The Merchants of Green Coffee take the concept of freshly roasted coffee to the next level. Working on the "tree to cup" philosophy, they venture to educate the coffee lover on the benefits of roasting fresh coffee...at home. For those of you who prefer to leave the roasting up to the experts, have faith. You can easily be converted into a skilled roasted all the while enjoying the best coffee on the market at a lesser cost. Situated in the Empire building, the MGC definitely have a passion for what they do. The four partners have consistently been working to spread the virtues of home roasting for five years now. Derek Zavislake served as my tour guide and coffee educator. The welcoming space looks and feels organic. The concept of fresh roasting according to the MGC are simple. First and foremost start with the best quality green beans available. Secondly, using water "just off the boil" helps in obtaining the necessary temperature for proper extraction, a key ingredient missed by most home coffee makers. And last but not least, the coffee should be consumed within five days of roasting, three hours after grinding and 15 minutes after brewing. It may sound complicated but it's not. The selection of beans at MGC covers all the coffee growing regions in the world. You are encouraged to experiment and work with different roasting styles. The demo home roasting model is promoted as taking just five minutes to obtain professional results. It is very easy to operate, and producing superb tasting coffee was relatively simple. My first small batch of Ethiopian, a great starter bean seeing as it is the birthplace of "java," did get slightly overcooked. Not by any fault of the set-up, it's just that I prefer a dark roast and got carried away. My next roast was from Papua, New Guinea, and was done to perfection. Each successive roast since then has accomplished good results varying from a medium to a dark roast. I went from starting the roasted to enjoying great coffee in under 10 minutes. It's a journey that is well worth taking. The beans and a very good home roaster appliance similar to a popcorn maker are available for individual purchase or on a convenient membership plan. You can sign-up to a year for $305, which includes 25 pounds of green beans, and the home roaster is included. Shipping is extra and the roaster itself can be purchased for $180. A pound of the best green beans is available for $12. After enjoying a cup of freshly roasted Cuban organic coffee with Derek it hit me that this method of enjoying coffee is all about the quality from start to finish. It will appeal to those who appreciate the process and the results. As for the time and convenience, it sure beats waiting in line a at drive thru for stale coffee. I guess that makes me a coffee snob. The Merchants of Green Coffee, 2 Matilda Street. Phone: (416) 778-6600.