Artful brew

Credit: 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters

Two fair-trade brews tantalize Vancouver coffee connoisseurs

It’s no secret that Vancouverites have been seduced by the velvety black liquid that fills our coffee cups each morning. Or that some aficionados went loco over Panamanian Hacienda la Esmeralda Especial when it was unveiled at Caffe Artigiano last fall. One connoisseur compared its complexity of flavours to a glass of cognac, and at a staggering $15 a cup, it’s an apt analogy.

But you don’t need to break the bank for an award-winning cup of brew that’s fairly traded and organic, with tasting notes that rival high-quality brandy. One such coffee is Vancouver’s 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters’ award-winning organic Brazil Fazenda Santa Terezinha. The coffee roaster’s tasting notes describe the brew as having citrus and berry aromas and a long-lasting finish of apricots, rosehips and bergamot. And at $24.95 a pound it’s a veritable steal.

“By paying more than fair-trade prices for coffee beans we purchase, this helps to sustain farming operations and allows the coffee farmers to attain a greater quality of life,” says 49th Parallel president Vince Piccolo, noting that organic farming minimizes the impact on the environment.

In a city where coffee lineups can be seen snaking around the block, and where a humble cup of Joe has been replaced with latte art and barista championships, that’s a good thing.
 

Organic Brazil Fazenda Santa Terezinha

Available at 49th Parallel’s Kitsilano café
2152 West Fourth Ave, Vancouver.
604-420-4901
www.49thparallelroasters.com