Food & Drink
Coffee the little bean that packs a punch
TODD ROBSON
Winter 2008 |
According to doctors at Johns Hopkin’s School of Medicine, a lot of us are suffering from withdrawal. Some might say we are hooked.
Now I won’t challenge any good doctor’s research, but I do know that in this writer’s world—a waking dawn in my household without an immediate fix of caffeine renders the morning lost and the rest of the day a challenge.
Sound familiar? As one of the 63 percent of Canadians who drink coffee on a daily basis, I know what I’m talking about.
Caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance. In fact, humans have been partaking in this narcotic since the Stone Age.
Before we had Keurig single cup home brewers, Bodums, Cuisinart stainless steel gems or even the old campfire perk-pots – we were getting our caffeine fix from bark, beans, leaves and seeds to up our tempo and boost our energy.
As a species, we’ve been hooked since the dawn of time, and in Sudbury, judging from the morning lineups at the drive-thrus, we’re proving not much has changed over the ages.
Al Jonik of Alliance Coffee and Water, knows coffee. Alliance Coffee and Water has more than 500 corporate customers. Jonik’s clientele ranges from confectionaries to government offices, and according to Jonik’s numbers, last year we consumed more than one million cups. That’s a lot of coffee.
And let’s keep in mind that these numbers do not represent any of the joe we are brewing at home, on the way to work, or at dinner.
According to the Coffee Association of Canada only 12 percent of the average daily intake is consumed at work.
Weekday mornings there is a meandering line-up at William’s Coffee Pub on Elm St.
“We’re busy from seven straight through until 11:30 in the morning,” says Cheryl Spencer, the restaurant’s manager. “We get the morning crowd, and then the coffee-break crowd, and by that time it is lunch, and it starts all over again.”
Spencer notes most of the downtown consumers are fans of the house blend, but those who prefer the strong jolt of William’s espresso seldom stray from their chosen drink. She also notices a particular bump in business during rainy days, which likely (and subconsciously) can be attributed to caffeine’s psychoactive affect on the brain.
In layman’s terms, when life is a bit weary and darkness comes, a quick fix can help make it all feel better. Coffee is a bridge over any troubled water.
Down the road from William’s Coffee Pub is Sudbury’s newest addition to the coffee game. Old Rock is a coffee house on Minto St. that prides itself on its selection, atmosphere and that it roasts the beans right on site. In fact, when one of the old burlap sacks is sliced open and the fresh beans are roasted, it’s an indescribable assault on the senses. There are many different ways to ingest caffeine.
Old Rock proudly serves fair-trade, organic coffees and offers tastes from such exotic locales as Ethiopia, Honduras and Peru. As well, the locally monikered Black Bear’s Butt and Slag are secret blends of international beans that pack a caffeine punch that could make the dead walk and definitely conquer the worst of any hangover. These local flavours are quickly becoming popular requests among regulars, as has Old Rock itself.
The owners recently opened a second location. The shop is located in the Le Grand Ciel Bleu – la Librairie du Nouvel-Ontario at 93 Durham St. in the original Eaton’s building.
In Sudbury, and around the world, coffee is a daily and requisite part of our morning function. Call it an addiction, call it a luxury or call it a food group, the little bean that packs a punch is an ingrained part of our life. Like it or not, most of us are addicted.
