On our way to Medicine Hat we stopped in Brooks at a very friendly and cute coffee shop called The Steaming Cup. It was very busy and everyone waiting in line was very friendly, we were just talking and they all started talking to us. They even suggested that my daughter move to Brooks to teach, since they are so low on substitute teachers there. It was a pretty awesome place.

 

The Interior

They have some products for sale at the front of the store and then on the right they have a long bar surrounded by tables all around. When we arrived it was already lined up, the owner said it is never like this and she was sorry because she was by herself. We were in no rush.

The Drinks

After asking a couple questions about a few of their drinks we quickly decided what we would like to have.

I ordered an Oat Milk Latte for $5.40 ($0.35 Milk Alternative Charge) and it was good, their roaster of choice is  Mad Hatter Coffee Roasters out of Medicine Hat. Our plan is to visit that shop later in the day.  The espresso was made with a dark roast bean, it was a pretty strong blend.

My wife ordered an Oat Milk London Fog for $5.10 ($0.35 Milk Alternative Charge) and she said it was really good and creamy. They also use Mighty Leaf Tea which is delicious.

My daughter ordered a Pear Caramel Tea for $2.95 and it was really delicious, she said she could really taste the caramel.

The Food

Since it was our first stop and we need a little snack before continuing our trip we got a couple items as well. They are all made in shop and were delicious.

We ordered a Cranberry Almond Hemp Bar for $3.75, a Snickerdoodle Cookie for $2.15, a Compost Cookie for $2.15, and a Biscotti for $2.50. Like I said they were all absolutely amazing.

The Service

The lady was very friendly and was really appreciative, I offered to help carry down some boxes for her and she was very happy. As it slowed a little she talked with us about the potential of my daughter teaching and talked a little about coffee too.

 

The Hours

Monday to Friday – 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday – 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

 

Parking

There is parking located out front along the street on both sides. As more and more people came in, the street did fill up so you may have to park a little further away.

 

Last Words

Next time on our travels in Southern Alberta, we would definitely make a point to stop at The Steaming Cup again. I would suggest if you are in Brooks to do the same.

Some towns have all the luck. Some small towns are operating with zero quality shops, it is truly great to find that a small geographic area has one really great coffee shop. Streamers is that shop in Sorrento, BC.

 

The Interior

The interior is very full with tables with seating for about 20. We had a chance to talk with Debra the owner, she said that she had shut the place down for two weeks because she wanted to start selling the wares of Canadian artisans in her shop. There is numerous shelving units full of their products. She sell products from 37 artisans and 34 are local. We love to see that kind of support.

The outdoor has a patio area that has about five tables. We sat outside as it was so beautiful the day we were there. If you have kids, keep an eye on them because the shop is located by the highway and there is a fence area keeping you away from a ravine behind the shop.

The Drinks

I ordered a medium latte for $5.50. The latte was well balanced and smooth. Their roaster of choice is Shuswap Coffee Roasters.

My wife ordered a small Chai latte for $4.95, as she was apprehensive about it as some of these chai’s she has had lately have not been too good. But not today, the Chai today was very smooth with fantastic flavor. Steamers gets their Chai mix from David Rio out of San Francisco. The mix was so good my wife bought some to take home and has since ordered more, she loves it that much.

The Food

Since we had just finished breakfast I only ordered a BE-bop Grasshopper Mint Biscotti $3.50 to try. I really enjoyed the flavor of chocolate and mint.

All food and their baked goods are made in house.

The Service

All the ladies we talked with were all very friendly. As I mentioned we talked with Debra the owner, she was delightful to talk with and had a ton of energy.

The Hours

 They are open every day from 6am to 6pm.

 

Parking

Since they are located in a small strip mall there is pretty good parking.

 

Last Words

I really like this place, not just because the drinks were good but the whole environment was excellent and full of energy. People were happy, lots of locals coming and going, which to me is a great sign that it’s a great place to go to. Next time I am passing through Sorrento, BC I will be stopping by and so should you.

This amazing cafe was a little difficult to find at first since it is located a little off the beaten path. It is actually located behind the building that GPS sent us to, which we didn’t know at first.

Once we drove around the building, we were happy to see the location with giant garage doors, that were not open today, but could be on a very nice day.

 

The Interior

The inside of the shop is a huge open space, full of light, and it has a gorgeous open concept throughout the main level. There is stairs located on the far side that takes you up to a second floor where there is more seating and a beautiful view of the lower level.

There is a long counter showcasing food, coffee, and their machines.  At the end of the counter they have their roasting machine that can be viewed by all their guests.

The cafe also has a little stage on the far wall and they have open mic every Saturday from 1-3pm. We were there on a Friday and we were very shocked at how many people where there.

The Drinks

After asking a couple questions about some of their menu items we selected a couple drinks that sounded amazing.

I ordered a Latte for $4.75 and it was made with a Mexican Peruvian Blend of beans, it was quite flavorful. This is their own blend. Unfortunately they don’t sell their espresso from what I was told. They do however sell their other coffee.

My wife ordered a Chai Frappe for $4.12 and since it was Chai Friday she received her beverage 25% off. She said that it was delicious and quite refreshing.

My daughter ordered an Iced London Fog for $5.00 and they sweetened with Vanilla instead of Lavender, which was delicious.

The Food

We also decided to get a couple treats to try since everything in their case looked amazing.

We ordered a Brownie for $3.00 and it had a German chocolate topping with coconut, it was absolutely delicious.

We also ordered an Oatcake for $2.50 and it was more of a cookie than a cake, but it was delicious and chewy.

The Service

Everyone working there was very friendly and helpful when answering our questions. They were quick getting us our beverages and our delicious treats.

The Hours

Monday to Friday:  8:00AM – 3:00PM

Saturday:  10:00AM – 3:00PM

 

Parking

There was quite a bit of parking out front of their location.

 

Last Words

This shop is absolutely amazing and would definitely visit this cafe again in the future. Red Deer has a great little coffee shop and if you are there, you should definitely stop and get a beverage from this cafe.

This little shop is located in downtown Calgary on 6th Ave and if you are not looking for it, you will drive right by. Their menu is 98% vegan friendly and everything is made to order.

 

The Interior

This little shop has a bar top with eight chairs and a four table at the front. Most of this location is the kitchen and you can watch them make your food as you wait. Veg-In YYC does a lot of grab and go food that would cater to the busy people working in downtown Calgary.

 

The Food

My son ordered the Mistaken Identity Bowl for $13.50 which was very delicious. The bowl included Masala Jackfruit, Vegan Chorizo, Beets and Corn Chips, it was all served on quinoa, fresh veggies, protein and a balsamic sauce.

My wife and son also shared a slice of Pistachio Lemon Raw Cake, which is the name they use for unbaked cheesecake, it was $4.95. This cake is Gluten Free, Soy Free, and is refined sugar feee. It had amazing flavour and my wife says that she would go and get it again in the future.

He said it was very delicious and that he would definitely go back and try some of their other menu items in the future.

Service

The staff was very friendly and accommodating for how close to their closing time we showed up. They were very helpful with the questions my son was asking and he stated that they would make sure that everything was exactly how he ordered it.

 

The Hours

Sunday and Monday – Closed

Tuesday to Saturday – 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

 

Parking

Parking is very limited, they have a couple spots out front that were taken when we arrived. So we had to drive around the block a couple times.

 

Last Words

My son recommended anyone who is Vegan or Vegetarian to try this place if you are in downtown Calgary.

Our second stop in Okotoks was a cute little house located just off the main road called 94 Take the Cake. It is located in an old house that has been transformed into a bakery and cafe. It sit amongst other residential houses. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, a good thing in the way I would be there every day grabbing a beverage and a pastry, a bad thing in the way I would be there every day grabbing a beverage and a pastry.

 

The Interior

You walk into the main living area where there is the counter that you order at as well as a couple places to sit.

The counter shows off some of their baked goods as well as some of their cakes that they make and sell. They also have books that you can look through of their cakes that they have made in the past.

In the room to the right there is a room with a round table and then a couple other spots to sit.

 

The Drinks

We were so distracted by all of the delicious goods that we had some issues deciding what we wanted to drink. After looking over the menu again we decided what we wanted to drink.

I ordered the Latte for $4.95 and it was good, it had good flavour. They use Loft Coffee which was really nice to see. I love to see business supporting local.

My wife ordered the London Fog for $3.95, they use Twinning’s tea, and she only wished that they used better tea, but overall it was good.

My daughter ordered a Vanilla Latte for $5.50 and it had great flavour with a subtle vanilla flavour.

 

The Food

We also ordered a couple food items since everything looked absolutely amazing.

We ordered a Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheese Cupcake for $3.50 and it had really good flavour and was served super cute like.

We also had a lemon tart for $6.00 and it was outstanding, amazing lemon flavour and the crust was baked perfectly.

Lastly we ordered a Blueberry Almond Scone for $2.00 and it was really good, the blueberries and almonds were perfect.

 

The Service

The young lady that was working there was amazing, she allowed my daughter to check out their really amazing sprinkle wall. My daughter was in love with the wall. She also told us to check out some of the mazing cakes and cookies that they had made in the past. They were amazing.

 

The Hours

Monday to Friday – 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM

Saturday to Sunday – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

 

Parking

There was parking in the front since it is on a side road. You may have trouble finding parking because if they are busy, it will be difficult.

 

Last Words

We will definitely visit this little shop again in the future to sit on their amazing patio that they have. Also my daughter found amazing Alice in Wonderland cookies that I am sure she will want to order in the future as well.

Today we decided to venture out to Okotoks and check out a couple new cafes that we had been eyeing. The first we stopped at was French 50 Bakery. We did ask how they came up with the name of the shop. They said they were going to have a French bakery and the one owner said he was 50 years old so, French 50 Bakery was born. A unique name for a unique little place.

 

The Interior

This bakery is in an old house that has been converted into a bakery. It is a small location with only seven tables and their outdoor patio has a couple tables. When we arrived you could smell the fresh baked items throughout, it was amazing. It was also very busy when we arrived, but we were able to get a table as soon as we ordered.

 

The Drinks

From our friends at Devil’s Head Coffee, we had heard about two young fourteen year old boys making the coffee and was excited to see what they could do. After looking over the menu we decided on a couple beverages, we were also excited to see that they used Devils Head Coffee.

My daughter and I ordered Latte’s for $4.50 each and they were very good. I even made the comment that it tasted just like the one that Mia made me from Devils Head the week before.

My wife ordered a London Fog for $4.50 and it was delicious. They used simple syrup instead of Vanilla or Lavender which we thought was really nice.

The prices of all their beverages I felt were quite reasonable.

 

The Service

Everyone was very friendly and nice, we talked with the friends of the owners who were helping out and asked some questions, which they were quick to answer. They were very friendly.

 

The Hours

Monday to Friday – 8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Saturday to Sunday – 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

 

Parking

Since they are located just off the main street there was quite a bit of parking.

 

Last Words

I suspect this shop will do well as they are in a neighborhood that is walkable. Hours are long and will accommodate lots of people. I hope everybody goes and checks out this truly unique space. I want to go back and check it out on a weekend and see how the vibe is.

I have often yearned for an independent coffee shop close to where I work. I now have one within minutes of my office. Devil’s Head Coffee, it is not really a coffee shop but more a place where they roast coffee, with serving the occasional coffee to customers. Ok, so they are a coffee shop, they just don’t have any seating. Ok, Ok, they have one seat but that’s for the roaster.

The day I was there, I met Chris who is the owner of Devil’s Head Coffee. He had the roaster going full bore. While he was roasting, we discussed everything about Devil’s Head all while I was enjoying a pour over, our discussion ended up being about 2 hours that day.

Mia is one of his staff members who also is one of his baristas. I later found out that she also does the majority of their communications for the business, from dealing with Instagram, their community and customer training programs.

The one thing I really enjoyed about my time at Devil’s Head was how relaxed the atmosphere was. The staff always have time to chat with their customers which is really great to see.

Since I found out that Devil’s Head is so close to my office, I have since been back a number of times.

It is always great to walk in and say hello, have a chat with Chris and grab a coffee. What I have noticed is that it is so easy to forget about time when I am over there. Through my numerous talks with Chris, we are on the same page about trying to get people educated about independent coffee roasters and coffee shops, instead of going to their local Timmy’s or Starbucks.

 

The Interior

The space is not that big but it does the job for what they have going on. There is only one seat and that is for the roaster as I mentioned up above. They have a counter as soon as you walk in the door that is the right height for leaning against and for supporting your coffee, they also have a shelving unit where they sell their beans and swag on.

In the one corner their 5 kg roaster sits prominently. Although it is a 5 kg roaster, Chris said the sweet spot for roasting is only doing batches about 8.5 lbs. in size.

The other side of the shop is where their coffee equipment is set up as well as some racking where they have their green beans just waiting to be roasted.

 

Their Mobile Cart

They have this really cool coffee cart they use for all the pop-ups. For instance, during The Calgary Stampede they were out at a number of pancake breakfasts in the city. They could be at a Farmers Market, an office building downtown, or even in the mountains serving their coffee. Check them out online if this is something you or your company might be interested in. Thank you to Devil’s Head for providing the following cart images.

 

The Drinks

The pourover that I had was a Guatemalan. Its tasting notes were peach, almond, raisins, and chocolate. It was very light and had a very smooth body.

I have had a number of pour overs from there as well as a few lattes, featuring their Ghost Espresso.

Normally, I would put down what I paid for the drink but unfortunately they don’t have a price menu up anywhere. From what I have paid, the drinks are in the $3.00 to $4.50 range.

As for beans available, they have an impressive line-up with coffee beans from around the world. If zero waste is your thing, bring your own container and Devil’s Head can help you out by selling you beans in bulk as well.

 

The Service

Every time I have been there, the service has been outstanding. As I mentioned before, all the staff have been very friendly and have been a pleasure to deal with.

 

The Hours

They just changed their hours, their new hours are;

Monday to Friday:  10:00am to 6:00pm

 

Parking

Lots of reserved parking for everyone else. It is a very busy parking lot. Best to park on the street and walk in.

 

Last Words

I am so delighted to find good coffee so close to my beaten path, it was like sighing “ahh, coffee.”

If you’re in South East Calgary on 106 Ave SE, stop by and say hello, don’t forget to grab yourself a coffee. If you aren’t in the area, check them out online at devilsheadcoffee.ca for all your coffee needs.

 

 

by: Christopher Hudspeth (Buzzfeed Staff)

1. This cafe that offers balls of honey to drop in your tea for maximum convenience.

2. This cafe that keeps your drink cold with frozen coffee cubes so it doesn’t get watered down.

3. This coffee shop that has signs so you can let others know they’re welcome to join you without actually speaking.

4. This cafe that offers timers so you can let your tea steep the proper amount of time.

5. This cafe’s water that’s placed above plants, so any extra dripping doesn’t go to waste.

6. This coffee shop that dispenses milk and cream via a beer tap.

7. This cafe that offers “pay it forward” tokens so you can help out those in need or do a good deed just because.

8. This cafe that uses pasta as stirrers instead of plastic or wood.

9. This coffee shop’s chart that explains what ingredients are in each option.

10. This coffee shop that has a nifty secret menu visible in the the mirror behind the counter.

11. This cafe that provides water at two different temperatures to suit different teas.

12. This cafe that can print a picture of you onto your latte.

13. This cafe that offers half-priced coffee if you say, “please.”

14. This coffee shop that has wireless chargers installed in the tables.

15. And finally, this Starbucks that provides you with live video of the barista that’s taking your order.

story from: Buzzfeed

 

 

We heard that Calgary Heritage Roasters was opening their own location and we just had to go and check it out. We decided to visit during their Grand Opening and it was so amazing. We had also found out that they were originally going to open at 10 am and change on the day to open at 8 am. Which was awesome.

 

The Interior

They are located in an old building on the edge of Inglewood and it is an amazing space. They have a giant family style table surrounded with smaller tables and a bar top. We found out that all their tables were made from wood that they found in the basement, which is amazing to bring history into their new shop.

Their roasting room is located beside the bar and completely surrounded in glass. It would be so amazing to be there while they were roasting, it would smell so awesome.

In the basement is where all their bags of un-roasted beans are right now. It is a big open space and I wonder what they have planned for that space in the future. They also several vaults in their space. Very cool.

They also have some shelving set up selling their swag at the front of the shop.

The Drinks

TASTE A COFFEE AS WILD AS YOU ARE!

Their menu is very accommodating to everyone, they have multiple different options and if you don’t see what you would like, they can make it for you anyway. Every beverage you order is served in a Calgary Heritage Roasters tin mug, which is a nice touch.

I ordered a Latte for $5.24. As for their coffee, they were serving up a Guatemalan Blend, with notes of milk chocolate, caramel and cherry.

My wife ordered a London Fog for $4.52 and it is not overly sweet which is the way my wife likes it.

My daughter ordered an Iced Vanilla Latte for $5 and she said it had really great flavour.

On a side note, they make all their syrups in house which really adds a nice touch to every beverage.

The Food

EATS, EATS, EATS!

They make a lot of their items in house and all of their pastries arrive daily from Butterblock. After looking over the menu and looking at their displayed pastries we decided to get a couple little things.

I ordered a Ham and Cheese Croissant for $4.76 and it was delicious. I got both ham and cheese in every bite. Pastry was so flaky.

My wife ordered a Cinnamon Pecan Cookie for $1.90 and she said it was really good. At first she thought it was a snickerdoodle cookie.

My daughter ordered a Butter Croissant for $3.81 and it was super flaky and buttery.

The Service

Since it was their Grand Opening all the staff and owners were walking around talking to everyone and letting everyone know the story of Calgary Heritage Roasters. Everyone was very friendly and excited to see everyone walking in the door. Even as they got busier they still talked to everyone, which we though was awesome.

The Hours

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Parking

There is not a ton of parking right now, but the owners said that they are working with the city to get some street parking out front. In the parking lot there is limited spots, so be mindful.

 

Last Words

After conversing with my wife and daughter about the area and the shop was located in, we sadly had to leave and head out to do some other errands.

Thus, adding excellent customer service to their credit, the Calgary Heritage Roasters proved every bit a gem as I had hoped. If you’re in the Inglewood/Ramsay area, definitely take a small detour for an excellent cup of coffee.