I grew up much like everyone else drinking coffee, which in our house was made in a percolator on the stove then doused with lots of cream and sugar. It always seemed to taste better made over a campfire (same percolator) however, I didn’t know why.

When I started my first job working at an A&W restaurant I was introduced to Whole Bean coffee. Who knew!! The difference in flavour was astounding!

I have always preferred to purchase whole bean coffee to make a good cup. I could never understand why so many restaurants served bad coffee, when coffee has only two ingredients; coffee and water.

If you start with good water (probably why the campfire coffee tasted better) and great coffee beans, the result should be great coffee. However, it wasn’t until my wife and I were travelling in Puerto Morelos Mexico a number of years ago that I had my first really Amazing Cup of coffee. I could not believe coffee could taste so wonderful.

Being a bit of a perfectionist, I had to find out why. My server, “David” told me the resort bought their coffee beans from a local roaster and what he had made me was an “Americano”. I spent a full week in total coffee bliss.

Needless to say when we returned home to Canada I purchased my first espresso machine in my quest for that perfect cup of coffee; but no matter how hard I tried I could not replicate that cup.

Coffee is about those two key ingredients. I didn’t realize however, that getting great coffee beans wasn’t going to happen at the local grocery store.

Thinking I was buying great beans was my biggest mistake. I learned that coffee beans are at their absolute best within the first three to four weeks of roasting. That is the magic of great coffee!! Grocery store coffee beans usually have a best before date of 12 months after the roast date. They are roasted in mass amounts, and it can be months before coffee beans get from a roaster through the distributor to the grocery store shelf. So I purchased my first roaster, and began roasting coffee beans from different origins.

Craft Roasting different coffees from around the world, has allowed me to cup some “Truly Amazing” coffee. Sharing those coffees with family and friends proved to demand more and more roasting time, so I decided to purchase a commercial roaster with a goal of bringing great coffee to as many people as I can.

Mike Hatfield, Owner & Master Coffee Roaster