Blue Dog Coffee Roasters

199 Brant Ave,

Brantford, Ont.

N3T 3J1

(519)512-0022

www.bluedogcoffeeroasters.com

I had been told about The Blue Dog a few months ago but hadn't had the chance to get to Brantford, I am really glad we did.  Neil and I took the motorcycle from home along the back roads to Brantford and had glorious weather to travel.  We found the cafe on the main road, it was surprisingly in a neighbourhood with homes around and shops, this cafe had been a house at one time too.  The art inside was cool, the decor was interesting and the coffee and food was delicious!  I had a great time and highly recommend anyone to go and have a great experience.

1)coffee-small $1.62 medium $1.86 large $2.14  8/10

2)roasted- locally but off site in Brantford 9/10

3)service- just fine 7/10

4)accessibility- main thoroughfare, lots of free parking 9/10

5)flavour- full flavour, smooth and sweet 8/10

6)Eco-friendly- china cups, recycling, soy milk available 8/10

7)cup size- good size with 3 choices 8/10

8)food- I had cauliflower soup and bagel, fresh and hot 9/10

9)ambience- comfortable, sunny and lots of seating 8.5/10

10)wifi- free and no password needed. 10/10

*overall- 8.5/10 

Grounded Coffee Inc.

292 King Street 

Midland, Ont.

(705)527-5997

www.groundedcoffee.ca

I went to Midland with a girlfriend of mine, we went to the Sugar Ridge Yoga Retreat Centre in June, 2013.  We decided to venture into the little town of Midland to walk and shop, and find an awesome coffee shop (who knew?).  We were encouraged to try Grounded Coffee when I explained that I like a cool, comfortable, fresh roasted and fair trade kinda shop! Voila! We got one!  I asked the owner about his favourite coffee and he spent a few minutes explaining the medium roast he is proud of at the cafe. I got the blend called Dragon Tail, it's named after the location of the coffee beans (Sumatra and Papua Guinea) and the land looks like a dragons tail...kinda :). I bought some beans to bring home as well. The roast was pretty good, light in roast and full flavour and I am looking forward to making it fresh at home.

1)coffee- small -$1.85 medium $2.00 large $2.15 8/10

2)roasted- locally, in house 9/10

3)service- friendly and informative 9/10

4)accessibility - main thoroughfare in Midland with pay street parking. 7/10

5)Flavour- smooth, light, not robust 8/10

6)Eco-friendly- china cups, soy milk available 7.5/10

7)cup size- good size with 3 sizes to choose from 8/10

8)food- tried a vegan fruit and nut bar, healthy and tasty 8.5/10

9)ambience- cool, relaxed, plenty of seating 8/10

10)Wifi- open with a password 10/10

Overall- 8/10 charming place to go in Midland, check it out!

Sestres- pastry and Coffee Shop

Vegan and Gluten-free Shop

191 Ottawa St.N.

Hamilton, Ont.

L8H 3Z4

www.sestrespastries.com

Sestrespatries@gmail.com

905-545-5040

Hamilton Ontario has a few special areas to shop with strong communities and interesting places to shop, Ottawa Street is one of them.  I have been going to Sestres for quite a long time, since it opened a couple years ago.  I am a huge fan of small business, friendly service and environmentally responsible shops and this one meets the criteria very well.  

When you enter Sestres you are met by a large array of pastries that are separated by gluten-free or vegan, honestly you would never know if you judged by looks and taste alone.  They have all kinds of coffee service too including the choice of soy milk in all the drinks.  When I went for a coffee recently they had begun to serve lunch as well, limited choices but delicious and safe for consumers that want to eat and not worry about their diets.

1) coffee- small- $1.60 med.-$1.89 large-$2.00 8/10

2) roasted- unclear where in Toronto but organic and fair trade 8/10

3) service- excellent, friendly and prompt 8.5/10

4) accessibility- Ottawa and Cannon Street with street parking or local lot 8/10

5) flavour- 7.5/10

6) Eco-friendly- china cups available in cafe, Eco sourced 8/10

7) cup size- 3 sizes to choose from with decent size 9/10

8) food- vegan/gluten-free food and pastries that would appeal to anyone 8/10

9)ambience-small,friendly and family friendly 8/10

10wifi- ????

*overall 8/10 support one of Hamilton's wonderful family owned cafes on a wonderfully eclectic street! 

Crepe it Up

Tastes like love without the heartache. Eat in- Take out- Catering

507 Church Street Unit #8
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 2C9
(416)916-3558
www.pavillioncoffee.com

I had some time to kill in Toronto on a beautiful sunny day and took a walk down Church and Wellesley to a little place called Crepe It Up. The food is really good, the coffee is really nice but the lady running the place was really against and photos being taken ( I always ask first). I was really confused, I was really glad that went back and spoke to again and explained what I was doing, she didn't mind and I set about taking pictures WITH her permission this time😀. It's a nice place. Interesting decor with typical chalkboard writing to decorate the place. The sign out front advertised fresh coffee, I think actually roast here because they have green coffee beans as well as a roaster sitting in the corner. I like the big front windows that show Church Street in its best busy, fun atmosphere.

I ordered the special of the day of lentil soup and Mushroom/Spinach crepe that was quite good but could have been hotter. The coffee was served in a nice big mug with decent flavour although not made fresh. I'm not sure I would suggest this one for a coffee if there were dedicated cafes around (I'm not sure where anything is) but its nice for a cheap, quick meal.

1)coffee- small $1.65 Large $1.95 8/10
2)roasted locally- yes? 8/10
3)Service- I little uncomfortable with the menu, the cook was helpful 7/10
4)accessibility - church and Wellesley is a main road in Toronto by bus 8/10
5)flavour- pretty good and quick 7/10
6)Eco-friendly- recycling and china cups 7.5/10
7)cup size- very good 8.5/10
8)food- many choices, freshly made and tasty if you like crepes 8/10
9)ambience- light conversation, laughter and sunny eating area 8.5/10
10)wifi- free of charge with password 10/10

*pretty cool that they have Viet espresso available to order
**overall 8/10 descent but not glowing

Homegrown Hamilton

27 King William St.
Hamilton, ON

Facebook.com/homegrownhamilton
Instagram.com/homegrownhamilton
Homegrownhamilton.com

Coffee*Cuisine*Community

Homegrown is in an interesting part of Hamilton where there are great coffee shops very easy to find. If you haven't been to Homegrown, there is a parking lot directly across from it, don't park there like I did because its ridiculously expensive and there is plenty elsewhere. That aside, I was pleasantly surprised by the welcoming feel in the entryway of this cafe (art, roaster, food counter and lots of space) and enjoyed the ambience immediately. I found my eyes were drawn all around the cafe to see all the sights, interesting people of all types and enjoy the sunlight flooding in the front windows on this weekday afternoon.

I like to feel like each person can make a small difference in the world and the owners of Homegrown clearly feel this way as well, you can buy fair-trade coffee, and the latest wonderful social responsibility is the addition of suspended coffee. I bought a suspended coffee today; the small purchase of a coffee in advance can be given to someone who doesn't have enough money or is having a tough day. Its wonderful!

I visited Homegrown today to have a coffee, eat some lunch and buy some of their home roasted coffee beans, and was happy that i did. It was really quite lovely how no matter how busy they got, you never felt rushed (I found I was trying to rush myself😀) and they were very happy to answer any questions for me. We had homemade sandwiches, coffee and desserts and it was really delicious. I love to think that in Hamilton we have wonderful places like this for us all to enjoy and support independent places of business, and I highly recommend that everyone does.

1) coffee- small $2.25 large $2.75 8/10 (Mexican medium roast)
2) roasted- in house roasted and fresh 9/10
3) service- relaxed, friendly and warm 8/10
4) accessibility- street parking is cheaper but harder to find 8/10
5) flavour- was a bitter thin, I would like to try again 7.5/10
6) Eco-friendly- glass or compostable cups, vegan choices and soy milk 9.5/10
7) cup size- big and glass 8.5/10
8) food- freshly made to order, vegan/vegetarian choices, 8.5/10
9) ambience- relaxed, inviting and smells amazing 8.5/10
10) Wifi- available upon request for free 10/10

*overall 8.5/10 a super place to enjoy coffee, fresh food and live music in the evenings!!!

I deal Coffee- Yonge Street

3336 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ont.
M4N 2M4
(416)364-7700

www.idealcoffee.ca
Twitter: @idealcoffee
Facebook: I deal Coffee


I haven't gone too far from home to do coffee reviews, but when I can, its super awesome when my instincts take me to a great location. Maggie and I needed to be in Toronto and found ourselves on Yonge Street in apparently a very "right wing" part of the city. I normally don't travel in business areas often but we happened upon a fabulous location of Ideal coffee. This place is the third location of this little Roastery and we were welcomed in with a smile and barista with panache! Brett was working all on her own and was dishing up great looking lattes, cappuccinos, espressos and treats with speed, finesse and friendly suggestions. Maggie and I were completely taken with her ability to win everyone over immediately. I always ask if I can take pictures and try not to post anything that wouldn't reflect the cafe in a positive light, as well as ask questions in order to complete my review and hopefully learn what I can. I bought a bag of coffee called the Red Sea made from Ehiopian Sidama beans (yum!) and a t-shirt which may add to a new obsession. Ideal coffee on Yonge Street was comfortable, had many beans to choose from and a great atmosphere (charmingly hipster?). Maggie and I both agreed our visit was amazing and the vegan muffin we split was delicious too.

1) coffee- $2.25 $2.75. 9/10
2)Roasted locally- on location 9.5/10
3)Service- friendly, quick, creative 9/10
4) accessibility- main access with parking nearby 9/10
5)Flavour- fresh and full flavour 9/10
6) Eco-friendly- organic, free trade with options for china cups/compostable paper 9/10
7) Cup size- medium and large choices 9/10
8) Food- tasty with veggie options 9/10
9) Ambience- relaxed, friendly and artsy 8/10
10)Wifi- yes 10/10

*over all 9/10