Le Brûloir

Tasty latte, comfy chairs, mellow tunes, warm sunshine… this is life. I haven’t been here since last fall but am glad I stepped into the new location yesterday afternoon — the transformation was a pleasant surprise!
The old location still serves as Brûloir’s ‘laboratory’ where mad coffee scientist and owner Vincent continues to experiment and roasts a vast variety of beans and tests different blends to cater to its clientele varying palates. The difference is he now has more space to service his machines, store more freshly sourced beans and most importantly more room expand his imagination to craft and concoct the perfect roasting formulas.
I’ve been told that the reason he got into the process of roasting his own coffee grains was to gain control over the outcome. Interestingly enough, the secret to torrefying coffee beans is part science and part art as you are working beans that contain thousands of chemicals and when you apply heat to it, quickly cool it, many things can happen. Acidity, sweetness, mouthfeel, flavor are all important factors that goes into the final result.
The Torrefication process is very conditional, even if you have best ingredients you’ll never really end up exact same results but there’s one thing you can be sure of is you’ll always end up with a fresh batch of roasted beans (vs pre-​packaged).
So what are the final results? None conclusive so far as there are still so many to try but I must admit that trying different brews in a welcoming and naturally bright sunny space makes it so much more enjoyable. If I were to pick on something, I’d say that the foam art is terrible, but who cares right?
Oh forgot to mention that the menu includes bagels, breakfast sandwiches, scrabbled eggs with feta & bacon, grilled cheeses, pizza, soups and local sweets to satisfy your hunger.
Can’t wait to come back and savor the next drink, and test some more grilled cheese on ‘to the be built’ outdoor terrasse!

Hey, c’est doux ici.
C’est prouvé que lorsqu’on travaille dans des cafés, notre productivité est augmentée de par le son ambiant des conversations, l’agitation des percolateurs et les rires des baristas. Il y a même des trames sonores de café que tu peux télécharger pour écouter chez toi en te faisant à croire que ton travail avance plus vite (‘mettons).
Un matin, je me sentais boboche, alors j’avais besoin d’un café pour m’encourager à travailler sur mes affaires. Je me rends donc dans Ahunstic pour découvrir la nouvelle location du Brûloir, tout récemment rénové. Une fois installée, ça me frappé: Au travers du claquements des tasses et des coups de porte-​filtres se glissent des douces notes de violon et de piano. De la belle musique classique au lieu du traditionnel indie-​pop. Première gorgé de café, la mauvaise humeur sort d’un soupir et mes joues retrouvent leur teinte rosée.
La particularité du Brûloir, c’est qu’ils ont une impressionnante collection de cafés torréfiés à même sur place. C’est donc l’endroit parfait pour acheter des grains frais à ramener chez soi et essayer plein d’affaires afin de comprendre si tu aimes plus ton café fruité ou avec des notes de chocolat.
Le soleil frappé chaque mur de l’endroit, grâce aux grandes vitres qui découvrent la devanture du petit local. Ou c’est peut-​être aussi le grand sourire des employés, qui t’accueillent avec une voix si douce que tu te sens comme dans un cours de yoga. Mais on est vite ramené à la réalité; les ustensiles s’entrechoquent à l’arrière, et une odeur de grilled-​cheese à la poire s’entremêle à celle des pâtisseries.
J’étais venue ici pour être productive. Le Brûloir m’inspire tellement que j’ai écrit un review à la place. Ça va bien mon affaire.

Making the most of my Indie Coffee Passport. Stopped by Le Brûloir in Ahuntsic with a completely open mind. The coffee is surprisingly smooth and approachable (qualities the coffee snobs seem to find mildly distasteful). Huge windows with great natural light. Pale wood, a bit of kitsch wallpaper, a modest display of coffee paraphernalia – the ambiance here is inviting. Staff dress code is edgy and hip, which means they don’t smile as much as they might – have to keep up appearances, you know. But they’re professional, polite, and on point. This is a sweet café. Recommended.

A rare visit in the Ahuntsic area landed me at Le Bruloir this weekend. I had a dentist appointment super early and since I was in the area, a coffee trip was a must.
Good: a lovely location at the corner of Fleury street, it’s brightly lit with lots of natural lighting. The décor was super cute, white, geometric patterns on the wall, overall very charming interior. My sister ordered a latte and her words were «it’s actually really good!»
Bad: I’ve ordered tea, but they had a very limited selection… the girl who served us didn’t seem to friendly, maybe she was having an off day or something.
Bottom line: I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back, but I might stop by again if I’m in the area.

Amazing coffee place. It just moved to another bigger spot just across the street. Great quick breakfast, great lunch. Last but not least, there coffee is really amazing. The staff is always happy and smiling. Worth the try.