I don’t drink coffee — except at Bean North!
—Anne Weaver, RFT Editor.
I don’t drink coffee — except sometimes in Europe where it tastes different. But strolling through the Fireweed Community Market in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, I was a long, long way from any European café.
Fair Trade beans means workers and growers receive a fair price.
On this warm Thursday afternoon in mid-August, I was searching for a locally roasted coffee to take on a road trip with RFT editor Bobbie Hasselbring, a confirmed coffee lover. We had just arrived and we were outfitting an RV for a week of travel through the Yukon.
No one was selling coffee by the pound at the market, but at a booth selling cups of locally roasted brew I asked where we could stock up. The man pointed north, said to turn at the junction near a hot springs and follow the road past the wildlife center and watch for a sign on the right. Oh, he added, Bean North has a little café there as well. I thanked him, thinking right, turn at the hot springs — in the Yukon. Maybe my coffee-loving friend would have to make do with restaurant coffee.
The roasting technique used by Bean North means the beans are a little less roasted, but they pack plenty of flavor without being bitter.
However, since realfoodtraveler is all about pulling off the main road and seeking out local foods, the next morning under bright skies, we did turn off at the junction and found ourselves pulling into the gravel parking lot of Bean North. It was surprisingly easy to find and not far from town. We found great coffee – on par with any European blend I’ve ever tasted — and, even more surprising, a story of people across the globe passionate about growing and roasting some of the finest coffee in the world.
Bean North’s small green building is fronted by a spacious deck filled with small tables. As we crunched across the gravel walkway, a group of German tourists was posing for photos. Inside, the small serving area’s shelves are filled with fair trade tea, coffee, cocoa, and chocolate. Just pulled from the oven muffins filled the air with an intoxicating, fresh-baked aroma.
Grab a cup and head to Bean North's pleasant deck.
An adjoining room is stacked with coarse burlap bags from around the world. Smooth green coffee beans peek from tops of bags, ready for roasting. A gleaming blue roasting machine, capable of roasting thousands of pounds of beans a day, dominates the roasting room. Bean North roasts and sells 70,000 pounds of coffee every year using only the best Fair Trade beans from growers across the globe.
Unlike other coffee roasters, Bean North believes in roasting beans just to point they begin to weep their oily richness. Roasting any further, says owner Michael KIng, results in an acrid, over-roasted flavor and makes the beans quickly go stale. Bean North’s beans look less roasted, less oily, and, frankly, less appealing to coffee veterans like Bobbie.
But the proof is in the tasting. Michael fired up the espresso machine and offered Bobbie an espresso — no cream, no sweetener, just espresso. She tentatively took a sip, then another and smiled. The espresso, she said, was smooth and rich.
Michael offered me a coffee drink and, not wanting to offend, I ordered a café latte. I took a sip and was stunned by its silky lusciousness. Bobbie took a sip and said it was the best latte she’d ever taste. She didn’t want to give my latte back, but I insisted. It was delicious and I drank it all.
Oh, and about me not drinking coffee except in Europe? Make that Europe or the Yukon.
