{"title":"July '26","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"hale-noir-dark-roast-blend","title":"Hale Noir - Dark Roast Blend","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHale Noir is Hale's dark roast blend, built around a straightforward argument: dark roasts have a bad reputation because most of them are made with low-quality beans. When you roast cheap or defective beans at high heat, everything comes out tasting the same. That's by design. The high temperature masks problems rather than highlighting anything worth tasting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHale takes a different approach with Noir. They source high-density beans, which can handle the heat without turning bitter or astringent. At that density, a dark roast doesn't flatten the bean. It brings out what's already there. The roast becomes part of the flavor, not a way to hide the lack of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a blend built for espresso and moka pot. It sits at a 2 on Hale's own taste scale, which they call \"Traditional.\" That puts it firmly in classic dark roast territory, but made with beans that can actually hold up to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Hale Coffee Co.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHale Coffee started in Toronto, originally out of a location on Queen and Spadina. They've since moved their roasting operation to the Junction Triangle neighborhood in the west end of the city. The focus from the beginning has been on sourcing beans through direct trade relationships with farmers, with the stated goal of ensuring producers are paid fairly for their work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir sourcing and roasting work sits at the center of what they do. Noir is a good example of how they think about it: starting with bean quality, then letting the roast do its job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I stumbled on Hale almost a decade ago. Their cafe on Campbell Ave (in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood) is an underrated place to meet with friends or get some work done. Aside from having delicious coffee, they prioritize direct trade, keeping more of the profits in the hands of producers.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hale Coffee Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45578051354684,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/halebags1532_6e616c6e-150b-45d4-ba76-75c41c53e7a8.jpg?v=1782101822"},{"product_id":"mendoza","title":"Mendoza","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCooparm is a cooperative based in the Pisuquia district of Luya province, in the Rodríguez de Mendoza region of northern Peru. More than 500 smallholder farmers are part of the cooperative, growing coffee between 1,200 and 1,800 meters above sea level in the cloud forests of the Peruvian Amazon. The farms in this area sit at elevations that slow the development of the coffee cherry, giving the beans more time to take on complexity from the surrounding environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCooparm farmers use chemical-free, organic practices across their plots, which helps protect the soil and the biodiversity of the cloud forest around them. After hand-picking, the coffee is dried using solar methods, then sorted by size, density, and color before going through Cooparm's in-house cupping lab. That last step matters: having a quality control lab on site means the cooperative can catch inconsistencies before the coffee leaves the region, rather than after. The cooperative also operates under fair trade values, with the goal of putting more of the final price back into the hands of the farmers doing the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Hale Coffee Co.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHale Coffee got its start in Toronto, opening its first location at Queen and Spadina before eventually settling into its current home in the Junction Triangle. The roaster built its reputation as an independent operation focused on bringing quality coffee to a city they felt had room for more of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHale sources through direct trade relationships with farmers, which they say helps ensure producers are paid fairly for their work. Their sourcing spans multiple regions, and the relationships they build with growers are central to how they select what ends up in the roaster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I stumbled on Hale almost a decade ago. Their cafe on Campbell Ave (in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood) is an underrated place to meet with friends or get some work done. Aside from having delicious coffee, they prioritize direct trade, keeping more of the profits in the hands of producers.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hale Coffee Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45578098114620,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/perumendozawebsite_8872303b-63e7-4821-bb7e-48c419704f82.jpg?v=1782101857"},{"product_id":"yirgacheffe-edido","title":"Yirgacheffe Edido","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis coffee comes from smallholder farmers in Edido, a village (kebele) in Ethiopia's Gedeo Zone, one of the country's most storied coffee-growing areas. The farms sit at 1,850 to 1,880 meters above sea level. Farmers here work small plots and deliver their harvested cherries to nearby washing stations in Aricha for processing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese producers use the natural process, a method where whole coffee cherries are dried in the sun rather than having the fruit removed first. The cherries are spread on raised drying beds and turned regularly so they dry evenly. Keeping the fruit intact during drying means the bean absorbs the sugars from the surrounding pulp over several weeks, which shapes the final cup in a pronounced way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNatural processing is not new here. It reflects longstanding practice in this part of Ethiopia, where the infrastructure and farming traditions both support it. Aricha's washing stations have been central to how Gedeo Zone coffee reaches the market, and the grade 2 classification this lot carries reflects the sorting and quality control applied during that stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Hale Coffee Co.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHale Coffee started in Toronto's Queen and Spadina neighbourhood before moving to its current home in The Junction Triangle. The roaster built its sourcing around direct trade relationships with farmers, with the goal of paying producers fair prices while maintaining consistent quality on the roasting side.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHale has positioned itself as an independent roaster in Toronto's specialty coffee scene, focusing on sourcing beans from specific regions and working with producers rather than buying through anonymous supply chains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I stumbled on Hale almost a decade ago. Their cafe on Campbell Ave (in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood) is an underrated place to meet with friends or get some work done. Aside from having delicious coffee, they prioritize direct trade, keeping more of the profits in the hands of producers.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hale Coffee Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45578151362620,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/halebags1522_e5d69edf-0ea8-4c87-b651-5cad55ce9c3a.jpg?v=1782101887"},{"product_id":"decaf-colombia","title":"Decaf Colombia","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis decaf comes from Colombia, one of the most consistent coffee-producing countries in the world. Colombian coffee is grown across a range of altitudes and microclimates, with smallholder farms making up the majority of production. The country's geography, with its Andean mountain ranges running north to south, creates the conditions that have made Colombian coffee a reliable benchmark for quality across the global market for decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe decaffeination here uses the KVW (Kaffee Veredelungs Werk) method, also called the European Method. In this process, green (unroasted) beans are soaked in water to draw out caffeine, then the caffeine is selectively removed using a solvent called methylene chloride, which binds to caffeine molecules but leaves most of the flavor compounds behind. The beans are thoroughly steamed afterward to remove any solvent residue before roasting. The result is a coffee that retains around 95% of its original flavor while removing the vast majority of its caffeine. It's one of the more established decaffeination methods in the industry, used specifically because it preserves the character of the bean rather than stripping it out along with the caffeine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Hale Coffee Co.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHale Coffee started in Toronto, beginning on Queen and Spadina before moving to their current roastery in the Junction Triangle. They set out to build a case that specialty coffee belongs in Toronto, sourcing green beans through direct trade relationships with farmers and roasting them in-house.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir sourcing approach is built around paying producers fair prices directly, rather than going through commodity channels. It's a straightforward premise: better relationships with the people growing the coffee tend to produce better coffee.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I stumbled on Hale almost a decade ago. Their cafe on Campbell Ave (in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood) is an underrated place to meet with friends or get some work done. Aside from having delicious coffee, they prioritize direct trade, keeping more of the profits in the hands of producers.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hale Coffee Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45578213195836,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/halebags1528_6281943b-1bbe-4c05-86a6-0c372bca331a.jpg?v=1782101924"},{"product_id":"dani-gomez-1","title":"Dani Gomez","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDani Ricardo Gómez grows Pink Bourbon on his farm, Buena Vista, in La Ermita, a small community in San Agustín, Huila, Colombia, at 1,770 meters above sea level. His family's work in coffee is built on years of consistent effort in a region already known for producing some of Colombia's better lots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter selective hand-picking, Dani puts the cherries through a multi-stage fermentation: 24 hours in wooden hoppers, then dry fermentation in ceramic tanks, followed by a temperature-regulated water soak before washing. The coffee is then dried on raised beds for 12 to 15 days. Each step is deliberate and adds time, but that level of process control is what separates a well-defined lot from a generic one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoasti paid COP $3,350,000 per carga for this lot and exported it at $4.57 USD per pound FOB, well above the Colombian farmgate average. That price reflects the quality of what Dani is producing and gives him a real financial foundation to keep improving his farm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Roasti\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoasti Coffee Co. was started in January 2017 by Andrew Hayes and his father Gerry in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Gerry had been roasting coffee in their garage for years. When Andrew's career as a hockey goaltender ended, he took over the roaster, eventually ordering a five-kilogram machine out of Montréal and setting it up in his own garage. Around the same time, Andrew and Gerry connected with Henrique Cambraia, a fourth-generation Brazilian coffee grower, and that relationship helped push the project from a home hobby into a small roastery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProduction Roaster Tara Huizinga says the goal at Roasti is to represent each coffee the way the producer intended. They work closely with importers to get notes directly from farmers about what the coffee is expected to taste like, then roast toward that. On the sourcing side, they focus on transparency around pricing and aim to keep their coffees approachable without compromising on quality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Roasti caught my attention on Reddit forums, but earned its spot in our July box after sampling their coffees; every coffee I tried was delicious and well-balanced. The \"icing on the cake\": Roasti publishes each coffee's FOB price on their website.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Roasti","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45584208920636,"sku":null,"price":21.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/Dani-Site_d938ba03-89e5-4b66-966a-8a51a48c1b09.jpg?v=1782106499"},{"product_id":"yellow-bourbon-1","title":"Yellow Bourbon","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis coffee comes from Sul de Minas, one of Brazil's most established coffee-growing regions in the southern part of Minas Gerais state. The area sits at elevations between 700 and 1,100 meters, with a dry season that lines up well with harvest and consistent temperatures that suit the Yellow Bourbon variety. Yellow Bourbon is an older variety, a mutation of the more common Red Bourbon, and it's been grown in Brazil since the early 20th century. It tends to produce a lower yield than modern hybrids, but farmers in Sul de Minas have stuck with it because of the cup quality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYellow Bourbon trees are recognizable at harvest by their yellow cherries rather than the typical red. The variety is considered more delicate and more susceptible to disease than newer cultivars, which means farmers who grow it are making a deliberate choice. Sul de Minas has a long tradition with this variety, and many farms in the region have passed down Yellow Bourbon trees through multiple generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Roasti\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoasti Coffee Co. was started in January 2017 by Andrew Hayes and his father Gerry, out of Sherwood Park, Alberta. Gerry had been roasting coffee in the family garage for years before Andrew took it over after his career as a professional hockey goaltender ended. Andrew ordered a five-kilo roaster out of Montréal, set it up in his garage, and started learning. He's been open about the fact that starting the roastery gave him focus while recovering from post-concussion syndrome.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of Roasti's earliest and most direct producer relationships is with Henrique Cambraia, a fourth-generation Brazilian coffee grower whose family Andrew and Gerry met around the time the roastery launched. Production Roaster Tara Huizinga describes their roasting approach as trying to represent a coffee the way the producer would want it represented, working from notes and expectations passed along by the farmers themselves through their importers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Roasti caught my attention on Reddit forums, but earned its spot in our July box after sampling their coffees; every coffee I tried was delicious and well-balanced. The \"icing on the cake\": Roasti publishes each coffee's FOB price on their website.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Roasti","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45584266133564,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/YB-Site_42b3151b-1e13-4a5b-9972-05b646010173.jpg?v=1782106531"},{"product_id":"colombia-sugar-cane-decaf-1","title":"Colombia Sugar Cane Decaf","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese beans come from smallholder farmers in Caldas, Colombia, grown at 1,800 meters above sea level. The region's stable mountain climate, fertile soils, and clean water sources make it well-suited for growing Caturra, Colombia, and Castillo varieties. After harvest, the coffee is sent to Descafecol, a Colombian decaffeination processor with over 30 years of experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDescafecol uses an Ethyl Acetate (EA) process to remove the caffeine. EA is a naturally occurring compound, and in this case it's derived from locally sourced Colombian sugarcane. The green coffee is soaked in a solution of EA and spring water, which bonds to and draws out the caffeine while leaving the rest of the coffee's structure largely intact. Because the EA comes from sugarcane rather than a synthetic source, this method is often called the \"sugarcane process.\" It's one of the gentler decaffeination methods available, and it keeps the coffee tasting much closer to its original character than older chemical processes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result lands somewhere between a washed and naturally processed cup. Descafecol's approach has made them a go-to processor for Colombian decaf, and their 30-plus years in the business shows in the consistency of the finished product.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Roasti\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoasti Coffee Co. was started in January 2017 by Andrew Hayes and his father, Gerry, out of Sherwood Park, Alberta. Gerry had been roasting coffee in the family garage for years before Andrew, a former hockey goaltender, took it over after his playing career ended. Andrew was dealing with post-concussion syndrome at the time and needed work he could do on his own schedule. The timing aligned with a meeting with Henrique Cambraia, a fourth-generation Brazilian coffee grower, and the two things came together quickly. Andrew ordered a five-kilogram roaster from a supplier in Montréal, set it up in his garage, and started learning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoasti's production roaster, Tara Huizinga, describes their sourcing approach as focused on transparency and approachability. On the roasting side, they work from notes provided by importers and farmers about what each coffee should taste like, and try to roast toward that rather than imposing their own profile on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Roasti caught my attention on Reddit forums, but earned its spot in our July box after sampling their coffees; every coffee I tried was delicious and well-balanced. The \"icing on the cake\": Roasti publishes each coffee's FOB price on their website.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Roasti","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45584323346492,"sku":null,"price":24.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/Decaf-Site_14bc2f8e-8b73-4d35-9c84-7f50e0cb3d9b.jpg?v=1782106567"},{"product_id":"buesaco-jardines-1","title":"Buesaco Jardines","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Coffee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis coffee comes from a group of small producers in Buesaco, a municipality in Nariño sitting high in the Colombian Andes. The name \"Jardines\" (meaning gardens) refers to the landscape surrounding the farms at this elevation. The group includes both newer growers and second-generation farmers, farming on volcanic soils under a microclimate that slows the cherry's development and builds natural sugar concentration in the fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProcessing here is hands-on and precise. Pickers select cherries by color at peak ripeness, and on the same day, the cherries are floated, washed, and sorted. From there, they go through two stages of fermentation: first whole-cherry in open-air bags for 24 hours, then depulped and fermented again on dry mucilage (the sticky layer between the skin and the seed) for another 18 to 24 hours. After a final wash, the beans are laid out to sun-dry for 8 to 15 days and turned regularly to make sure moisture leaves evenly. This double fermentation adds complexity to the cup while the careful drying keeps moisture levels consistent across the lot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Roasti\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoasti Coffee Co. was started in January 2017 by Andrew Hayes, a former hockey goaltender, and his father Gerry, out of Sherwood Park, Alberta. Gerry had been roasting coffee in the family garage for years before Andrew's hockey career ended and he took it over. Andrew began roasting on a five-kilogram roaster in his own garage, learning as quickly as he could. An early connection with Henrique Cambraia, a fourth-generation Brazilian coffee grower, helped point the operation in a direction focused on producer relationships from the start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoasti's production roaster, Tara Huizinga, describes their approach as trying to represent a coffee the way the producer would want it represented. They work with importers to gather notes directly from farmers about what they expect from the coffee, and use that to guide their roast profiles rather than imposing a house style on every origin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Roasti caught my attention on Reddit forums, but earned its spot in our July box after sampling their coffees; every coffee I tried was delicious and well-balanced. The \"icing on the cake\": Roasti publishes each coffee's FOB price on their website.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Dean, Director of Coffee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Roasti","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45584364535868,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/2880\/1852\/files\/ColBuesacoJardines-Site_8164ab2e-b147-4f0a-af6b-083cd6f3deee.jpg?v=1782106604"}],"url":"https:\/\/stillwatercoffee.ca\/collections\/july-26.oembed","provider":"Stillwater Coffee Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}