The art of brewing coffee

A local brewery is debuting more than just craft beer in its new operation.

Ron Roy, Craft Heads head barista at Craft Heads Brewery, has been making coffee for several years and got his start overseas. Roy has been working with specialty coffee beans from Toronto and brews several types of espressos and lattes for Craft Heads Brewery.

“I lived in Australia for about four and a half years and their coffee culture is basically number one in the world,” said Roy. They are very particular about their beans, very particular in the way they present their coffee.”

Beginning his training in Australia, Roy returned to Windsor and began his career at Craft Heads Brewery. Hooked on the art of coffee brewing and latte art, Roy continued to practice his craft within the brewery and serve his coffee to passersby.

“We started brewing beer then we slowly introduced coffee,” said Roy. “We decided to pick this as our destination because there’s lots of foot traffic in terms of students, to basically get the vibe of downtown a little bit more positive, like it once used to be if not better.”

Coffee beans that are used in specialty coffees must live up to a certain standard. The Specialty Coffee Association of America requires the bean to hold a ranking of 80 or above out of 100 to be considered a specialty coffee bean.

Roy buys his beans from a vendor in Toronto who carries top quality beans that have been featured in national competitions across the United States and Canada. The beans have achieved a rating of above 90, making them highly respected and considered a specialty roast.

According to Roy, coffee brewing is “very similar” to beer brewing.

“The process behind the coffee is all measurement, just to keep everything super consistent so that way we’re pretty much spitting out the exact same perimeters every day,” said Roy.

The variables are endless when it comes to coffee brewing, what can be added or used in the coffee.

“I start with explaining the process,” said Roy. “They look all fancy but they’re essentially the same drink with just added milk to it. That’s all you have to do in terms of espresso.”

So, what to look for when buying your own coffee beans?

“Some of the small countries make the best beans like Guatemala, Bolivia and Mexico,” said Sarah Thomson Watson, an avid coffee drinker.

Roy hopes the coffee side of Craft Heads will grow with his new interests in coffee preparation.

“I’m really starting to get into more filtered coffee, so drinking it for what it is. The idea is to slowly cut out all of the sugar and things like that,” said Roy.

Craft Heads Brewery sells coffee seven days a week and hopes people will choose their organic coffees more often.