it like I love the Berlin.... yeah not so much. I found it really bitter and the flavour is really over powering. I needed to use cream to cut the taste a little. I mean I can drink this but I preferred not to, especially since I love the Berlin so much. It’s made with a blend of coffee beans from different places so.... maybe it was a learning experience and I just learned that I prefer Columbian beans.

It took me awhile to get through my bag of Vienna. On average I go through about a bag of coffee every five to six weeks. I used up the Berlin in about four weeks but it took me almost eight weeks to get through the Vienna. Actually, I think I may still have some Vienna left up in my cupboard. I’ve bought the Berlin several times over. I’m still looking for a Nova Scotian roasted coffee that I feel is even comparable. I’ve had no such luck.

We love coffee so if you have any suggestions of coffee, coffee shop or cafe you think we should try, please either leave us a comment or send us a tweet.

4 comments:

  1. This company sent me a small sample of their coffee it is very good and very local

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  2. Awesome, how did you get the free sample? I'm sure if they sent it to people they'd all be converters...

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  3. As a big fan of Oso Negro coffee from Nelson, BC I sort of resigned myself to being able to drinking great coffee only when we visited our son. However, I discovered 522 Gourmet Coffee last Fall and I have been drinking the Expresso Roma ever since (except for one bag of Vienna which, I agree with you, is too bitter).

    Going to give the Berlin a try next time at your suggestion. Thanks!

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  4. Hi guys - the main reason you are finding Vienna roasts strong and bitter is because they are a dark roasted coffee, known for more of these qualities. Stick with a medium or lighter roast if you want a softer, more balanced taste.

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