Cafes Delahaut was generous enough to host a few Yelpers for an explanation of the roasting…read moreprocess. I didn't have many expectations going into this other than drinking a cup of coffee while someone talked to me. Looking at the website, it seemed like a big, soulless company that sells mostly to restaurants and supermarkets, but I was SO impressed.
When I walked in, late, Francois introduced himself and talked about the history of the company and how their business works. He was kind enough to take two hours of his time with our small group and to explain everything in both French and English so that I could understand. This is their second location that they just opened a few months ago. I was shocked to hear that he's the fourth generation of his family to run this coffee roaster, which was started by his great grandfather in the 1800s. Based on how big the company was, I didn't expect for it to still be family owned. What a delight!
The way this shop works is really cool. They have many different coffees and blends already roasted, so you can buy any of those in bulk. Then they had five or six giant bags of green coffee beans, and you can customize those to get your own personal roast. For example, you can either do a single-source roast, or specify the percentage you want of each kind of bean. Then, you specify the roast and the power (which means how long it takes to get to the level of roast you want). The shop keeps track of the specifications, so that you can order the same thing again. Or even better, if you don't love it, you can basically call and do a consultation of whether it was too light/dark, too acidic, etc, and they will tweak the formula for your next batch until it's perfect.
Both in the cafe, and at home, the coffee was incredible. They've definitely won me over as a loyal customer.
I didn't know this type of service existed anywhere! It is pricey, but after seeing the precision that goes into all of it, I'm convinced it's worth the price.