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Marilyn Jones-Bent
After spending his early childhood in Mexico, Josué Duff returned to Canada in 2008 and settled near his parents in Brickton, Annapolis County. A coffee lover, his original plan was to establish a business of roasting and shipping coffee. Remembering the wondrous taste of a cup of coffee he once enjoyed in Chiapas, Mexico, he worked hard studying and researching coffee bean grinding and roasting methods, striving to produce the best-tasting coffee possible.
His experiments helped decide the preferred method: commence roasting the beans at a high temperature, 190-200 degrees centigrade, for between10 and 12.5 minutes per batch. Roasting coffee generates a fair amount of smoke, especially when planning for bolder, richer roasts. If there isn’t enough air flow through the machine, the lingering smoke particles will coat the beans and lend a bitter, smoky, ashy, burnt flavour. This can be corrected by periodically increasing air flow near the end of the roast, which helps clear the smoke out of the roaster and applies gentler heat to the beans. Josué decided the timing and magnitude of these adjustments would determine the profile of a roast and impact the entire experience. In time, he felt ready to open his specialty shop.
Once in Brickton, however, he discovered there was a local atmosphere he thoroughly enjoyed. He now prefers to see people and chat with them instead of mailing boxes to unknown souls in distant lands. His vision changed to bringing the coffee world to Brickton. To share and learn locally, he took time to get to know those who came into his shop and to learn their taste preferences for coffee. Some customers like only one roast and never change it, others like different coffees and like to try his new roasts. Either way, Josué tries to understand and remember what they want and not impose his personal preferences on them as is sometimes the case in the coffee world.
There’s lots to know about coffee. Its use goes back to ancient times, and coffees grown in different countries have unique flavours. Well-roasted coffee has good taste, smooth flavour, and should never smell burnt. The beans Josué uses are organic and fair trade coffee beans, meaning every single bean was picked by the loving hand of a farmer.
Not shy about experimenting, Josué recently combined the flavours of beans, some from Peru and some from Mexico, to develop a springtime blend called Primavera, the Spanish word for springtime. He also has beans from Honduras, and in the past has featured a small lot from Guatemala, and another from Bolivia.
So say goodbye to the large canisters and bags of pre-ground coffee that line grocery shelves. Drive to Brickton and visit Brickbean Coffee, located at 12025 Highway 1, between Middleton and Lawrencetown. Josué will be happy to show you his shop and explain the process he uses to prepare and grind the wonderful Brickbean coffee he’s become known for.
For more information, visit brickbean.ca
