Since opening his first coffee shop on Harbord Street in 2009, Sam James has tweaked his product relentlessly. He’s pimped out his espresso machines, added high-tech water filtration systems and undergone sommelier training to refine his palate. And now he’s taken one of his biggest steps yet: he’s roasting his own coffee.
In the past, James mostly relied on Toi, Moi & Café, a roaster from Montreal. He earned a fine reputation with that coffee, but he wanted to call the shots. So he secured an 1,800-square-foot space in the Junction and set up a roasting operation. After months of experimentation, all three Sam James coffee shops are now running James’ own roast, otherwise known as Cut Coffee.
For a guy who likes to sweat the small stuff (he’s been known to fine-tune the mineral content of his water in order to adjust the taste of his coffee) it’s a pretty big undertaking.
“The rabbit hole just got way deeper,” James says. “But I like a challenge.”
Of particular note is James’ new ability to showcase obscure coffee beans from around the world — from areas such as Guatemala, Papua New Guinea or Indonesia — which are often neglected in favour of more popular choices.
“I’m interested in coffee that’s more challenging than your basic Kenyan or Ethiopian,” he says. “I wanted to be able to make those executive calls.”
James continues to oversee the growth of his burgeoning coffee empire, so he has placed one of his baristas, Josh Flear, at the helm of the roasting operation.
Cut Coffee joins an ever-increasing catalogue of coffee roasters that are based in and around Toronto, including Pig Iron, Pilot, Detour and Social.
The new coffee is currently available at all of James’ shops and also at The Black Hoof, Beast and Momofuku.