“Fidalgo Bay Coffee is a roaster of fine specialty coffees, serving a growing family of coffee houses, espresso stands, restaurants, hotels, offices and homes. They also sell commercial espresso equipment and offer repair services. Their responsive customer service and high quality coffees are the hallmarks of their business and the cornerstone of their success”.

Well, with that said I had to get my hands on some of their coffees. A post on their blog/news section indicated that they were just recieving their 2008 crop of Peruvian Café Selvanica. This is a very special coffee that Fidalgo Bay buys full containers of at specialty coffee specification standards.

Besides being a terrific bean, what’s different about this coffee is that it is packed at the mill in Peru with a special thick kraft paper liner inside the traditional burlap sack. This liner keeps the coffee protected during its trip on the Pacific Ocean. The coffee beans are beautifully bright green and have a floral fresh artichoke aroma when you open the bag.

The coffee is roasted two ways, and blended post roast to create an excellent blend that is sure to please coffee drinkers of all walks.

They were kind enough to send me several samples of the blend, as well as some green coffee which I still mean to roast and cup. I did have the opportunity to sample the Cafe Selvanica with some of my coffee loving friends. When we were finished, we compared notes and scores to come to an agreement that this was infact an excellent coffee!

Cafe Selvanica (Fidalgo Bay) Coffee Review

Roasted By Fidalgo Bay Coffee Roasters – Burlington, Washington

• Roast: Blend
• Origin: Peru
• Crop: Current (2008)

Aroma: Mild Chocolate, slightly smokey, floral. A sweet almond aroma is also present.

Wet Fragrance (crust): Nutty, chocolate aromas burst from the cup as it steeps. Breaking the crust produced some wonderful fruity and floral aromas as well.

Acidity: The acidity was somewhat mild, but bright and winey. Rather pleasant!

Body: A medium, buttery body is found in this cup.

Flavour: Very clean, somewhat light in flavour. This coffee presents itself well for those who like a lighter roast of coffee with a little smokey, roasty flavour in the cup as well.

Aftertaste/Finish: A very pleasant aftertaste that lingers for quite some time……making your tongue crave the next sip!

I love Peruvian coffees, and this coffee was exactly what I look for in a great coffee from the Andes mountains of South America!

I rate this coffee 86/100 on my cupping sheet.

Gourmet, Organic & Fair Trade Certified Coffees

If you live in Guelph, Ontario, then you are probably
familiar with the little hotspot in town known as Planet Bean Coffee. Planet Bean is a fair trade and organic roaster of gourmet coffees from around the world. They’ve been in operation since 2002, and have grown tremendously since that time.

The company began as a tiny ‘hole-in-the-wall’ takeout coffee bar. A small, 5 kilogram Probat roaster sat in the middle of the shop, roasting each day to provide fresh, tasty coffee to the lucky residents of Guelph.
Popularity grew quickly, and it wasn’t long before several cafes and restaurants in Guelph began to request fresh roasted beans to offer in their establishments as well.

In 2006, the shop downtown Guelph became far too small, and the little 5 kilo probat would no longer suit the needs of the ever growing company. A stand alone cafe was developed, and the small roastery was looking for a place to move. Just outside of downtown, in the north east end of Guelph, a plaza was transforming, with the hopes of offering something new to the growing neighborhood. Planet Bean decided this would be the new roaster/cafe. A 25 Kilo Probat coffee roaster and afterburner were purchased, and a new cafe was developed. Inside the cafe, you can watch the roasters busy at work through a window. Its kind of unique, as its not everyday you get to have a peek inside the world of roasting.

Visit the Planet Bean website at

www.planetbeancoffee.com for more information about their great roasts and directions to their cafes and roastery!