Extreme Coffee Freak

Sorry that I haven’t been posting about our adventures as often, we had a lot happening in February with YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, and a lot that happened personally.  Since my last post we actually visited nine more locations during the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest.  I thought I would summarize and let you know what our favourites were.

Shortly after visiting Tea Factory we visited one of our favourite local cafes, Red Bush, for their entry of YYC Hot Chocolate Fest.  Last year’s entry was one of my wife’s absolute favourites, so she was very excited to visit and see what their creation was.  Their Hot Chocolate was called Mayan Magic, it featured a cream puff, homemade caramel, and a light dusting of cracked pepper.  It definitely did not disappoint my wife, she absolutely loved it.  I quite enjoyed it myself.

The following week we visited Rosso, where we tried their Marble Magic Hot Chocolate.  It was a combination of Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate with a dusting of Toasted Coconut on the whipped cream.  It was very tasty.

We then visited Luke’s Drug Mart to try their Madagascar Dark Drinking Chocolate.  This was a very interesting drink to say the least.  Literally we received a shot glass of pure liquid chocolate with a dollop of creamy Chèvre goats cheese.  It was gritty hot chocolate, it was very unique.

Next up, Caffe Artigiano with their Salted Cara-Mellow Hot Chocolate.  It is always a treat to go downtown to this location.  When the barista was completed the drink she handed the whipped cream, caramel, and chocolate dusting to me.  I got to put whatever amount of each I wanted on my drink, I got so excited that she knew who I was, but then I realized that she was letting everyone who ordered their hot chocolate do the same.  I guess this way you can make it however sweet you would like with the caramel.

Near the middle of February we visited Bowness’ Light Cellar.  This was a very interesting experience.  We walked in to a bar where you can get food and beverages all using the products they sell in their mini mart.  Light Cellar won last year’s YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, so we had high expectations of the beverage we were about to receive.  It was absolutely amazing.  My daughter loved it, the matcha was very flavourful and the chocolate rimming the glass was a lovely touch.

We found ourselves in the North East the following weekend where we tried Fiasco Gelato’s Red Velvet Drinking Chocolate.  Their hot chocolate has always been a favourite in our family, so adding Red Velvet anything would be absolutely amazing.  They just added a marshmallow that was coated in Red Velvet cake, which made the hot chocolate have chunks in it.  Both my wife and daughter found it difficult to drink with these chunks, but the flavours were very good and it was a great idea.

Next we headed down to Kensington where we visited Higher Ground to try their two entries, one spiked, Spiked Orange White Hot Chocolate, and their Salted Caramel and Coconut Cocoa. The Spiked Orange White Hot Chocolate is absolutely amazing, the best way to explain what it tastes like is “Terry’s Chocolate Orange on Crack”.  It has an absolute warmth about it when you are enjoying this adult beverage. The Salted Caramel and Coconut Cocoa has a great flavour, but you cannot really taste the Salted Caramel, it has more of a coconut flavour.  It kind of reminds me of a Bounty Chocolate Bar.  Higher Ground has definitely done a great job on their flavour combinations.  I believe their Spiked Hot Chocolate will do very well in the grand scheme of everything.

The next weekend my wife and I visited Boxcar Cafe to try their IXcacao Hot Chocolate, which was Hot Chocolate with a kick.  The lady told my wife that the drink was going to be spicy, but it was a nice spice, not to bad.  It was one of my wife’s favourites that she had.

The following week we found ourselves at the Bridgeland Market trying their Peppered Petals and Cocoa beverage.  We had tried to come down here a previous week and when we arrived they were all out of the Peppered Petals, so we made a point that we would be back.  Before we came down we gave them a call to confirm that they had everything.  The drink was different in a way that they made the hot chocolate with rose water, it really added a level of flavour.  Besides the cracked pink peppercorns on the top, both my daughter and wife really enjoyed these hot chocolates.

As February drew to a close, we decided on the last night we had to go back to one of our favourites, Red Bush, and have another of their hot chocolates.  We went just before closing and they let us stick around after the shop had closed so we could finish our drinks.  I have to say that in all the time we have been doing this, Red Bush is the only place that has never asked us to leave when the cafe has closed.  We got to chat with the owner and asked where she was sitting in the running of YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, and she said second and asked us to vote if we enjoyed our beverages.

Last year during YYC Hot Chocolate Fest we only got to visit eight locations, this year when you include the launch we attended we tried 23 different drinks.

I think one suggestion that we came up with is similar to the launch, having different places featured at the Calgary Farmers Market each weekend so people can try their creations.

After the 28 days these are our Top Five Hot Chocolates;

1. Red Bush- Mayan Magic
2. Bridgeland Market- Peppered Petals and Cocoa
3. Box Car- IXcacao Hot Chocolate
4. Analog- Corbeaux Hot Chocolate
5. Tea Factory- Matcha Made in Heaven

_________________________________________________________________

After 28 days of the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, over 2650 ratings were collected, and more than 20,000 hot chocolate were sold, and more than $35,000 was raised.

Calgary’s Best Hot Chocolate

• Winner: The Bean Stop – Taj Mahal Hot Chocolate (unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to try this beverage this year)
• First Runner Up: Red Bush – Mayan Magic (Our Favourite)
• Second Runner Up: Light Cellar – White Chocolate Matcha Kiss (this was a very good hot chocolate)

Calgary’s Best Spirited Hot Chocolate

• Winner: Vendome – Aztec Hot Chocolate (we didn’t get the chance to try this one, but heard it was delicious)
• First Runner Up: Eaglequest Golf Course – Canadian Maple Whiskey Hot Chocolate (we tried this at the launch without the whiskey and it was delicious)
• Second Runner Up: Midtown Kitchen – Amaretto Float (sounds interesting)

The Cup that Runneth Over Award (most Hot Chocolates Sold)

• Winner: Euphoria Cafe – 1605 Hot Chocolates Sold (they sold over 57 a day… amazing! they also won this award last year)
• First Runner Up: Higher Ground – 1520 Hot Chocolates Sold (they sold over 54 a day)
• Second Runner Up: Rosso Coffee Roasters – 1720 Hot Chocolate Sold between five locations

Today we ventured out to the Tea Factory down on Fourth Street.  The roads were not ideal but we had to go out and support and have yet another YYC Hot Chocolate.  This is one of my daughter and my wife’s favourite places to come since they have the best matcha latte’s that my daughter has ever had.

The Tea Factory YYC Hot Chocolate is called Matcha Made In Heaven which is an exquisite mélange of ceremonial grade Matcha, and a velvety dark chocolate ganache swirling in coconut cream.

My son had an Americano and I had a Vanilla Latte, both my wife and daughter had the Matcha Made In Heaven.  The Americano was very good with a little almond milk and my vanilla latte was excellent as usual.

The hot chocolate was smooth with the taste of Matcha and chocolate with amazing coconut whipped cream.  It was a great pairing of flavours.

Hopefully the next time we head out to enjoy a hot chocolate it will be a little warmer and the roads would be in better conditions.

Tonight we are at Cafe Blanca down in Eau Claire. We decided to venture out in the “freezing” cold weather and go for another YYC Hot Chocolate.  Cafe Blanca is called Hazelnut Haven which is a creamy thick hazelnut drinking chocolate with a fluffy layer of marshmallows and vanilla whipped cream.

My wife and daughter are trying the hot chocolate, my son had a Latte with Almond Milk, and I had to have a Siphon with the an Ethiopian blend.

After taking a few sips of the hot chocolate we found that it had a very strong hazelnut flavouring almost similar to Nutella. If you really love hazelnut this is the drink for you, if you are not a fan of hazelnut than maybe steer clear from this drink.

As we were enjoying our drinks one of the baristas came over after I asked some questions about a Siphon coffee.  He ensured me that I will eventually master the Siphon coffee.  It really just takes practice and patience.  He walked me through the different temperatures that I should be trying to hit with the blends that I have at home.

There is a few more dollars for Meals on Wheels and here is to more to come.

YYC Hot Chocolate Fest is a fundraiser event that runs all the month of February and it  supports Meals on Wheels.  Each traditional  hot chocolate participating will donate a dollar of their sales per drink while spirited hot chocolate will donate two dollars of their sales per drink.  You can download their passport online at YYC Hot Chocolate Fest.

To kick off this year’s YYC Hot Chocolate Fest we went to the kickoff at the Calgary Farmers Market where we got to sample eight different hot chocolates. We sampled hot chocolates from Analog, Waves, Totali Tea, Kienna Cafe Karma, Eaglequest Golf Course, Janice Beaton Fine Foods, Earth Cravings, and Kaben Espresso Bar.  Each had its own different taste and unique feel.  After tasting each of those we got really excited to see what was coming.

So to kick off the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, my daughter went to Barrow because it was located at Mount Royal University.  Barrow’s hot chocolate was an Earl Grey Hot Chocolate which was a combination of tea and hot chocolate.  It was an amazing blend between the two.

My family decided to kick off YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, we decided to head over to our local coffee house, Euphoria Cafe.  Their signature hot chocolate is called the ‘Avalanche’.  Both my wife and daughter ordered the hot chocolate, my son had an aero-press coffee, and I had a Spanish Latte.

The ‘Avalanche‘ was a combination of semi sweet chocolate, steamed velvety milk, topped with an avalanche of touched marshmallows, salted pretzels, caramel drizzle, and a dash of cinnamon.  It was absolutely amazing while supporting Meals on Wheels.  We talked with the barista and he had said that they have made over 40 Avalanche Hot Chocolates already today.

The location we visited was located in North Vancouver.

I am not usually big on promoting chains but JJ Bean Coffee Roasters on Lonsdale Avenue was a pretty cool place. It was day two of my visit and today we were over in North Vancouver. It appears to be a trendy looking area. It was extremely busy.

I was really impressed with the decor of this location. It was very cool and a trendy place with very modern clean lines. They had these wood beams running from floor to ceiling that gave the place a forest like appearance. There was lots of seating inside including some more secluded booths for a more intimate setting. There was also a lot of cool seating outside on their patio.

My son ordered the French press and I ordered the Vanilla latte, both drinks were excellent. The coffee has a bold rich flavour that is really enjoyable.

Prices were pretty good. I think I paid about $8.00 for both drinks. Prices were comparable to other cafes I have visited during my trip. We decided not to order any food, but the baked goods did look delicious.

One complaint I would have about this place is that the drink menu seemed non-existent. Not that I need a menu to order from but it would be good to know what I was going to be paying for our drinks. I did see that they had the baked goods and the bottled drinks priced.

The staff were very friendly and seemed very knowledgable. I had some pretty decent latte art displayed in my cup. They also had some great music playing in the shop.

I will definitely visit another one of their locations the next time I am in Vancouver.

On November 24, I just arrived in Vancouver to visit my son, when he said let’s go get a coffee. Who am I to argue with him! He said we were going to a place that he had taken his girlfriend to before.

Cafe Joie is located in Burnaby just down the street from Metrotown.

It’s a small place but tastefully decorated and the atmosphere is very nice. Seemed like a place you could come and just relax and enjoy a beverage. Most tables were smaller but in the one corner was a large round table that had a group of about 10 ladies around it. They looked like they had been there a while. There was quite a few people coming in picking up stuff to go. I would think it was people picking up stuff before they go to the mall just down the street. They do have a patio but seating looked very limited and maybe they had put some seating away for the winter.

I ordered a Caramel Machiatto and my son ordered an Americano. Both drinks were very good.

I seen that they used JJ Bean Coffee Roasters as their bean of choice. I have seen a couple of cafés in Calgary use them as well. I have not been to one of their shops though, maybe on this trip if we have time.

We didn’t order any food today, but they do have quite the assortment of macaroons and other baked goods. They also had some really good looking cheesecake slices. They also serve waffles and based on the pictures that I seen they look absolutely delicious.

We found this location strange in comparison, normally you pick up your drinks and they will bring you your food, but this location doesn’t bring anything to you. We had to get up and get everything from the bar ourselves. The prices are decent here, as their drinks are around $3 and their waffles are around $10 (worth the portion size). I would like to come back next time I am back in Vancouver.

The staff were very friendly, not very talkative but very nice. Our order was processed quickly and drinks were right and looked good.

This weekend we decided to try something completely new, a French Patisserie and Cafe in downtown Calgary. I know there is nothing like this here in the city so it was quite exciting to try something new. It is located near Bumpy’s Cafe and near the Holy Grill down on 10 Street and 8^th Ave. Sucre has not been open very long, but I can tell that they will be here for a while. I read on the website that the owners visited Paris and had said “We have been to Paris numerous times and loved the French Patisserie, so why couldn’t we bring Paris home with us”.

Stepping into this location you can really tell that there is a French ambiance in the heart of Calgary, from the white walls to the openness of the front cabinets. Since we got there really early they hadn’t put out all of their fresh baked pastry’s ranging from buttery croissants to rich ganaches and irresistible macarons. We got to watch as they slowly placed out all their delicious confections.  (The fact they hadn’t placed everything out yet was because there was issues with Calgary Transit that morning and their bakers were a little late.)

After waiting several minutes to see the delicious treats we decided to order our beverages, which included two Caramel Lattes (made with homemade caramel) and a London Fog. They were absolutely amazing. They are also the only cafe in Calgary using Matchstick Coffee.

As they placed out some of the pastry items, we decided it was time to order and since we wanted to try everything we strategically ordered what we wanted. My wife ordered a Lemon Raspberry White Chocolate scone, which was warm right out of the oven, it was delicious and the chocolate was not over powering and it was amazing.

I ordered a Banana Pecan Caramel Scone and a French Ham and Cheese Sandwich, which was the right amount of delicious, the caramel on the scone was homemade and was the right consistency to make the scone gooey and amazing.

My daughter ordered a French Ham and Cheese sandwich and some Macarons. The sandwich was delicious and she got five macarons, a Lemon, a Strawberry Cheesecake, a Salted Caramel, a Matcha, and a Mango Madness. We have yet to crack into them and try how delicious they are. There was twelve flavors to choose from and they were very hard to choose the ones that she wanted.

As we were sitting there they kept bringing out more and more items, cakes that were too beautiful to eat, croissants of all kinds, and more scones. Before we left we bought some of the buttery croissants and a couple Chocolate croissants to try.

Go check this place out and get there early and try there tasty treats while they are still warm. We cannot wait for our next trip to try more of their inventions.

On October 29 we decided to try something new and headed to Fiasco Gelato.  We went to their Head Quarters off 19th Street NE.  It was this amazing location with not a lot  of parking, as there was only three parking spots assigned to Fiasco Gelato.  When we entered it was very modern and industrial.

They had so many kinds of Gelato to choose from, but after sampling a couple flavours we decided to try out their Halloween special ‘Trick or Treat’, Coconut Cream Pie, and Salted Caramel.  Each of these were very delicious.  Since this is Extreme Coffee Freak, I had to have some kind of caffeinated beverage.  I ordered a Caramel Latte and both my wife and daughter ordered Drinking Chocolate (Hot Chocolate).

After enjoying our Gelato and beverages we walked down an aisle and there was another location near the back where their warehouse was, it was so nice.  We were also able to see where they make all the Gelato, they had big open windows so you can see everything.

When we were leaving we noticed that the stairs that head upstairs had a quote from Kid President which I found I really liked.  The quote was “Create something that will make the World awesome”.

On October 22, we visited this little hidden gem located in Royal Oak on the corner of Royal Oak Drive and Rocky Ridge Road.  This location is small and wonderful.  They are open seven days a week and offer an array of caffeinated beverages, breakfast foods, alcohol, and house made delights.  Right when you walk in you are welcomed into an open space full off windows and a two sided fireplace.

We were very lucky to be helped today by one of the owners for this location.  He was very helpful and informative about everything.  We asked multiple questions and he was able to answer everything.  As we were waiting for our beverages and breakfast food you could tell when a regular came in by the way the owner greeted them.

Today we ordered a Vanilla Latte, a Caramel Machiatto, and a London Fog.  Since it was breakfast we also decided to order some food, we decided to have their breakfast wraps.  They were the perfect size to accompany the caffeinated beverages.

While we were enjoying our beverages we were looking at the menu and noticed that everything is perfectly priced, nothing too expensive.  This place is the perfect combination of a family business and a local friendly coffee shop.