About Vanessa Muri
Montreal City Editor Vanessa Muri has lived in London and Tokyo, but finds the charms of her hometown irresistible. From the latest scoops to the best deals in Montreal and everything in between, don't miss her weekly take on life in the fair city.
Coffee Tasting
Montreal Musings: Van Houtte Coffee canada, Montreal
(Nov.30.11)
It was my birthday a few weeks ago, and this year I received one heck of a present. (Though it wasn’t intentional.)
It was an invitation to tour the Van Houtte coffee factory. OK, so you have to be a true coffee fanatic lover to want to go behind the scenes at a bean-roasting facility (which I am!), somewhere far, far away in the east end. But we’d witness the entire process from start to finish, and then learn how to taste coffee, one from each of the six coffee profiles.
And then… we’d sample a coffee-infused menu at renowned restaurant Le St-Urbain, courtesy of owner and chef Marc-André Royal, the new Montreal ambassador for Van Houtte. I’ve heard amazing things about his cuisine but had never managed to visit, as it’s ‘way up there’ in Ahuntsic where he grew up. This was going to be a special night…
A big bus collected fellow writers/bloggers and took us east to Pie-IX and north of Jarry. The incredible smell of roasting beans hit us the moment the doors opened. Now if someone could just bottle that scent…
Once inside, we learned about the history of Van Houtte and then toured the factory, lab coats, hairnets and toe-protectors mandatory.
From green beans to freshly roasted beans, the process is monitored on every level.
Then came the fun part: Tasting! The process, known as cupping, was fun and informative, and the blind taste-testing confirmed that I’m Velvety & Woodsy.
Then it was back to the bus for part two of the evening. Le St-Urbain was ready and waiting for us – and for me in particular – with a vegetarian, coffee-infused menu. The java wasn’t evident in every dish, but no matter: the food and wine pairing was exquisite, and I happily discovered (and devoured) the best mushroom risotto that I’ve ever had in my life.
And with three different desserts courses, we were all spoiled rotten. I was worried when they suddenly took my plate of chocolate coffee cake away, but it was quickly replaced with this candle-lit one.
Happy birthday indeed.