The world of Specialty Coffee is awash with buzz words and labels geared towards marketing. This is not to say that certifications such as Fair Trade, Utz, Bird Friendly, Smithsonian, etc. are not making some difference in how coffee is grown and ultimately prepared for market. Having said that, none of the certifications listed above have anything to do with quality standards, and further to that, none of the above certifications guarantee a living wage to the producers or those who work within the specialty coffee industry at origin.

At Transcend, we have largely ignored these certifications, and have instead focused onsourcing and purchasing the best quality we can find. Truthfully, our own standard of quality has been a moving target. As we have grown and developed in our own understanding of the many issues facing the Specialty Coffee industry, the standard has moved accordingly. Said differently, what we once thought to be great quality, wouldn't meet our current standards for quality today.

To that end, Transcend has adopted a "zero defect" standard which is focused both on the flavour characteristics of the coffee (how it was grown, harvested, average growing temperature, washed, dried) but as import, the physical characteristics of the coffee. The zero defect standard requires careful preparation of the green coffee prior to export, which involves an intense attention to detail in sorting the green (screen size, density, colour, and ultimately hand sorting) to ensure the highest levels of quality.

Rather than focus on situational definitions for marketing terms like direct trade, we have chosen to focus on the building and nurturing of meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with producers and other key service providers. As these relationships have grown, we now view these relationships as true partnerships which are critical in the process of bringing some of the best coffee in the world to Edmonton and Canada.

Quality within the specialty coffee industry can be an allusive thing. Most roasters and retailers refer to a coffee score out of one hundred points to categorize their coffee quality. Many others simply refer to the taste of the coffee they sell, assuming that their customers will identify with the descriptions arrived at. While Transcend has never employed any form of consumer marketing scoring system, we have in the past talked about the flavour attributes of our coffees. While we are not abandoning this completely, we made a decision in 2011 to move towards a more objective standard to evaluate quality. Given that we have two licesnsed Q Graders, and another apprentice well on her way, we made a decision to implement a "zero defect" quality standard. What does this mean?

The zero defect standard refers to the absence of any physical defects within a randomly chosen sample of coffee. The SCAA protocol requires that a random sample of 350 grams of green coffee be selected and evelauated for defects that will negatively impact the characteristics of that coffee. The fewer defects present in the sample, the cleaner that coffee is, and as a result, the coffee will more accurately represent its true character. For a coffee to be classified as specialty grade, there can be no PRIMARY defects and no more than five cumulative SECONDARY defects (a standard which we think is not strict enough).

Further, the SCAA protocol requires that the coffee be roasted, and that it be evaluated by selecting 100 grams of roasted coffee to determine whether any "quakers" are present. A quaker is an underdeveloped coffee bean, which will present much lighter in colour than the other roasted coffee. Quakers will impart flavours of paper, dustiness, popcorn, cardboard, all of which impact quality in a negative manner. For a coffee to be classified as specialty grade, there must be no quakers present in the 100 gram sample.

While we strive to sell only zero defect coffee, in some circumstances it is virtually impossible. The only true way to achieve zero defect coffee is to have the coffee meticulously hand sorted during the final preparation of the green coffee, prior to export. This detailed hand sorting is simply not available as an option in all the countries we buy coffee from. Regardless, we will document the number of defects of all the coffee we buy in 2011 and onwards. If the coffee is not completely defect free, it will always be very close. In an industry that largely ignores the presence of physical defects within the coffee sold as specialty, Transcend is committed to the green classification standards, and is actively working to ensure that all of the coffee it buys meets our new rigorous standards.

If you're planning to open a café, looking for new equipment, or want to take barista training and drink quality to the next level, we can help.

Over the past five years, Trasncend Coffee has assembled some of the most talented and passionate coffee professionals in the industry. While we are committed to providing our local Edmonton market the best possible coffee experience that we can, we are also committed to growing and nurturing the specialty coffee industry throughout Canada and all of North America.

To that end, we are excited to work with companies both new and old who are committed to providing their customer base a high quality coffee experience. Whether you are simply looking to enhance the skills of your existing staff, or you are looking to open a brand new café and need help with bar design, menu development, training and finding equipment, our talented team would be happy to help.

Why not leverage our experience, and allow us to help you work towards being the best that you can be? For more information about our consulting services, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Spacious and refined in the heart of downtown, our Jasper Avenue café has ample seating, including comfortable sofas and chairs on the relaxed mezzanine level. Free wifi is available with purchase.

Visit our downtown location to enjoy the best coffee in the city, and enjoy some of our in-house bakery or Latin Ameican street food. We also have an interesting beer menu and unique wine offering too. Contact us to book the entire cafe for your private events.

There is also a boardroom available for private bookings with seating for 10, data projector and screen, flipcharts and acccess to wifi. The boardroom is available at the rate of $20 per hour or $100 for the day plus the cost of drinks and food items.

Elevation Room

Downstiars at Transcend Jasper is Edmonton's newest live music venue, the Elevation Room. This all ages licensed room will be hosting live music every Friday and Saturday. Come enjoy some of Edmonton’s best music with a cup of some of Edmonton’s finest coffee, wine, or beer. We are open to all ages and our spatial situation is ideal—upstairs for ordering and socializing leaving downstairs for focused appreciation of live music.

Elegantly renovated and situated in the historic Garneau Theatre building, the Transcend Garneau Café is a great place to meet and enjoy the hospitality and skill of Transcend's professional baristas. Free wifi is available with purchase. Enjoy our in-house bakery and Latin American street food menu, ideally created to enhance your coffee experience.

Our Argyll Café is the original Transcend location. For our first four years of operation it was our only café as well as our roastery. It is now home to our new bakery and commercial kitchen where we make all kinds of delicious things to eat from scratch, with quality local ingredients. The main floor of the café is cozy and comfortable and there is overflow seating available upstairs. Free wifi is available with any purchase.

Transcend Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster, retailer, coffee bar, online store and education facility based in Edmonton Alberta. Our goal is to roast, serve and sell the very best sustainable coffee in Canada, and to educate coffee drinkers about the art and craft of the specialty coffee industry and our partners that make it possible.

We travel the world to find the very best green coffee beans, grown by some of the most dedicated farmers. We travel to countries that produce the best specialty coffee beans and meet one-on-one with passionate coffee farmers. Learn more about how Transcend sources specialty coffee beans and our relationship trade approach.

We roast a number of small batches every day, and we taste and evaluate every roast. We are constantly experimenting with brewing methods and espresso extraction. Since we actively seek out the finest coffee beans, we take great care to roast them in a way that excentuates all their unique and complex flavours.

Discover the surprising flavor of Transcend coffee; browse our list of Coffee Beans.

We are passionate about finding gourmet coffee beans and making great coffee. This is why we offer a variety of coffee education programs, trade directly with coffee farmers, and meticulously roast and  evaluate every batch of coffee.  We’re on a journey, constantly learning as we go, and we’re glad to have you along. Together, we’re raising coffee to a new level.

Please visit the About Us page to learn more about Transcend or drop in to one of our Edmonton Locations.

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