Two Nova Scotian-roasted coffees selected for expo in Seattle

Just Us! Coffee Roasters will feature two coffees at the Seattle-based event, Incan Sun and Kivu Congo. The roasts, concocted by Annapolis Valley native and Just Us! lead barista trainer Liz Bishop, were selected for the global expo following a blind tasting put on by the Barista Guild of America.

A press release issued by Just Us! April 16 explains that Bishop is one of only a few Arabica Q-Graders in Canada.

“Quite simply, it’s a fancy title for someone who can tell what superior quality coffee should taste like.”

The coffees selected for Seattle are both organic and fair trade certified, with Incan Sun originating from Peru and Kivu Congo from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Even more unique is that both coffees come from cooperatives that carry the Small Producers’ Symbol certification, which is uniquely 100 per cent owned and operated by farmers in the Global South,” the April 16 release reads.  

“Just Us! is the only coffee roaster using this certification in the Atlantic Provinces.”

The origin of the coffee matters to Bishop.

“Making sure that each roast will bring out the most from the bean is as much about honouring the hard work of the coffee farmers as it is about releasing the unique flavour notes,” she said, in a prepared statement.

“The Kivu coffee is a washed bean that has been dried using African raised beds and if I want to make sure that the tropical fruit flavours come through it’s going to spend as little time in the roaster as possible.”

Bishop was among a select group of 13 coffee roasters from North America invited to prepare samples that would be considered for the expo. She’ll be joining Joey Pittoello, manager and director of coffee at Just Us!, at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo.