Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to find out what it takes to Roast Coffee Beans. Being able to Roasting Coffee Beans in the north is a rare trade. Mira Hall is one of only a hand full in the Northwest Territories and Yukon that have the trade. At this point it doesn’t look like anyone in Nunavut is doing it.

Most of us enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning, whether it is from home, Tim Horton’s or one the downtown coffee shop; but we don’t often think about where the coffee comes from or how it ends up as the hot liquid in our cups. Importing coffee beans from around the world is only one step in the process and we’ll cover it in another part of this series. In this video post (Part 1) Mira explains the process of roasting the coffee beans in the roaster and how she does it. She talks about how the beans are kept fresh after being roasted and how soothing roasting beans can be.

Part 2 & 3 will be the actual roasting of the beans and a look at where the beans come from. Leave your feedback below.

The last couple contests I have tried to run haven’t worked out very well so I thought I would try one that should be relatively simple to enter. There are 3 simple things you need to do to be eligible to win, other than being within Canada or the US.

1. Sign up for e-mail notifications by going to this link or by going through the homepage.
2. Become a fan of YkOnline on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/YkOnline.
3. Suggest to Friends by following the link under the profile picture on our Facebook Page.
4. And that is it!

If are already a fan or subscribed to notifications than you are already eligible, just make sure you do the other two. The contest runs from now until December 11, 2009. Please use a valid e-mail address as that is how the winner will be contacted.

Now to the good stuff. The winner will receive a truly Yellowknife prize, A brand new copy of The Ugly Truck and Dog Contest and Other Tales of Northern Life by Cathy Jewison and a Gift Certificate to the Gourmet Cup. Good Luck.