Thursday, December 15, 2016

Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur




Subject: Saint-Henri Micro-Torréfacteur
Location: Quebec City, QC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

For as long as I've been searching for coffee in Canada, there's always been a Saint-Henri enterprise on my radar. Back in 2008 I discovered Caffe in Gamba in Montreal, the cafe that began it all. From there, I've watched from afar as Saint-Henri grew into a serious roaster, set up other Montreal shops, and then expanded over to Quebec City. Finally on a gorgeous recent evening, I was able to make a trip to their cafe in the Saint-Roch neighborhood for a long overdue after-dinner coffee.

The shop is surrounded by glass, letting in every ray of exterior moon and star light. Inside there is oodles of space occupied by long tables, log stools and a growing conifer. The bar runs the length of the cafe straight to their roasting arena in the back of the shop.


That evening, I went with an espresso of their Espresso Godshot (their signature espresso blend) and a pourover of a Kenyan. Both coffees were crafted excellently and tasted delicious. The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, smacked of chocolate pretzel, lime, seltzer, wheat cracker and a little cilantro, proving supple and thick. The Kenyan sang a sweet, toothsome melody of cherry, tomato, croissant, ginger beer, dandelion green, birch soda and a little green tea in a light/medium body.


Since this Saint-Henri outpost is open until 9 PM, its excellent coffee definitely earned itself a gold star in my esteem (coffee outings remain one of my favorite nocturnal activities). If you're in Quebec City or near one of their other shops around the province, definitely stop in for some excellent coffee.



These wonderful folks made this visit possible in part. Make sure to check them out!

1 comment:

rita said...

Hi there! Have you heard about Orca Coffee (https://www.orca.coffee/) ? I am thnking to get one for me but I am looking for 2nd opinions before making a final decision.

I have to assume, the fact the coffee comes straight from italy caught my attention :)

Thanks a lot!

Rita