An elevated coffee and doughnut experience
Beyond the world of double-doubles and salted-caramel-mocha lattes lies another level of coffee enjoyment; one that celebrates the bean’s profound nuances through sourcing sustainably, working directly with coffee growers, precise roasting and preparation allowing one to dive deep into terroir, varietals and the flavour profiles they produce.
In Penticton, Sara Turner of Seis Cielo Coffee, led the charge in how we drink and purchase coffee with her direct and transparent trade Honduran beans. Eliminating the middleman, Turner pays directly to the farmers, many of whom she knows personally. The coffee beans, roasted on site, produce tropical fruit characteristics, lean towards light roasting, with tasting notes written on each bag of freshly roasted beans.
I’m a drip-coffee-at-home person but there are other approaches to enjoying bean-to-cup nuances through different types of extraction. Cold brew and nitro cold brew seeks to highlight flavour profiles and origins by steeping medium to coarse ground coffee in cold water for 12 hours or longer.
It produces a smooth infusion with low levels of acidity, and a full-bodied, creamy almost Guinness-like mouthfeel. Seis Cielo has cold brew on tap and it’s completely refreshing on a hot day.
Another hot water method for coffee extraction, that also digs deep into single coffee varietals with light roasts, is the popular “pour over.”
At Joy Road Pop Up
Bakeshop the pour-over technique rules. Chef and co-owner Brett Turner decided on it as their primary caffeine offering. He feels it’s a more “culinary experience” for customers to engage their senses. It’s a delicate process too, one that’s more controlled, using specific equipment, and takes about five minutes from start to finish.
Customers can watch their coffee being made by Vick Friesen, the bakeshop manager and coffee aficionado. (Joy Road also offers a drip coffee for those in a hurry but really, how busy are you?)
There are always two coffee roasts on the menu at Joy Road: one from Kelowna’s Bright Jenny roster, and Calgary’s Phil & Sebastian.
Both companies are chosen, like Seis Ceilo, for their sustainable sourcing and expert roasting techniques, with each roast expressing its specific origin and tasting notes. (I chose Bright Jenny’s Guji Taba for its notes of “fuzzy peaches, jasmine and sweet stone fruit”.)
To begin the process, temperature-controlled and weighed hot water is poured over ground-to-order-andweighed coffee. Friesen points out that this is the “bloom phase,” which kickstarts the extraction process and brings out all the tasting notes. The hot water is poured over the grounds by hand in a circular motion, using a gooseneck kettle that allows for an even flow rate.
It sounds complicated, but Friesen points out that the technique is less finicky than espresso (which can be affected by weather). Aficionados can purchase pour over equipment for home use, but I would rather go out and have an experienced barista like Friesen make it for me.
The beauty of the pour over — and cold brew for that matter — is that it makes for a smooth cup of joe, one that really doesn’t need the addition of milk, cream
or sugar. In fact, drinking it black in the best way to hone in on those flavour notes. While I didn’t pick up on notes of fuzzy peaches, I did pick up on the jasmine — exquisite.
It would be a shame to not also dig in to one of Joy Road’s pastries while savouring a pour over. The bakery, known for its gooey cinnamon buns and elegant lemon and chocolate tarts, has added another delicacy to the mix. Introducing the bomboloni, a yeasted doughnut of Italian origin. Light, airy, and delicately sweet, it's filled with a rich flavoured pastry cream, creating a ‘bomb’ of delicious richness.
Joy Road’s version uses a combination of sourdough and yeast, freshly milled flour from Enderby, along with the addition of olive oil and a ton of lemon zest. Eight dozen of the bombas are made every Friday morning — ready at around 9:30 a.m. — and they go fast.
Fillings change with the seasons and the whim of head baker Bridgit Krestensen. The roster has included lemon cream, chocolate, coffee, popcorn-infused, Earl Grey, and most recently peach leaf.
Treat yourself — and your senses — soon.