If you’re the kind of person who’s always casting about looking for a new flavour sensation, Rave Coffee in Canmore may be the place for you.
Already working through a soft opening to sort out some of the kinks associated with launching a new business, Rave Coffee will officially open on Saturday (Aug. 16) with tours and tastings from noon to 3 p.m.
At the helm of the new operation, which is located in the former Railway Deli location (#113, 702 Bow Valley Trail), is Dean Smolicz, who has brought Rave from Cirencester in the U.K., where an aunt and uncle established a coffee specialty house.
“My aunt and uncle started in Australia in 2000,” Smolicz, “then they moved back to the U.K. and started their own business. It’s been a huge success and they can’t keep up. They’re shipping to places like Russia, even Qatar.
“Then they approached me to go back and learn the business. This is the first operation in Canada and we hope to expand throughout the country.”
Prior to the Rave Coffee startup, Smolicz was an engineer, but one who has been in the Bow Valley for seven years, working at ski hills and other typical valley professions.
Rave now features a roasting room, café, events room (under renovation) and patio.
Up first was the purchase of a roaster, the heart of the business, from a company in Turkey. The roaster arrived in Canmore by ship via Turkey, Amsterdam and Montreal. “It’s pretty well travelled,” said Smolicz.
The roaster does 15-kilogram batches, features multiple temperature probes and everything is computer monitored to ensure flavour profiles “are exactly the same every batch. We can work to a tenth of a degree, which means consistency and a better product.”
Rave Coffee beans are purchased through brokers from 13 countries around the world, including in South and Central America, Africa and Indonesia.
“We do microlot buying from very small farms,” said Smolicz. “That way, the farmer is getting more on his return and we know exactly where the coffee is coming from. The farmers are making more money from their coffee.”
Purchasing and roasting in smaller batches is the way the industry is moving, said Smolicz, rather than the large-scale operations of the past.
“My uncle is so passionate about coffee,” he said, “and he instilled that in me. It’s been a lot of fun since I got into it a couple of years ago.”
As the business moves forward, Smolicz wants to sell in bulk to cafés and restaurants in the valley; Rave also offers barista training.
Among the blends Rave offers is Strong As A Bear, a mocha java; Blow Your Doors off, a strong Italian offering; and Signature, an espresso blend of four beans. Typical bags of coffee are 250 grams, with larger ones available.
For the most part, medium dark roasts are the heaviest offered. “We don’t have dark roasts,” said Smolicz. “We roast slowly to bring out the flavours to be smooth and tasty. With dark roasts, you tend to taste the roast and not the actual bean.
“With the 250-gram bags, the idea is you come in each week to keep it fresh. Coffee is usually good for about four weeks, so you shouldn’t have too much on hand anyway.”
Rave Coffee bags are vented to allow air to be squeezed out. Excessive air trapped in a bag causes premature aging of the beans.
Something different at Rave Coffee is a lever espresso machine made in the U.K. The unit produces one cup at a time, with water forced through the coffee under pressure, rather than with steam, to create a beverage unlike other machines. When Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee is made with the lever machine, the end result is an extremely flavourful beverage.
Along with the lever machine, Rave Coffee offerings are via espresso machine and pour-over equipment. With no coffee waiting in pots, each cup ordered is a special order.
For more, visit www.ravecoffee.ca.
