Elginsider: Elgin’s A-List Coffee Connoisseur

Welcome to the next edition of the "Elginsider: The Inside Scoop", where each week a staff member from Elgin County Economic Development & Tourism will share the inside scoop on life in Elgin County!

As a recent university graduate (this makes me an A-list coffee connoisseur right?) and new resident of the Village of Port Stanley, I am so very happy to share one of Port Stanley’s gems (and my saving grace during my last semester of study), the Harbour Merchant Coffee Company.

My coffee drinking days date back to being a grade twelve student with a part-time lifeguarding job that required me to be at work at 5:30 in the morning. It was not until I was a twenty-something year old grad student that I realized my Keurig and long-time coffee companion, Tim Horton, were no longer satisfying my caffeine cravings. And so began my love affair with small-batch fresh roasted coffee. At this point in time, I was attending the University of Guelph and was introduced to a local coffee roastery called Planet Bean. During my time in Guelph, Planet Bean coffee became an obsession. Not only could I purchase beverages made with their coffee on campus, but I also regularly purchased their take-home blends.

Fast forward a few months to moving home and securing a job with the County of Elgin, I was desperate to find something that was comparable to the coffee I had become accustomed to during my time in Guelph.

When I first caught wind of the Harbour Merchant, I absolutely had to see what the rave was about. The first thing that I ever tried was a medium roast coffee and all I can say is that it was love at first taste. As I finished up my studies this past winter, there were nights where I stayed up far past my bedtime, but that gave me a great excuse to stop in at the Harbour Merchant on my way to work the next morning and get the caffeine fix that I needed to kick start my work day.

What makes the Harbour Merchant’s coffee so delicious is the fact that it is micro roasted coffee. Micro roast coffee is said to be one of the best tasting coffees on the market today. The processes involved in creating this type of coffee are carefully calculated to ensure that the best of the coffee bean is being brought out. I can confidently say that regardless of the blend or roast that I try, Harbour Merchant’s coffee consistently delivers a smooth and rich cup that is unmatched by any other coffee that I have tried to this day.

One of my favourite things to do with any coffee that I may have left over in my coffee maker is to chill it in the fridge, pour it in a glass of ice and mix it with chocolate almond milk for a nice cool treat.

I invite all coffee connoisseurs who are looking for a quality, local coffee to visit the Harbour Merchant at 322 Bridge Street in Port Stanley so you can taste what I’m talking about and fall in love with their delicious blends yourself.

Abby Heddle
Economic Development Assistant