Welcome to Cupper's Coffee & Gift Shop

Come to Cupper's Coffee to find out more about our one-of-a-kind Coffee Fundraising Program, our Wholesale options or any other products we carry online or in-store.

Frequently Asked Questions!

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Cupper’s doesn’t have seating, but you’ll enjoy browsing our coffee bar and retail shop after you order your coffee or tea lattes. We also always have a sampler of one of our freshly roasted coffees you can try for free.

Our retail store carries a variety of coffee brewers, grinders, and accessories. We also have tea pots, cups, presses and tea accessories, and mugs of many styles. Then we carry local candies, chocolates, and many more foodie items. There’s always a few surprises you’d never expect in a store like ours, too! 

And of course, we have a variety of fairly traded and ethically sourced coffee beans and teas from around the world. Brazil, China, Japan, Sumatra, India, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Costa Rica, United States, Egypt… We’re always sourcing more. 

The greatest enemies to your coffee beans are air, moisture, heat and light. For the best cup of coffee, start with quality, fresh roasted beans. Fresh, quality coffee that has been stored well keeps its freshness and flavor longer. Keep your coffee airtight and cool. But contrary to popular opinion, don’t keep it in your fridge or freezer. The taste of fridge/freezer is not a flavour you want in your coffee!

At Cupper’s Coffee, we highly recommend you store your beans in an opaque, air-tight container at room temperature. The bags they come in from Cupper’s is a good start. Squeeze out the air and seal the top of the bag between each brew. 

Coffee beans or grounds kept at just slightly cooler than room temperature actually produce the best flavour of coffee. There is no ‘shock’ when the hot water hits cold or frozen coffee grounds. 

Typically, the amount of caffeine between light vs. dark roast coffee is negligible. (For serious aficionados, there very slightly more caffeine in lighter roasts.) In practical terms, how you brew your coffee makes more of a difference in the amount of caffeine than the degree of roast does.

An 8 fl. oz. brewed coffee, for example, has ~95 mg of caffeine per serving. An 8 fl. oz. cold brewed coffee has ~200 mg of caffeine per serving. A nitro-coffee (nitrogenated cold brewed coffee) would have ~165 mg of caffeine per serving. Whereas an 8 fl. oz. of drip coffee has between ~65-120 mg of caffeine.

If you find coffee unsettles your stomach, it may not be the caffeine but the acidity. Often lighter roasts are more acidic – think of their tart, citrus notes. This can also affect how your stomach feels afterwards. Ask us about Cupper’s Coffee’s naturally lower-acid coffees!

There are a few things to mind when grinding your coffee beans to ensure your best cup of coffee ever.

First: the beans matter. The quality of the beans and the degree of roast directly impact the flavors. Purchase quality beans that have been carefully selected and meticulously roasted.  You’ll like what we offer at Cupper’s Coffee & Tea (a selfish little plug).

Second: Your coffee beans should be ground according to the brewing method. So which grind should you use?

  1. Coarse grind: French press, cold brew, or a percolator
  2. Medium grind: Automatic drip brewer with flat bottom filters
  3. Medium grind/fine:  Automatic drip brewers or pour-overs with cone shaped filters
  4. Fine grind: Stove top espresso (Bialetti), Aeropress
  5. Extra-fine grind: Espresso machines. The degree of fineness depends on the pressure the machine produces. 
  6. Turkish grind: for Turkish style coffee.

Third: Blade vs. Burr Grinders?

We don’t recommend a blade grinder. Ever. There are several reason why not, but the main one is there is no way to ensure consistency of the size of the particles. 

Burr grinders are are all about precision and versatility. They can be manual or electric, and allow you to set the grind yourself. There are a variety of styles of burr grinders, but most have either a steel or ceramic burr. All crush the beans to ensure the consistency of the grind. 

For more information on grinder types and styles, check out our Definitive Guide to Grinders.

Happy grinding!

Roasting coffee is both a science and an art. The magic of a perfect coffee roast can be measured… but much of it is purely time and experience. That’s where Cupper’s Coffee’s Master Roaster shines! There are many factors that affect a quality roast. 

The actual beans are a huge influence on roasting. The coffee varietal, the growing elevation, the acidity and quality of the soil, the amount of sunlight and rain, the other trees and plants grown in the area – All have an impact that affect the final profile of the roast. 

The process of roasting results in chemical and physical changes on green beans. Small changes in the temperature and length of time for each phase of roasting can have a huge impact on the final coffee.  

The science of roasting is clear… it’s all in the numbers. The weight of the green beans,  the slow temperature climb as the beans take on heat, the speed of the roasting process, the current wind and weather, the final temperature of the roasted beans… these can all be measured.

The art of roasting is purely in the non-measurables. It’s in knowing when to add or remove heat to control the speed of the process, what the colour of the beans mean as they change, the amount to be roasted, the seasons and weather, the beans’ moisture percentage, and the final colour/roast desired. Knowing and managing these is what makes a Master Roast a VIP!

We have a lot more information about coffee roasting in our Cupper’s Coffee blog The Ultimate Guide to Coffee Roasting. Check it out and feel free to ask us more questions any time!

Well, at Cupper’s Coffee, we think so – but don’t take our word for it!

According to the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Donald Hensrud speaking on coffee and your health, “Newer research shows that [coffee] may actually have health benefits.” He continues to say that recent studies have generally not found any connection between coffee and an increased risk of heart disease or cancer. 

In fact, Dr. Hensrud adds that some studies have found an association between coffee consumption and decreased overall mortality and possibly cardiovascular mortality. This reversal in thinking may be due to other known high-risk behaviours in study subjects, such as smoking and physical inactivity, which also tends to be more common in heavy coffee drinkers. 

Dr. Hensrud points out there have been studies to show coffee may actually protect against Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease, including liver cancer. Coffee also seems to improve cognitive function and decrease the risk of depression. Let’s drink our java to that! 

The Mayo Clinic also warned that high consumption of unfiltered coffee has been associated with mild elevations of cholesterol levels. Additionally, adding creams and sugars to your coffee adds unnecessary fats and calories to your diet. 

So, as with all life’s pleasures, enjoy your Cupper’s Coffee responsibly!

Let’s be friends, stay in touch!

About once a week we send out a quick, lighthearted email letting you know what’s new at Cupper’s. We’ll tell you about special or seasonal coffees, new products and drinks, monthly prize draws, and all kinds of sass and shenanigans.  

We’ll send you a follow-up email asking your birthday so we can send you a special treat. Watch your spam folder in case it gets diverted!

Fill out the form below and become a part of the Cupper’s community!

Our site admins (at Cupper’s itself, not outsourced!) are the only people who have access to our newsletter list. This info will not be sold, exchanged, held hostage, spindled, folded, or replaced by an exact duplicate from another universe. We promise to only send you out our newsletter, an annual birthday surprise, and occasional special updates… for example, if we find a real, live unicorn to transport our coffee directly to you! (We would do that, you know.)  🙂

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