For regular visitors, you’ll have noticed that our coffee list has turned over almost completely over the past few weeks.  We’re no longer carrying Intelligentsia, though we’d like to thank them for being the ideal house guest.  We’re also in the process of offering half a dozen new coffees while retiring old favourites such as the Wondo Worka Yergacheffe from Ethiopia, Wamuguma from Kenya, and Ruvaldo Delarisse from Brazil.

There’s one new coffee in particular that I’d like to discuss a little bit.  In the past, we’ve refrained from carrying some of the pricier Cup of Excellence coffees from any roaster because ultimately I’m not sure the massive disparity in price matches the proposed difference in quality.  That said, yesterday we sampled Bolivian Cup of Excellence lot #5 called Cafe Alan, and it’s something we intend to offer next week when it becomes available.  We very much enjoyed the cup and want to make it available to Montrealers.  It’s considerably more expensive than any coffee we’ve carried to date, and will only be available in quantities of 8 ounces in lieu of the customary 12 ounces.  We expect to retail it between $26 and $30 per half pound and hope those of you interested in trying it enjoy it as much as we expect to.  I’ll post more when the coffees arrive next week.

Don’t jinx the early Spring, we’re really digging it over here.

And they’re glorious.  Email me for details, they’re $25 each and I’ll ship to those out of area (and will cover the shipping if you want 4 or more).  I’m modeling (in the loosest sense of the word) one today on bar.  Come and look at me.

Well it’s March masquerading as April in Montreal.   The slack in postings has been related to the duldrums of winter when there’s really just not a great deal of action to report.  That, however, should begin to change in the coming weeks.

We’ve lost two of our favourite coffees this week; the Ethiopian Yerg Wondo Worka and Brazil Ruvaldo Delarisse are out of stock and will be replaced in the coming weeks by new offerings from 49th.  For the time being we’re no longer featuring any coffees from Intelligentsia but fans of Black Cat can find it at Caffe in Gamba on Parc between Fairmount and St. Viateur.  We’re expecting to replenish some of our exhausted tea stock by month’s end as well as we await this year’s fresh crop of teas to arrive from China in the early Spring.

We’re expecting a short run of t-shirts to arrive from Ironhead this week.  They’ll feature a new Cafe Myriade logo and be available for sale in the cafe.  I don’t plan on doing a second run of this design, so if you’re interested swing by and check them out over the next couple weeks.  I’ll announce on twitter when they arrive, proabably with excessive use of exclamation points.  Enjoy the mild weather, Montreal.

Follow Myriade on Twitter. Didn’t really expect to ever write those words on the website, but there they are.  We’re going to start offering specials on teas and coffees this week via twitter and I’ll be using it as a platform to give small updates about coffees, pastries, tastings, and all else Myriade.  We’ll keep it witty, I promise.

We’re receiving two coffees from Rwanda and two coffees from Burundi via Intelligentsia next week to complement the Colombian microlot and Black Cat Espresso we already have in stock.  We’ll be offering Intelly for a few more weeks so definitely come and check it while you can.

We have a great number of people asking when they can try the Winter Espresso, as it’s not always in the hopper for service.   We usually brew and serve it on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings, so if you’re specifically looking for a chance to try a shot there’s your window.  As it happens, if you live in Halifax you can make the short hop skip and a jump over to Dartmouth and visit Two if By Sea who are offering the Myriade Winter Espresso for today only.  There’s never not a reason to not visit TIBS (how’s that for a confusing preface), but we appreciate the tip of the hat to our Winter Espresso.

Many of you have noticed that we’re serving our Eva Solos and French Presses in Frieling Stainless Steel Carafes/Presses.  Many of you have asked if we would consider stocking these items for retail and we’ve taken heed, the beautiful 17 ounce brewers are available for $60.

Lastly, we’ve scheduled the next tasting for Sunday, February 14th (also known as St. Valentines’ Day).  Reserve quickly if you’re interested, I imagine space won’t last beyond week’s end.  Look forward to seeing you!

We received four different coffees from Intelligentsia today for service and retail and are currently brewing their organic Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia as our coffee of the day.  We’re carrying two Ethiopians, an El Salvadorian Cup of Excellence offering, and the venerable Black Cat espresso blend.  We’ll be featuring Intelligentsia for a limited time, come try it while you can.

Special. 49th Parallel has packaged a limited number of 12oz bags with our Espresso d’Hiver, so for this week and this week only you can pick up the sample-sized bag for $15.  As of next week the beans will be back to their usual 1lb quantities and available for $18 apiece.  The espresso is bright with playful acidity and abounds with hints of lemongrass, mandarin orange, and unsweetened cocao.  It complements our regularly available blends well but I don’t expect it to last through the Spring.

New. 49th has also provided us with a new coffee; the fabulously named Brazil Ruvaldo Delarisse.  This is the second natural-processed coffee we’ve served since opening and provides a curious counterbalance to the rest of the coffee menu.  Low in acidity with a lot of body, the coffee offers chocolate, marzipan, and butterscotch in abundance.  Come check it out.

Happy 2010!  We hope the holidays treated you well and that the new year finds you and yours in good health.

We have news.  As we did last year, we’ll be featuring a guest roaster or two on our shelves and in our hoppers.  Beginning a week from today, we’ll be offering coffee from two roasters to bring you as well-rounded a coffee experience as we can.  We’ll still be offering a full selection of espresso and single-origin coffees from 49th Parallel including a new Brazilian varietal and our own blend of Winter Espresso which replaces the Christmas Blend.  Lastly with regard to our coffee menu, this is the last week for the Guatemala El Zapote and El Salvador Los Planes so if they’re favourites of yours be sure to come in and try them for the last time.

We’ve also just received a new batch of Soma Chocolate bars, including the much-sought after Madagascar 70%.  I don’t imagine it will last very long (as it never does), but in the meantime it’s the staff favourite.

Again Happy New Year, we look forward to serving you throughout 2010 and beyond.

I’ve been delayed in posting these because we’ve found a means to stay open between Christmas and New Years’, so without further delay here are the opening hours for Cafe Myriade over the holidays:

December 24th: CLOSED

December 25th: CLOSED

December 26th through December 30th:  11:00AM - 5:00PM

December 31st: CLOSED

January 1st: CLOSED

Our regular store hours recommence Saturday January 2nd.  We’ll be receiving our regular coffee deliveries through this period so don’t feel you have to wait to get your fix of fresh coffee from 49th Parallel.  Last, if weather is particularly daunting on any of the above days, please call ahead to make sure CC and Alex made it in to open the store.

From all of us at Cafe Myriade to our loyal customers, readers, friends, and peers - thank you for a wonderful 2009 and we look forward to being a part of your 2010.  Have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Our last tasting of 2009 will take place this Sunday, December 20th.  We have four spots left so if interested, please send us an email or leave a comment below as soon as you know you can commit.

Also, as Christmas draws near time is running out for the Myriade Christmas Espresso blend.  Starting next week, we’ll be receiving our Myriade Winter Espresso; a single-0rigin Yergacheffe from the Konga Co-op in Ethiopia.  I’m very excited to offer this coffee as it’s perennially one of our favourites, and it may well be the last time we are ever able to offer it.  We’ll be receiving samples today, I’ll sell to those interested in getting a sneak peek of what’s to come in 2010.