Article by K.M. Wehrstein

Full disclosure: I don’t drink coffee and never have, avoiding stimulants as a rule. I’m high-strung enough as it is. However, I think a certain innocence of palate can help in sampling objectivity, so rather than a disadvantage from lack of familiarity, this offers a fresh perspective.

Coffee is best known, of course, as the universal mental-energy drug that arguably powers the economy of the entire Western world (except England, where it’s tea). According to one legend, it all started with a Yemeni goatherder in 850 CE who noticed his goats became energetic to the point of dancing after eating certain berries, so naturally tried them himself. The global journey from there to a coffee machine in every office is caffeine-fueled history.

However, coffee’s inimitable and always recognizable deep nut-like flavour is much loved as an ingredient, too, whether in savoury marinades and sauces, desserts like tiramisu, the many iterations of mocha, or the simple cup of coffee enhanced by a wide range of other ingredients into spectacular beverages. For this issue, there’s lots of sweetness.

We’ll start at Muskoka’s very first coffee manufacturer, Muskoka Roastery, founded in 2000 when Patricia Snell began at Huntsville’s 7 Main Café.

“When we started out, 24 years ago, roasting in small batches for the local community, we had a vision to become the biggest and the best specialty coffee roaster in Canada,” shares Snell.

The company soon outgrew the café and moved to an expandable location on Crescent Road in 2008. Factory and office space combined is now 17,000 square feet. Muskoka Roastery products can now be bought in more than 900 Canadian stores from coast to coast and are ordered online by people all over the world, from the USA to Italy, Germany, England, the Netherlands and even Saudi Arabia.

“It has been pretty incredible,” Snell enthuses.

The roastery imports its beans from 10 top-coffee-growing nations in South America, Africa and Asia, then roasts and blends them to craft the different roasts. In the case of its few flavoured coffees (two of which are featured in recipes), the beans are flavoured after roasting.

“We choose subtle yet distinct all-natural flavours,” says marketing manager Jordan Neudorf. “We make them very Canadian, very unique and very us.”

All the coffee farms Muskoka Roastery buys from are Rainforest Alliance-certified, which brings forward a key concept in the company’s mission: sustainability.

“It has been a focus for us since day one,” explains Neudorf. “Patricia and her family have been in Muskoka a very long time.” (Since 1862, according to the website.) “The rest of us work and play here, and if you’re surrounded by it, you value it. We’d like to ensure future generations can see and enjoy Canada the way we get to.”

Muskoka Roastery is the first coffee roaster in North America to source all its beans from Rainforest-Alliance-certified farms starting in 2011. This means that not only are the beans cultivated sustainably but workers are paid fairly and live in good conditions. It’s also the first roastery in Canada to sell 100 per cent compostable coffee pods.

“Last summer we began producing those in our factory,” says Neudorf. “You can put them in your green bin.” In 2017, the company went totally Bullfrog Powered, “meaning we choose 100 per cent green electricity, green natural gas and green fuel. Since 2017 we have avoided 726 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to 162 cars taken off the road for one year.”

In its 20th anniversary year of 2020, Muskoka Roastery became a certified B Corporation, meaning it must report its impact on employees, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment, every three years. The 2023 report can be read on its website.

Finally, the roastery gives one per cent of its proceeds to environmental causes.

“Our brand is very anchored in nature,” says Neudorf. “If we don’t have an environment we don’t have a brand.”

But let’s get to the deliciousness aspect now, with two offerings which, in Neudorf’s words, “take recipes traditional for coffee and puts our own twist on them. You put cream and sugar into coffee, so…”

Muskoka Maple Affogato is absurdly simple with just two mandatory ingredients, though adding additional toppings, such as the fairly large drizzling of chocolate syrup I added to my sample, only adds to the sweet flavour. The maple in combination with the vanilla makes it.

Combining the classic tastes of café au lait and s’mores – you know, those gooey campfire delicacies often consumed in Muskoka – is S’mores Café Au Lait. Especially delightful is the way the coffee and milk mixture gradually sweetens as the marshmallows melt into it.

“I did not have ‘barista’ on my bingo card even as soon as two years ago, but here I am, and I’m loving it,” says Chris Vanderbeek, self-described “introvert doing extrovert things” and owner of Baristah Coffee in Bracebridge. “I love being part of the community fabric, love the support that most give to each other, love meeting the quirky people. A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Born in Dundas, Ontario, Vanderbeek got a foundational business education at Niagara College. From there he did a co-op placement in Muskoka and met his future wife, Ashley, then went on to work as a golf pro at the Lake Joseph Club.

“I left there and did a few different jobs,” Vanderbeek recounts. “This is my first real business venture. Two Januarys ago, a friend and I were talking about what we could do as a side hustle. We looked into the coffee business. As we didn’t have skills or knowledge to start a roastery, we went into drop shipping: you have a website, people order your coffee on the website and the supplier ships to their door.”

Vanderbeek and his partner then made contact with retailers in the Hiram St. Market complex, who were willing to try selling their line. “So, we got our foot in the door; people could see, feel, smell and taste our coffee.”

Invited by Big River Bakery to sell out of a corner in their shop, he had two Saturdays that were so successful that he gave his employer his two-weeks’ notice.

“That was last June,” Vanderbeek recalls. “I had a great summer and now I’m here full-time Tuesday to Saturday.”

Partnering with Bumble Pastry, he has opened a storefront café next to Big River on Taylor Road. At time of writing the plan was to offer coffee, pastries and other “grab and go” stuff including, perhaps, salads and wraps. Meanwhile Bumble Pastry owner Janette MacNaughtan, who is also Ashley’s longtime best friend, will be baking and cake decorating downstairs.

Baristah Coffee is supplied by a roastery in Nepean who brings in beans from across the world and Vanderbeek crafts his wares by tasting, tweaking and giving the roastery instructions.

“I like to taste the bean, but I also like a little of the darker flavour, just a little bit of oil,” he expains. “I don’t like an acidic coffee. The longer you roast a bean, the less acidic it becomes, and also the less caffeine it keeps. The oils are always in the bean; they come to the surface the longer you roast.”

Of course, he can’t base all offerings on his personal favourite (mocha/java blend, as it reminds him of growing up in the 90s) and must provide a range. Vernon Dark Roast is from Ethiopia, Moon River from Guatemala and Skeleton is his favoured mocha/java blend – Baristah coffees are all named after bodies of water in Muskoka. He even stocks two decaffeinated roasts. “I try to cover everything.”

All week, Vanderbeek says, “I’m thinking about what the next special weekly drink will be. It takes trial and error to create; I taste it myself or share with friends. I try to keep it fun but sometimes make it a little bit elevated, like this.” He is referring to his Honey Lavender Latte. It has such a lovely, sweet, fragrant and irresistible taste that I kept sipping as we chatted, and soon got that familiar I-just-took-a-stimulant feeling coffee lovers all swear by.

If Janette MacNaughtan’s surname seems familiar, it could be because her grandfather founded MacNaughtan’s Home Hardware in Bracebridge. Her educational background is in illustration and education, in which she has a master’s degree.

“I still do artwork, have shown work at The Annex,” she says. In fact, among her publicly viewable works are the storefront signs and illustrations for Baristah Coffee and Bumble Pastry.

MacNaughtan has been baking from childhood, taught by her mother and her grandmother. “It was something I dabbled in for a while,” she shares. “I’d have friends who’d commission me to do wedding and birthday cakes. I helped run a little café in The Annex some years ago and we had this huge discussion about my friend Joan’s butter tarts and how I could tweak her recipe.”

Then one year while Big River Bakery was closed for a New Year’s vacation, she provided the tarts along with other baked goods. As she recalls: “Warren Dix, the owner of the bakery, said ‘Your butter tarts are the best, keep going!’”

“Janette does signs, does butter tarts – she’s awesome,” Vanderbeek interjects.

“And Chris keeps me in coffee and laughs,” MacNaughtan shoots back. “We’re also really lucky because we have really supportive partners” (meaning in both business and romance). “We have those people we can celebrate and an extra shoulder to grab onto when you need some support.”

I haven’t tasted her butter tarts but her Chocolate Espresso Biscotti, based on a recipe from her friend Miranda T., are delightful. Hard like dense toast from the double bake, they are full of crunch and chocolate with a subtle coffee flavour, neither too sweet or too bitter. If you want them a little softer… just dip them in your latte!

Why course and finely ground coffee, both? “The fine-ground spreads coffee flavour through the dough, and the course gives a little crunch – texture and flavour together, almost like a chocolate-covered coffee bean.”

 Honey Lavender Latte

– Chris Vanderbeek

 Ingredients

• 4 oz espresso or strongly brewed coffee
• 6 oz milk or milk alternative
• ½ oz natural honey
• ½ oz lavender infused simple syrup
• ½ oz vanilla simple syrup
• Whipped topping (optional)
• Nutmeg (optional)

Method

Combine milk, honey, lavender and vanilla syrups and heat up to approximately 150° F on a stovetop on medium heat or with espresso steam wand.

• Carefully pour into a 12 oz cup
• Add espresso or strong coffee
• Top with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg if desired
• Enjoy!

 Baristah's Tips

• “With simple syrup you can control how much is going in.”
• Possible milk substitutes: soy, almond, oat (“most popular by far”).
• Use a candy thermometer to track the temperature to 150° F – so long as it’s digital. “It has to be fast or it won’t keep up with the heating.” Baristas use metal pitchers so they can feel the temperature and avoid scalding the milk that way.
• Use a milk frother if you have one.

 Muskoka Maple Affogato

– Jordan Neudorf

 Ingredients

• 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
• ¼ cup of strongly brewed Muskoka Maple coffee
• Optional: Shaved chocolate, chopped nuts.

Method
• Scoop ice cream into a cup. Gently pour in coffee and add any desired toppings.

 S’mores Café Au Lait

– Muskoka Roastery

 Ingredients

• Muskoka Roastery S’mores Coffee, strongly brewed
• Warmed milk
• Chocolate syrup
• Graham crackers, ground to crumbs
• Mini marshmallows 

Method

• Rim your mug of choice with chocolate sauce and graham crackers. Line the inside of the mug with chocolate sauce.
• Fill the mug half full with Muskoka Roastery S’mores Coffee and fill the remaining half with warmed milk.
• Top with mini marshmallows and use a kitchen torch (or a regular household blowtorch at its lowest setting) to toast them to your likeness.
• Garnish your drink with some crushed graham crackers, and it’s ready to enjoy.

Chocolate Espresso Biscotti

– Janette MacNaughtan and

Miranda T.

 Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp Baristah Hardy Espresso Blend, very finely ground (or your chosen espresso)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 Tbsp Baristah Hardy Espresso Blend, coarsely ground (or your chosen espresso)

 Method

• Preheat oven to 300° F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking soda, and chopped chocolate. Pulse until the chocolate is ground into the flour mixture.
• In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.
• Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
• Gradually add the flour mixture just until combined. (Don’t overdo it.)
• Stir in the chocolate chips and ground espresso beans (coarse and fine ground at the same time) into the dough.
• Divide dough in half and form two logs about 14” x 2”. Place logs on prepared baking sheet at least 4” apart for the first bake. (They will puff a tiny bit and spread.)
• Bake for 30-35 minutes. Logs should be firm but not hard.
• Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Leave the oven on.
• On a cutting board using a serrated knife, cut each loaf into ½ inch slices. (If the slices crumble, let the loaf cool a little longer.)
• Place slices, standing half an inch apart, on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for the second bake. Bake for 30 minutes until the surface of the cookies is dry (the chocolate chips will be gooey).
• Cool on a wire cooling rack.

 Can be stored in an airtight container for up to three weeks.

Baker's Tips

• “I use only real vanilla, not the fake stuff.”
• Why both course and finely ground coffee? “The fine-ground spreads coffee flavour through the dough, and the course gives a little crunch – texture and flavour together, almost like a chocolate-covered coffee bean.”