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!

________________________________________________________________________________________

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 

Parkermann's Fine Tea Shop

47 King Street East
Stoney Creek, ON
(905)930-8832
Parkermanns@cogeco.ca
Www.parkermanns.com

Although Parkermanns is a tea shop by nature, I love this quaint, and amazing little shop in the heart of my home town of Stoney Creek. I believe the first time I went to Parkermanns (it was on the cover of the Stoney Creek News) in September 2012, it wasn't officially opened yet...they were taking donations to meet costs and donate proceeds to charity. I was blown away by the beauty of the china, the shininess of the new machines and the rows and rows of teas on the walls...in short,it's amazing. I had tea the first few times I went but coffee is truly where my heart lies, so I asked about coffee and was so happy I did :). Parkermanns has some of the best coffee available, the beans are freshly roasted in Hamilton at the Redhill Coffee Roasters and delivered regularly and available for purchase (which I have done many times).

When you enter Parkermanns you are always welcomed with a smile, conversation and tons of knowledge about tea if you want to know. Rooibos is caffeine-free, did you know that? Well if you didn't, you could look it up with the wifi in the shop *gasp*! You have a choice between lovely china tea cups and compostable cups, and you need not worry because they recycle or compost all the trash and are happy to help!

1) coffee - $1.77 for medium and $1.99 for large 9/10
2) roasted locally - Redhill Coffee Roasters 9/10
3) service - 9.5/10 (with a smile and welcoming engagement)
4) accessibility - 2 hours free parking on King Street 9/10
5) Flavour - full, robust and not bitter 9.5/10
6) Eco-friendly - 10/10 (recycling, composting, china available and locally purchased coffee and treat from Cake and Loaf on Dundurn)
7) cup size - 9/10 (variety and good size with good price)
8) food - 9/10 (salads, quiche and sandwiches made in house and treats from Cake&Loaf
9) ambiance - 8/10 ( fun music with limited seating)
10) wifi - yes!!!!!! 10/10

*overall rating of 9/10 for a wonderful place that is open 7 days a week...special nights advertised on Facebook (tea reading, knitting nights, book clubs and fundraising).

Johnny's, Lock Street

129 Locke Street South
Hamilton, Ontario
Www.johnnyscoffee.ca

Oh boy, I have to say I have been really looking forward to doing a proper review of Johnny's Coffee. This coffee shop is another one of the treasures that Hamilton has to offer the coffee/cafe aficionados that want somewhere to chat, meet, enjoy and engage each other and the baristas that work there. Steve (one of the baristas) completely took his role seriously and answered my questions with humour and delight. My daughter Maggie and I love the whole package that Johnny's has to offer, comfy and plenty of seating, freshly roasted coffee, organic teas and delicious vegan and non-vegan treats that were amazing and made "in house". We proceeded to pull out the iPad and engage the free wifi to look up, I expect super important things and take blog pics:)

We both came to the conclusion that Johnny's is one of our favourites, and that includes some pretty fierce competition.

1) coffee - medium $2 and large $2.50 9/10
2) roasted locally - yes, at Detour Coffee in Dundas 9.5/10
3) service - 9/10 (friendly, inviting and offered wifi codes with no prompting :)
4) accessibility - Lock Street is easy to get to and a street around the corner is free 8/10
5) flavour - 9.5/10 (full, rich, not bitter and fresh....amazing)
6) Eco friendly?- 9/10 (china cups, compostable paper cups, almond and soy milks available with vegan bars available)
7) cup size - 9/10 (nice large cups and a card when you buy 9 the 10th is free)
8) food - sandwiches, salads and pastries available but not reviewed
9) ambience - 10/10 (perfect, hipster cool with music, panache and a relaxed atmosphere)
10) wifi - yes and free upon request

Johnny's is the place to go for a fun, delicious trip to fun town!!!

Detour coffee beans - Dundas
Wiifii accessible
Panache, friendly atmosphere

Kelly's Bake Shoppe

401 Brant Street,
Burlington, On
L7R 2E9
Www.kellysbakeshoppe.com

Well, I have to say I had an expected good treat today at Kelly's Bake Shoppe, what I wasn't expecting was to have a fantastic cup of coffee. I try to go to Kelly's sister store Kindfood whenever I can to enjoy amazing vegan and gluten free food and sweets but the bake shop in new having only opened 2 weeks ago. I had a snicker doodle cookie and gingersnap and paused to eat before I continued on my way Christmas shopping. *gasp*! They have a brand new coffee machine in all it's shiny steel beauty, unfortunately there was a sign saying it had only arrived today and I wasn't going to get any. I went up to one of the owners and commented on how happy I was that they were going to sell coffee now, Kindfood didn't sell it. Well, it pays to talk to people because she asked me if I wanted a cup:D

I am pleased to say that Kelly's carries a coffee that is not only extremely delicious, but locally roasted in our own little city of Stoney Creek. I checked out the label and my tasty coffee was from Balzacs, roasted down on the service road in Stoney Creek. They don't have a store front so I wasn't able to get any till now. Worth the wait! I highly recommend Kelly's Bake Shoppe for their amazing vegan cupcakes and cookies, but especially for the coffee (coconut milk or almond milk available for adding if desired, not me, just a bit of sugar for me;)

1) large coffee - aprox. 14 onzes $2.25 plus tax ($2.54) 8/10 a bit too pricey
2) roasted beans - 9/10 locally roasted and local business
3) service - 9/10 excellent
4) accessibility? 8/10 parking lot next door ( have to pay in stupid Burlington)
5) flavour - 9/10
6) Eco friendly - 9/10 vegan options for coffee and treats
7) cup size - decent cup size, re-cycleable paper
8) food - vegan ( the epitome of Eco-friendly because its vegan and paper/plastics are recyclable
9) local ingredients - no but gluten free, animal product free and chemical free so it's just fine
10) wifi - nope, nice windows though (get it?;)

Super experience!

Mulberry Street Coffee House

193 James Street North, Hamilton
(905) 963-1965

It looks like I am keeping it in the family for the last two blogs. My daughter Maggie and I found ourselves on James Street on Sunday morning thinking that a coffee while we wait is the perfect thing to do...well it was because it was the only place open >:(. I am pretty sure that I say this every time I go to James Street on a Sunday or Monday (my only days off) and I "pinky swear" it won't happen a gain. That being said, I had an incredible experience at Mulberry. I already knew I loved the place, it's treats and ambience but I hadn't stopped to appreciate the coffee before. I had a cafe Americano as usual, Maggie had a (let me get this straight) sugar free, vanilla chai latte made with soy, as well as we shared a vegan macaroon. I would normally give Mulberry a glowing review, the coffee was superb, the ambience was cool, comfortable seating, clean bathroom, music was just the right volume....BUT. The server forgot my macaroon, the latte was put down so crazily that it slashed all over without any apologies to Maggie for getting it all on her hand, there was no offering of napkins....just really odd. I am glad that it wasn't my first time in because newbies would be intimidated. I just found the bald lady kinda funny (no smiles).

1) price? Damn forgot to check....anyone remember?
2) roasted beans in house? No, doesn't matter
3) service - 6/10 (unusual for the place, messy service and forgetful today...party last night?)
4) accessibility - no problem, one street over - 7.5/10
5) flavour - 9.5/10 (amazing flavour and in a Christmas mug...sooooo good)
6) Eco friendly - 9/10 (china cups for in house, paper cups for take out are made from reclaimed paper:)
7) cup size - 8.5/10 ( I had a single shot and the cup was really nice, not huge though)
8) food - 9/10 (our macaroon was delicious and full of nuts and coconut and big)
9) ingredients local - not what we had but I think their food is if in season
10) ambience - 8/10 ( not rated as highly today, the servers are normally really bubbly and awesome, no one seemed happy today....tired?)

* Maggie and I agreed the art was cool on the walls and the restaurant was really clean and splendid

* I love the fact that Mulberry and it's sister cafe My Dog Joe both have free wifi and encourage people to come an stay for a while!

My Dog Joe

Westdale is just cool. I have a hard time believing my kid will be this age soon, as of February she's old enough for university and that's the majority of the crowd is here at My Dog Joe. Neil is with me today, we ordered our drinks (cafe Americano for me and latte for him). I toiled over my treat but settled on a Hello Dolly which frankly, "kicks ass". My first choice was a vegan cupcake that was chocolate espresso but couldn't compete with Maggie's baking.

The cafe is lovely for those that love a calm, hippy atmosphere with awesome music and free Wiifii!!!! I love this place, my Americano is delicious, full flavour, no bitterness and a nice size cup. It's probably a good idea that this isn't in my neighbourhood because I pretty much guarantee I would be spending too much time and money here.

1) Americano - $2.50 (one of the cheapest I have had lately! What???)
2) Roasted in house? No 7/10
3) Service - excellent and friendly 9/10
4) Access/location - most likely need to walk a distance but easy enough 7.5/10
5) Flavour - 9/10 delicious, full flavour, no bitterness
6) Ecofriendly - china available, paper cups a green! Wonderful! 8.5/10
7) Cup size - good size, Neil's was a MDJ mug :) 8/10
8) Food - made in house, the Hello Dolly is incredible and vegan/vegetarian options available 9/10
9) Ambiance - fun, mismatched furniture with awesome hip tunes playing <3 9/10
10) Salman Rushdie lookalike comes here (it really did look like him). 10/10

1020 King Street West,
Westdale
Hamilton, Ont.

Starbucks, Stoney Creek Mountain November 16/12

Well, I'm sure everyone expected it...wasn't going to do it but with time constraints and the desire for a coffee took over and there I was. My compadres and I found ourselves at the mountain location of Starbucks today on a lovely Friday afternoon. The store was jam packed with Christmas stuff, and this is one of the reasons that people despise and love Sbux. It's just so CORPORATE, and they are so good at it. Damn, those are tasty coffees. I admit it, I go there often, and not because its the most convenient place for espresso...it's just good.

Today was a mixed review. I ordered my vente (medium I think????) cafe Americano as usual and a lemon poppyseed slice, Maggie had a latte (since when does an everything bagel come with cheese...cheese? I don't think so. The mistake was corrected for a multigrain bagel that is vegan approved and nothing went to waste), Jessy had a chai latte with oat biscuit and Adam just had a muffin. The problem was that Adam's muffin was *gasp* STALE!!! The fact that Adam (the nicest guy on the planet) took it back made it quite clear that it wasn't good. Jessy's oat biscuit was "hard", granted they do tend to be a bit hard...not cool Star Bucks! I think they are a bit complacent if 2 of their things weren't fresh. I had the lemon poppyseed loaf, it was really tasty but I am thinking the large amount of oil in it prevented it from going stale. We were pretty lucky with our seating today, thanks to Jessy we got the choice comfy chairs!!! Yay!

1) Cafe Americano - $2.85 for medium
2) roasted in house? No sir
3) service - 7/10 (forgot my poppyseed loaf and started the wrong bagel)
4) location - 9/10
5) Flavour - 8/10 (full flavour, a little bitter)
6) Eco friendly? Hell no! (I brought home the garbage and green binned what I could)
7) Cup sizes - 8/10 ( good size for the price, no china available)
8) Food - 6/10 (not fresh, pricey and not reheatable)
9) Local?10 The only thing local is the location, maybe the people working there
10) Ambiance - 7.5/10 (Starbucks is #1 for being hip and cool, it's not quiet enough for actual studying but usually has fun music and great atmosphere for hangouts and chats)

Coffee Culture- Stoney Creek, November 14/12

Our trip to Coffee Culture wasn't a first, in fact I have been there many times before; it's interesting to go with a fresh perspective and purpose (all for fun of course;).

The Coffee Culture on Centennial Parkway, between Queenston Road and Barton Street is always clean and friendly.  I was welcomed by two great servers with all the relevant questions asked a potential coffee purchaser. Today I ordered a coffee americano and everything bagel, I was very pleased that they asked me if I wanted butter (because I didn't, but wouldn't have thought about the choice).  The americano was a little bitter, but full bodied and rich with just one shot of espresso. It lead to a conversation with fellow patrons about possible future visits for double shots and eventual caffeine "freak out" (note to self - keep with the single shot, don't get talked into it).  I was pleasantly served my drink promptly and correctly made, the bagel as well was quick.  I am always pleased and surprised with the little biscotti offered with my coffee (nice touch Coffee Culture).  Maggie doesn't take the biscotti because she is a vegan, and orders her coffee/latte/tea with soy, this qualifies this cafe as a very nice place for those that are veggie or lactose intolerant.

1) price $2.29 cafe Americano - 8/10

2) roasted - off site

3)service - 9/10

4) location - 8/10 ( lots of parking but very difficult to leave and got south)

5) flavour - 8/10

6) Eco - 7/10  (corporate environment but nice china for in restaurant instead of paper as well as vegetarian options).

7) cup size - 8.5/10 (nice size cup for drinks)

8) food - 7/10 (unremarkable but tasty and prompt)

9) ingredients -( non milk is available as well as both snack and light meal options with reasonable prices)

10) ambiance - 7.5 (wifii is available for patrons but no interesting music "cool up" the vibe.

*washrooms were discussed as an important part of a cafe experience, Maggie gave it a 6/10.  She mentioned it had all the necessary parts of a clean bathroom but a little messy/dirty.  Jessy said she judged it more harshly due to the fact that she was wearing her fantastic purple jacket and thought she was pretty good.  She may be right.  

Mezza Caffe, November 11/12

I had the best experience today at a cafe called Mezza Caffe in Ancaster, Ontario.  It was pretty much the "Valhalla" of coffee lovers.  I was immediately charmed by their slogan, "serious about coffee" because Lordy, Lordy they sure are and so am I :)

As you enter the front doors you will be swept away by the best coffee equipment you can buy, imported from Italy in its finery, shiny and new.  Neil and I went the cafe part and looked at the choices of drinks and treats.  I asked a few questions and settled on cafe americano, and Neil on a latte.  I was really torn about what to accompany my lovely coffee and it was gelato with fruit (came with a glass:).

1) Cafe Americano - $2.95

2) Beans are roasted in Italy - 7/10

3) Service - 9/10

4) accessibility - lots of parking, easily found off #403 or hwy #2

5) Flavour - full body, beautifully roasted and smooth

6) Eco-friendly - soy milk is available (although not today), nice china for drinking in house

7) Cup size- lovely size cup 

8) Food - fresh made sandwiches, frozen gelato from Italy

9) local ingredients - not especially a point 

10) Wiifii? - No

Fresh coffee made is $1.75 for medium, $2.00 for large

1142 Wilson Street W C8&9

Ancaster, Ontario L9G 3K9

www.mezzacaffe.ca