Snowfall, Fresh Roasts & Cozy Sips — November Coffee News
Snowfall, Fresh Roasts & Cozy Sips — November Coffee News
The snow is officially sticking here in Calgary, and we’re feeling it — boots by the door, early sunsets, and that quiet hush that only comes with the season’s first real snowfall. There’s no better time to reach for a warm mug, and we’ve been busy roasting and bottling up everything you need to make those cozy drinks from the comfort of home.
Whether you're a long-time subscriber or just exploring your at-home coffee journey, here's everything new from the Highwood Coffee this November.
☕ Freshly Roasted: Mountain Roast & El Cinco
We just dropped two fresh batches — roasted November 14th — and they're tasting incredible. If you're looking to restock, now's your chance before the shelves go empty again (our last roast on October 22nd Tajumulco half sold and Mountain completely sold out.
Mountain Roast – Balanced, Smooth, Everyday Comfort
Mountain Roast continues to be our most beloved offering. Designed for drinkability and consistency, it’s the kind of coffee that works across brew methods — espresso, drip, pour over, AeroPress, you name it.
With mellow cocoa tones and a clean finish, this is your “daily driver” — approachable, easy to brew, and reliable. Whether you drink it black or dress it up with syrup and steamed milk, it’s hard to go wrong here.
El Cinco – Sweet Dessert like coffee, hits of caramel, lime, milk chocolate
El Cinco is our seasonal Colombian Huila washed and sun dried roasted to a fairly central medium. It does well in many brew methods including Pour over, drip and espresso based drinks. * Did you know that when we test out new roasts we brew the coffee as French press, Moca pot, Mocca master, Espresso and pour over to see how it brews and tastes. We get a question all the time. Do you have espresso beans? A: Yes, We do! Every bean will work in an espresso machine. The only difference is that for our Mountain roast and our Dark sky we’ve blended those to have the perfect texture, mouth feel and crema for Espresso based use. The thing is they also work with every brew method and you’ll experience different peak notes from every brew method. so experiment and try something new too!
🍂 From Falling Leaves to Falling Snow
Just last week we were still raking leaves. Today, we’re brushing snow off the car. This is that in-between season — not quite fall, not quite full-blown winter. It’s the perfect time to slow down, get cozy, and lean into warm rituals: a fresh pot of coffee, a morning walk in the snow, or an afternoon break with a sweet latte.
It’s also the time of year we get asked about flavoured syrups, and we’ve stocked up with a few of our seasonal favourites to help make your own café drinks at home.
🍁 Seasonal Syrups Now Available
All syrups are 1L bottles from the French maker 1883 Maison Routin. These are glass bottles and only available for local Calgary delivery or pickup (we don’t ship glass, sorry folks!). Available while supplies last:
Pumpkin Spice — cozy notes of cinnamon, clove, and pumpkin
Gingerbread — warm molasses and spice, like fresh cookies
Toasted Marshmallow — creamy and sweet, perfect for hot chocolate
Peppermint — candy cane vibes for festive lattes or mochas
Toffee Crunch — buttery and rich, great with espresso or baking
Use these to add depth and seasonal flair to your drinks — whether it’s a splash in your cappuccino or a drizzle over a dessert. Speaking of which…
🍰 Recipe: Apple Coffee Cake with Toffee Crunch Glaze
Here’s a simple recipe you can whip up on a weekend morning or bring to a potluck — the kind of cozy baking that just makes your house smell amazing.
Apple Coffee Cake with Toffee Crunch Glaze
Ingredients – Cake:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
Ingredients – Crumb Topping:
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cold butter, cubed
Handful of chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)
Toffee Crunch Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp 1883 Toffee Crunch Syrup
1–2 tsp milk, as needed
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9" round or square baking pan.
In one bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In another bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in sour cream.
Add dry ingredients to wet. Fold in chopped apples.
Pour into pan and smooth top.
Mix crumb topping and sprinkle evenly.
Bake for 40–45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool slightly, then drizzle with Toffee Crunch glaze.
Pairs beautifully with a cup of Mountain Roast or a gingerbread latte!
💸 $38 Subscriptions Save You Money (and Support Local!)
We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Our $38 2lb bag subscription – it’s way cheaper than your typical to-go coffee.
Let’s break it down:
2lb/907g = 13 pots /10 cups per pot (mocca master) or 50 double espresso shots.
At $2.92 per pot x 200 days that’s $584.00
Compare that to $3.92/cup (x3.33 per pot *3.33 tall cups per pot) x 200 = $2600/year coffee or $2256 for espresso shots or Caramel macchiato $4676.00 + tax even.. That’s if you had a cup at home and took the rest in a BIG mug to work.. or shared with your partner. I guess this is the reason why these big chains become sooo big.. we don’t have 5k a year to waste for fancy coffee.. Which is why we started roasting. Can make chain quality coffee at home for much less.
And instead of sending your money to some mega chain, you’re supporting a Calgary family business that roasts with care, uses renewable Bullfrog Power, and delivers coffee right to your door (sometimes by bike 🚴♂️).
🎁 Looking Ahead: Gift Boxes & Feedback
Holidays are around the corner. We have bought gift boxes and have some of our small bags roasted. and planning to do a load of sample bags in the next week or so. So December tends to fly! our goal is to have everything ready for Nov 27th We will be making up some boxes for some friends of Highwood coffee and the rest will go out to you! Pricing still hasn’t been quite set.. So would you like sample size or bigger size? That is the question..
Gift Boxes with 3x 340g bags
Mini Gift Sets with 3x 70g sample bags
Would you be interested in something like that? Let us know! We might add a form on the website soon to gauge interest and build custom boxes.
And as always — if you love your coffee, leave us a Google review, or email us your thoughts so we can feature them on our website!
Thanks for reading and for supporting Highwood Coffee through the seasons.
Wishing you warm mugs, snowy views, and just the right amount of cinnamon on top. ☕❄️
Until next time,
— James & Sara
