On the Go: Tips for Great Coffee in Newfoundland

How to enjoy Great Coffee in Newfoundland is a topic I have been wanting to post about for some time. As a local guide, coffee is one of those important items people literally crave and when you can only deliver bog water mother parkers from the local gas station, it makes for a tough day. Visitors from near and far, enjoy fresh coffee and will pay for it. When Raj, from JavaPresse wanted to write about it, I was pumped to feature some tips for great coffee in Newfoundland because there’s nothing quite like a great cup of coffee. The smell of freshly brewed coffee puts a smile on peoples faces when it's blowin' a gale and raining sideways!

Unfortunately, though, a lot of the coffee available in rural Newfoundland, quite frankly, is terrible! Mass-produced grocery store coffee (ahem, mother parkers...) is roasted weeks before it hits the shelf, meaning most of what we drink is old, stale and deprived of coffee’s antioxidant power. Until you taste something of truly top-quality, you might not even know what you’re missing. But then once you experience the best, there’s no looking back. 

People all over the world are recognizing that a lot of the coffee being sold simply isn’t good enough. The quality isn't there and the coffee bean farmers are being exploited. Roasters are popping up all over the world, and specialty cafes are helping to make better blends and roasts more accessible. The story in Newfoundland is no different. Here are a few ways you can get great coffee while in one of Canada’s most wild and beautiful provinces.

One of the main reasons mass-produced coffee is so inferior to more specialty blends is, well, that it’s mass-produced. To be able to meet demand, large coffee companies send coffee beans to huge processing plants to be roasted and ground. They are then shipped all over the world to grocery stores, arriving weeks or months after they’ve been roasted.

The solution to this is to buy freshly roasted coffee. And there’s no better way to do this than to buy coffee from local roasters. Luckily, Newfoundland has several. Buying coffee from one of these roasters is a great way to make sure you’re enjoying some of the best java the province has to offer. Many of the cafes you’ll find in St. John’s and throughout the province sell local, freshly-roasted coffee, so be sure to look for them in your quest for great coffee in Newfoundland.

Located in Western Newfoundland near Gros Morne National Park, Gros Morne Coffee Roasters is a tribute to small-batch coffee roasters. They started with little more than a 1 kg cafemino roaster, but they have since upgraded to a 5 kg toper. They source their coffee from organic, fair trade farms from all over the world, then roast it right in Newfoundland so that it’s as fresh as it can be by the time it reaches your lips. Must Try Blend: Cafe Femenino - Peru (Katie's favourite so far!)

If you make your way to historic Bonavista, then pay a visit to the Bonavista Coffee Company. Owners John and Sylvia have been committed to spreading good vibes with fresh, local food for many years. They do small batch roasting of beans from all over the world, and they also bake and cook delicious foods using locally grown ingredients. Consider making a trip to visit them, or just keep your eye out for Bonavista Coffee Company products as you visit other places in Newfoundland.

Also on the west coast, Brewed Awakening, has been in the local roasting game since 2007. Now with multiple locations, three in Corner Brook and one in Burgeo, it is Newfoundland largest coffee roaster. Naming their blends after local places makes bringing back coffee from your Newfoundland adventure a great souvenir! Must Try Blend: Weeball Dark

We must not forget, though, that what defines Newfoundland is not really its cities and towns. Being one of the least populated provinces in Canada, Newfoundland has some truly world-class Nature that both residents and visitors can enjoy. Hiking, camping and mountain climbing are all popular activities. But just because you’re out enjoying the great outdoors, it doesn’t mean you can’t have great coffee. Here are two ways to make sure you’re never too far from a fresh cup:

1. Grind as You Go

One of the ways to make sure you’re enjoying coffee is to grind it right before you make it. You’ve likely noticed that places that serve really great coffee do this. Well, you can too, no matter if you’re at home or on-the-go. Pick up a handheld coffee grinder and stuff it in your bag. Then, when you’re on the trail, or when you set up your campsite, you can easily grind up some beans and enjoy a fresh brew.

2. Portable Brewing

It’s one thing to grind coffee on-the-go, but it’s quite another to brew it. Luckily, though, there are several easy ways to make coffee on the trail. Give one of the following a shot next time you’re out hiking or camping:

• Brew before you go. If you don’t think you’ll have access to a heat source, then just brew before you leave the house. Store the coffee in a vacuum-sealed container and it should stay hot for hours. It’s true the coffee won’t be at peak freshness when you go to drink it, but it’s certainly better than nothing.
• Easy filter. If you will have a way to make hot water, then simply bring a few coffee filters and mugs with you. Boil water and place the filter over your mug. Fill it with a scoop or two of your freshly ground coffee, and then slowly pour the hot water over it, making sure the filter doesn’t go with it as you do. Fill your mug little by little, and before you know it you’ll have a fresh cup of coffee for one. You can do this in larger vessels if you want to try and make coffee for more people.
• Turkish style. The Turks have their own method of making coffee that can easily be adapted so that you can have great coffee wherever you are. Start by boiling water. When it’s bubbling, take it off the heat and spoon in a couple of scoops of coffee (about two for each person). Then, wait for the coffee to settle to the bottom. If you want, you can boil the coffee again, which will give it a much stronger flavor. And that’s it. Your coffee is ready. You’ll find it tastes pretty much the same as regular brewed coffee, but just don’t forget that the bottom is filled with used grounds. The Turks use a special device to filter the grounds, but it’s not needed when you’re in a pinch. This method is also great because you don’t need to worry about what you’re going to do with your used filters.