In the end, it all comes down to the quality in the cup. We never lose sight of that simple fact. This is the Muskoka Roastery formula for delivering handcrafted quality, each and every day.

The Best Beans

The starting point is to source the best quality green beans from the origin countries. Some coffee roasters would have you believe that any product labelled 100% Arabica is a guarantee of quality, but there are more than 100 hybrids of the Arabica species grown in over 40 countries, in every variety of conditions.

Thankfully, there are commonly used classification systems to grade coffee quality in an objective way and we use the SCAA standard. Arabica coffee is classified as grade 1-5 based on the cupping attributes, number of defects, moisture content, colour, smell and size of the bean.

The two highest grades of green coffee are specialty (grade 1) and premium (grade 2). 100% of Muskoka Roastery green coffee is specialty or premium grade…simple, no exceptions. The other three grades are still sold and labelled as arabica coffees by other roasters, but may include exchange grade (3), below standard grade (4) or off grade (5) green beans. The in-cup quality is not comparable.

Expert Blending and Roasting

Our portfolio is made up of blends; typically three different origins or varietals in each finished product. The characteristics of a Colombian coffee differ from a Central American origin like Guatemala or Costa Rica, while a Kenyan, Ethiopian or Sumatran coffee brings its own very unique taste qualities.

Our roasters combine the best characteristics of each origin with an optimal roast to deliver an in-cup product that is unique to the Muskoka Roastery; it is safe to say that you will not find our blend/roast combination anywhere else.

To consistently deliver the quality designed into each product by our co-founder, we have elected to roast only in small batches under the watchful eye of a trained roaster. There are other, less expensive ways to roast coffee, but we’ll leave that to others.

Fresh Coffee

There is simply no substitute for fresh coffee. For that reason, we endeavour to roast to order so that the coffee leaving the roastery is at peak freshness. All heritage blend coffees are packed the day of roasting to seal in the freshness.

Our production efficiency would be much higher if we roasted large batches that went into inventory, as is the norm in the coffee industry. We have chosen not to pursue this path and you'll appreciate the difference - when you open the bag and are met with a burst of fresh aroma, and when you brew the coffee and experience the complex, vibrant flavour that only comes from handcrafted, speciality coffee.

Single Origin Coffee

We have, at times, sold single origins, so we don’t have a philosophical issue with them. However, we do believe that our real value-added comes in our unique blends/roasts and, over time, our loyal consumers have tended to agree by gravitating to one of our heritage blends.

All of the coffee origins we use could easily be sold as an excellent single origin roasted coffee. We choose to blend them to produce something even more special.

We would certainly save money if we substituted one of our specialty or premium origins for a more typical arabica 'blender', but that is not how we do things. The reward is in the cup where you can certainly taste the difference.

Specialty and premium single origins, combined in a unique Muskoka Roastery Coffee blend - a foundation of our handcrafted philosophy.

Decaf

Black Bear, Lumberjack and Muskoka Maple are available in decaf.

There are plenty of ways to decaffeinate coffee. Some methods are classified as 'natural' and some use chemicals to separate the caffeine from the green coffee bean. We have sampled and tested all the alternatives over the years, and have gravitated to natural processes because that is what our followers demanded. Currently, all of our decaf products use the Swiss Water Process.

We are often asked if there is a taste difference in the coffee, before and after the decaffeination process. While many advertisers would have you believe that the answer is NO, our truthful answer is YES...there is a taste compromise. Realistically, there are thousands of taste compounds in a coffee bean and it is not logical that the decaf process could remove all of the caffeine while leaving all the other compounds untouched.

So, what is our advice? Don't compromise on the quality of the decaf coffee you buy. We roast only speciality grade beans for use in our decaf and believe we offer 3 excellent taste options...one dark roast, one medium roast and one which is maple flavoured. Sure, our decaf costs a bit more than the mainstream options, but when you are faced with the reality of a decaf taste handicap, your best bet is to upgrade to offset that handicap.

Great tasting, naturally decaffeinated coffee that is 100% certified. A nice combination!

Allergens

We know first hand that exposure to allergens is a serious matter for many people, so we want to be crystal clear on where we stand.

All of our non-flavoured coffees are 100% coffee and are completely free of all allergens, sulfites or other sensitising agents. In addition, none of these substances are present in our roastery, in cleaning materials or packaging.

All of our flavoured coffees are free of the 8 defined allergens (milk, egg, peanut, treenut, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish). All products are also free of sulfites, with the exception of Muskoka Maple and Jamaican Cream.

As of June 22, 2012 our roastery production facility became nut free. It was sad to give up peanut butter sandwiches at lunch, but policy is policy!

We hope this clarity is helpful.