Transcend is now proudly carrying Hario brewing products!

This coming Monday, August 23, from 6 to 8 pm we'll be hosting our first drop in coffee tasting at our Garneau location.

Troy and Chuck will be hosting, so come on down to taste some coffees, see a demonstration of our french press technique, ask any coffee questions you might have and chat with the guys.

This will be an informal evening, and is the first of such events at Garneau. We will likely continue with more of these on a regular basis, and would love to hear some input here in the comments, or in person from those that attend.

Coffee Tasting
Monday, August 23, 6 – 8 pm
Transcend Garneau
8708 - 109 street
open and free to the public

If you're a frequent reader of our little blog here, you know that we take tasting coffee pretty seriously. On any given day you can peek through the glass at our roastery & coffeebar and see Chad, Jeff, Poul, Josh or really any of the rest of the Transcend crew busily cupping (blind tasting) coffees, either for quality control or trying out new samples and roast profiles.

We love to engage our senses, perceptions and memory in the craft of tasting coffee. So we've decided to take that sensory experience, add some drama, excitement and competition and bring the first official Canadian Cup Tasters Championship to the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show September 26 & 27 in Toronto. Now, technically, there have been other 'Canadian' Cup Tasters competitions, but they have not actually taken place on Canadian soil, so we hardly think they count.

Here's the exciting part. We'd like to officially invite you to compete in the championship. That's right. If the nuances and subtleties of different regions and micro lots pique your senses and ignite your curiosity when you're sipping your daily brew, then you may have what it takes to be the Canadian Cup Tasters Champion.

The event works like this: participants taste coffees arranged in eight triangles (groups of three). In each triangle, two cups are identical, one is different. Using your superior skills of smell, taste, memory and concentration, you will try to identify the odd cup out in the triangles, in the shortest time possible. Twelve cup tasters compete in the first round and four go on to final round.

The winner will be crowned the Canadian Cup Taster Champion and will walk away with an armload of excellent prizes as well as the right to compete at the 2011 World Cup Tasters Championship.

Registration opens today, August 16, 2010 and will be limited to only 12 competitors. So register today!

More information on the event can be found on the Canadian Cup Tasters website and you can register here. You do need to be planning on attending the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show in order to compete in the Cup Tasters Championship, so be sure to register for that as well.

Volunteers are also needed. If you do not wish to compete, but would like to help brew coffee set up, or organize the event, please email me.

With less than a week to go, things are getting a little frantic. The practice schedule in the lab is intense, routines are constantly being tweaked we're sifting through as many last minute details as possible.

In case you don't know what the PRBC is all about, here's the low-down.

Ten baristas from Alberta (though folks from AB, SK, MB, NWT and YK were welcome to enter) will compete this Saturday, August 7 at Fratello Coffee Roasters in Calgary. Each barista must prepare four espressos, four cappuccinos, and four original signature drinks to exacting standards in a 15-minute performance. Qualified judges from across the country evaluate each performance on the taste of beverages served, cleanliness, creativity, technical skill, and overall presentation.

Transcend is sending two competitors: (Rockin) Josh Hockin, and Chuck (Charles-in-Charge) Elves. Both have been practicing like mad men (not 1960s advertising executives, but rather men who have perhaps lost a little sanity in the pursuit of espresso perfection) and are ready to bring their A-game on Saturday.

This is important: you should come. Seriously, if you like coffee and would like to learn more about coffee and connect to the coffee community, there is no better place to be. There will be a excellent pre-party on Friday night, and all day Saturday will be competition and caffeine comradery. Come cheer on Josh and Chuck. We will be livestreaming the event as well (link coming soon) if you can't make it.

Transcend Coffee is looking for more people to add to its dynamic team. We are looking for one part-time person who would like to join the cafe staff. This position would have you working along side of the existing team of baristas, and interacting with our customers. If you love coffee and enjoy working with people and have 20 - 30 hours a week to offer us, please contact us or send a resume to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The second position is for a full-time (35 hours per week) warehouse manager. We are ideally looking for someone with some experience handling shipping and receiving, ordering, and generally keeping a hopping roastery organized. You should love coffee, and want to join Transcend in helping us get our coffee out the door either to the fine folk who order it online, or to our growing number of wholesale customers. If you are interested in this position, please forward a resume to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Transcend Coffee is a little coffee company with lots of heart and a dynamic and growing team of people committed to providing Edmonton, and Canada with the best coffee it can find.