A coffee bean that will keep your mind keen

Ethical Bean Coffee review

By Morgan Hannah, Life & Style Editor

I end up recommending Ethical Bean Coffee to everyone everywhere I go. I can’t help it! And trust me, it’s not just because I used to work there—although receiving a free bag of delicious beans every Friday really was an excellent perk to ensure employees only drank Ethical Bean. It’s still true: I only drink Ethical Bean since having found it. Their coffee is organic, fair trade, kosher, locally roasted, and delectable! It truly fuels me after only one cup. That’s not something I can claim competitors do.

I’m currently sipping on some Superdark, formerly named Rocket Fuel, as I write this review and I’ve got to say, those notes of dark chocolate are just right; not sweet, but not bitter. There’s no better way to describe Superdark than the way the Ethical Bean team does on their website: “The love child of dark alchemy and complete combustion.” Super Dark is my favourite of Ethical Bean’s extensive lineup of coffees, with the Sweet Espresso and Classic coming up in close seconds. To check out the rest of their selection, visit them online at www.ethicalbean.com.

I appreciate how smooth Ethical Bean’s coffee feels on my tongue. There’s no lingering acidic aftertaste and no bitterness, despite it being a dark roast. Each of Ethical Bean’s coffee flavours willingly accepts a dollop of honey, without compromising on its original taste as well. Plus I like to make it thick, with five scoops of ground coffee beans to six cups of water.

How does Ethical Bean provide the public with what I’d like to call the only coffee I’ll ever buy? I’d have to say it’s because they care. The Ethical Bean team cares that you find their coffee the best, and they care that their Guatemalan coffee farmers are compensated fairly for their hard work. This care shows in every batch of beans the production team buys and roasts, which is why Aaron De Lazzer, Ethical Bean’s Director of Coffee, has become Canada’s first certified Q Grader. A Q Grader is the unicorn of the coffee biz—seemingly mythical and no easy task. According to Perfect Daily Grind, a Q Grader is an individual “certified by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) as capable of analyzing Arabica coffee through smell and taste,” a practice also known as “cupping.” Individuals with the title of Q Grader, like Mr. De Lazzer, undergo a six-day intensive program in a Specialty Coffee Association-certified laboratory where they learn the language of coffee.

This kind of effort deserves a sampling.

And what’s more, Ethical Bean is served right here in Douglas College’s New West campus cafeteria! So grab a cup just in time for exam season and the start-up of the next semester— it’s the perfect student fuel.