Planet Bean Coffee

1467 Gordon Street

Guelph, Ontario

Planetbeancoffee.com

Blog at planetbeancoffee.com/blog/carter

I am going to quote the post card I picked up at the cafe, I says it all!

Hey!

I just came back from the roastery tour of Planet Bean and their new coffee bar in South Guelph.  Very cool. Did you know they've been roasting coffee since 1997?  Here's how it works:

The raw, boring green coffee beans arrive at the Grange/Victoria roastery.  Then they're heated in this massive drum to bring about one of the most joyfully complex experiences ever encountered by the human taste bud!

Freshly roasted coffee means BIG FLAVOUR - ands the high quality, organic arabica beans they use certainly help! Planet Bean is one of the few businesses in Canada where organic certification is TOTAL - it starts at the tree and continues to the brew in the coffee bars.

Plus, all Planet Bean coffee is fair trade certified, so growers get better prices through farmer-centered alternatives to giant, global corporations.  Guelph has a long history of co-op leadership.  You can read about it at planetbeancoffee.com/blog/carter.  2012 is the UN year of the co-op- watch for the hoopla!

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When Maggie and I had coffee we were pleased to receive friendly service, cool music, clean atmosphere and milk alternatives.  We were stoked to hear that they were going to offer chocolate vegan cake soon, they already have an array of treats and some were gluten free. Awesome little place to check out!

1)coffee $1.95 reg. $$2.29 large $1.81 (cheaper in-house) 9/10

2)roasted- locally roasted for the cafe, organic and fair trade 9/10

3)service- fast, friendly and informative 9/10

4)assessibility- lots of free parking, located on Gordon Street a major thoroughfare into Guelph 9/10

5)flavour- full bodied, medium roast 8/10

6)Eco-friendly- cheaper for china cups in house, recycling available, not sure about composting 8.5/10

7)cup size- good size cup 8/10

8)food- fresh baked good available, didn't have any 

9)ambience- lots of sunshine, cool tunes, comfortable seating 8/10

10)wifi- free upon request 10/10

*8.5/10 overall 

C.J.'s - Cafe on Bronte

2416 Lakeshore Rd.W.
Oakville, ON
L6L 1H7
905-465-0411
Cj@cjscafeinbronte.com

Check out what's happening at www.cjscafeinbronte.com!

I went shopping downtown Oakville on the Monday of march break with some friends of mine and my daughter for something completely unrelated to coffee, but somehow it became completely successful with a lovely place called C.J.'s on Lakeshore off Bronte. This little place was recommended by a local shop lady and was great. We were greeted by a free wifi sign, vegan/health related book shelf, signs for supporting women in Peru and an aroma that was wonderful. I was impressed by the free parking (not often found in Hamilton unless you know where to look;) as well as plenty of seating for groups of people to meet and chat. C.J. The owner was there to answer any questions and offer an array of 4 coffees to taste, teas to order and a hot chocolate with whipped cream piled high!

1) Coffee- $2 for regular and $2.25 for large ($1.25 and $1.50 for refills) 9/10
2) roasted locally? - London, Ontario (fireroastedcoffee.com) 8/10
3) service- the owner C.J. Was friendly and accommodating 8/10
4)accessibility- Bronte and Lakeshore, free parking (no evening hours but 7 days per week) 8/10
5) flavour- medium roast, lovely taste 7/10
6)Eco-friendly- china cups, organic/fair trade, London Ont. 9/10
7) cup size- 2 sizes, big cups with cheap refills 9/10
8) food- vegan wraps with veganaise, many other tasty treats for everyone (I didn't have any)
9)ambience- friendly, funky, artistic, books, plenty of seating, 2 patios 9/10
10)wifi- yes 10/10

*overall 8.5/10 super place in the heart of Oakville! <3

http://www.cafefemenino.com/

The Dripper

Home brew

On this occasion I was super excited to try a "new to me" process of home brewing using a dripper. I am a long term festival adventurer and have always tried coffee from good and bad brewing companies. If they are fresh brewers they make it on the spot with a dripper, using freshly ground beans (ideally fair trade/organic) given to you still piping hot. The perfect cup has 2 tablespoons of medium ground beans per serving thats just off boil. The water needs to be evenly distributed over the grounds slowly for 2-4 minutes to absorb the coffee oils and flavours. If its all done properly, the coffee is full bodied, aromatic and delicious. I buy my coffee from a variety of places, usually on sale in whole bean form.

The coffee I made today with the dripper was 23 Degrees Mug Shot (medium/dark). It is beautifully described as "a mug of coffee, a shot of espresso! So good it has the right to remain silent. A blend that lights up your tongue with brightness, but finishes with a smooth, sweet chocolatey flavour." Pretty awesome packaging! This coffee is roasted with praise in Toronto and organic/fair trade. I bought it on sale at Fortinos for $11.99 for 350 g.

*Whole bean Arabica beans usually indicating lower acidity and richer, full flavour.

The Naked Sprout

4040 Palladium Way, Unit #11
Burlington, On
905-319-2293
www.thenakedsprout.com

Get naked, go raw

The Naked Sprout is a special place, there aren't many places that you can go eat or drink and feel as good about how you eat and what you've eaten. This is one of the few completely vegan, raw, gluten free restaurants in the Hamilton area. Is pretty cool to go there with someone that is not vegetarian and have them experience great food in an awesome environment and have them not even notice that it's vegan, let alone healthy. I have been many times but spent time thinking about my coffee today (more than usual) and asking the regular questions about the beans and where they came from. My coffee today was roasted in Toronto at the Birds and Beans cafe and were Peruvian. In researching this roaster, I learned about the above average care the beans were grown in to preserve the environment in which they were grown. The people that grew them were properly supported financially, which secures the property from being exploited, and continuing to keep them remaining shade tree, bird friendly crop. Wonderful to feel great about what you're drinking!

1) Coffee- $3 for a bottomless cup (pricey but I got 3 cups of the best coffee included, I left fully caffeinated and happy about the coffees origin:) 9/10
2)roasted locally- Toronto 9/10
3) service- 8/10 excellent
4) accessibility- quite a distance to travel on north Walkers Line, worth the trip 7.5/10
5) flavour- 7.5/10 (great taste, could have bean stronger or made with a different method)
6) Eco-friendly- 10/10 other than growing it themselves you can get any better
7) cup size- bottomless and a big, gorgeous pottery cup 10/10
8) food- vegan, gourmet, delicious, brunch menu 8/10
9) Ambience- hipster vibe, approachable, great bright setting, brought dessert with a birthday candle 8/10
10) wifi- no

* great place for anyone looking for great, tasty coffee with no concern for unhealthy additives!
*overall 7.5/10 great food, good coffee