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11 · Friday, October 14, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Advertorial Best Brazilian Brew Gabriel Carvalho invites customers to sample freshly brewed Brazilian coffee at his Oakville roasterie and shop. The finest quality coffee beans are harvested at his farm Cachoeira (photo bottom right). ­ Photos by Chantal Ayotte, Metroland Media Group Brazilian coffee grower brews his finest at Carvalho Coffee Most of us are not experiencing the flavour of coffee at its best. The coffee we are accustomed to drinking is likely stale, possibly improperly brewed and usually has its bitter taste hidden by cream and sugar. Gabriel Carvalho invites Oakville residents to experience coffee at its finest. A fifth generation Brazilian coffee grower, he now shares his passion for the brew at Carvalho Coffee roasterie and store on Pacific Road. There are always at least two varieties of coffee brewed for customers to taste. The coffee beans are harvested at the coffee plantation his family has owned since 1890. Gabriel has continued to operate the plantation since he and his family moved here two years ago. He may not be able to grow coffee in Oakville but he can bring the freshest, highest quality coffee here from his homeland. Quality coffee requires ideal climate and soil. Gabriel explains that there are hundreds of different qualities and flavours of coffee grown in each producing country. The beans are divided into lots of varying quality. When choosing the beans that will be shipped to him in Oakville, he accepts only the best from the plantation where he was born and raised. He compares coffee to wine with its different levels of quality ­ grand reserve, reserve and lesser quality wines like those sold for creating blends. Just because coffee is labelled Brazilian does not mean it is the best the country can offer. "A winemaker selects the grapes, makes the wine and bottles it. If the bottle is well preserved, the wine is good", says Gabriel. "Coffee is more complicated, you still have to brew it." · Quality from the tree to the cup As a coffee maker, Gabriel selects his lots, carefully roasts the beans, packs them properly and grinds them correctly. The coffee also must be perfectly brewed to deliver the ultimate flavour. The coffee connoisseur advises that improper brewing can ruin even the finest coffee. But that is not difficult at all, he can teach you if you visit him. Freshness is also crucial. Gabriel recommends purchasing small packages of coffee and grinding only as much as you will need for each brew. Coffee in unopened packages will stay fresh. Use only freshly ground good quality beans, and coffee should never taste bitter. "The coffee flavour should be round in your mouth. It should have a sweetness. A lot people add cream or milk and sugar because it is bitter. I'm happy to have a lot of customers come in here who have never had coffee without cream, and now can enjoy it without anything added," Gabriel attests. He shows his customers how to brew delicious coffee. He suggests that average quality coffee that is well brewed could possibly taste better than good quality coffee brewed badly. It's also important to demonstrate how to grind coffee so that there is no powder, which clogs the filter and restricts the flow of water. This means the coffee is brewing too slowly, causing over-extraction and resulting in a bitter brew. · Keep coffee brewing simple Gabriel is often asked about coffee machines and which is the best. He recommends a simple inverted cone that fits on top of the pot and holds a filter. He sells a good quality plastic cone for $7 and also has glass and ceramic cones available. Personal taste will dictate whether he sells a customer light, medium or dark roast. For the uncommitted, he will brew a selection so that they can compare. He sells more medium dark with its nutty chocolate undertones. Amazingly, Gabriel reports, the difference between the more fruity medium and the medium dark is just one more minute in the roaster. · Use coffee within a week or two Coffee can't be judged for freshness by its colour like some products. It always looks brown even if it's a year old. In n terms of freshness, says Gabriel, coffee should be compared d with cake. You want to eat cake within a week and you want t to brew coffee within a week of two of the package being g opened. After that it begins to oxidize. At Carvalho Coffee, coffee is packaged in small 250 gram m packages which can be used up quickly. Carvalho Coffee is certified by the Brazil Specialty Coffee e Association (BSCA). Each package is stamped with a number r that makes it possible to trace the coffee back to where it t grew through the BSCA website. Award-winning Carvalho o coffee scores high in quality as well as social and environmental standards. According to Gabriel, it is not Fair Trade e certified because the farm is too large at 100 hectars (=250 0 acres). "After all, it is fair trade when you are buying directly from m the farmer," he explains. Gabriel describes the community of about 200 people who o live on his family's plantation, saying many employees were e born there. The farm provides a school, church and doctor's s office as well as a regulation size soccer field where workers s from other plantations come for matches. Although Oakville is a world away from his coffee trees in n Brazil, Gabriel is able to share a taste of his country through h Carvalho Coffee. Drop in and discover the flavours of the best coffee Brazil l has to offer. Carvalho Coffee is located at 775 Pacific Road, , Unit 30 (just east of Bronte Road, between South Service e Road West and Wyecroft Road). Call or visit the website for more information ­ 905-4696060 www.carvalhocoffee.ca. Carvalho Coffee is also available in Oakville at Florence e Meats( 2136 Speers Rd, between Bronte and 3rd Line ) and d Jubilee Market(Lakeshore and Allan). S. . Service Rd. W Bronte Road d We Grow It. We Roast It. You Brew It! 775 Pacific Road, Unit 30, Oakville (near Toyota Dealership) 905-469-6060 · www.carvalhocoffee.ca Regular hours: Tue, Wed, Thu 10-12 and 2-5:30 pm, Fri 10-12 and 2-8 pm, Sat 9-5 pm, Sun-Mon closed Pac fic Road Pacific Wyecroft Road d Thi d L Third Line Brazilian Specialty Coffee QEW