Why we dont do dark roast.

Why don’t we do dark roasts?

The simple answer is that we don’t do dark roast because we buy nice coffee. 

For anyone unfamiliar, Specialty Coffee refers to a grade of coffee bean. 

Dark roasts are easier to produce and will hide imperfections in lower quality coffee beans, and we have a passion for quality.

Quality coffee isn’t very bitter; it is sweet, balanced and complex.

Dark roasts don’t have more caffeine, infact alot of the time you're getting less caffeine in a dark roasted cup from a big-chain cafe than you would from a light roast.

Good coffee doesn’t need milk, but it can be incredibly delicious with it.

We have carefully designed our Baseline Blend to hold a more classic range of flavors that pair well with milk, sugar or syrups, while being easy to work with on bar or at home.

Our range of single origin beans are selected to be enjoyed without any additions, offering a more nuanced range of flavor that represent the finer details that we love about modern coffee.

What is specialty coffee?

Only coffee that scores 80+ points out of 100, according to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) guidelines, makes the cut.

The higher the score, the higher the market price, with rarer micro-lots sometimes offered at prices in excess of $1000usd/lb.

Our average spend on green coffee is around the $6usd/lb mark, and will always surpass the 80 point minimum. 

Specialty coffee offers a sensory range of complexity and flavors that has made it one of the most exciting ingredients in the modern culinary market. 

The varying terroir in coffee producing countries contributes to the unique lots of specialty coffee, each offering a signature profile that varies depending on the surrounding micro-climate of specific plants. 

Similar to wine, where regions can tell you a lot about a wine’s general character, the same can be done for coffee growing regions.

Why are we confident in our product?

The team behind our coffee program holds a wealth of global and local industry experience that we are excited to be able to share with the city of Ottawa and beyond.

Every bean is carefully selected and profiled to ensure a great taste and consistent level of quality.

Our quality control team is in charge of roasting, tasting and testing every coffee before it is released to the public.

Try our coffee

There are numerous ways for you to experience our coffee. Ask our barista’s what we are brewing on bar. We love sharing our brews with anyone interested.

All retail bean purchases receive a free coffee and we regularly run training classes to help aspiring home and professional baristas.

We hold a twice monthly coffee tasting where anyone and everyone is welcome to stop by and sample our full range of coffee. Check our Instagram @ TheMinistryofCoffee or our website for more details.