Mmmmmm Coffee!!!

I finally got Rob back into drinking coffee. He figured that he couldn't have coffee because of what it did to his bowels.... turns out that was a wheat thing, not a coffee thing. So he's back to drinking the java and I have to say this is our new hobby instead of collecting wine. Don't get me wrong, we still grab the occasional bottle of vino to try and compare notes, but that was getting expensive not to mention a little unhealthy. So we switched to cups of coffee. Cheaper yet still fun and tasty.

First we started off with whole beans to grind at home and make in a French Press. We tried all sorts of different beans this past six months and we have some favorites (not in any particular order)

1) Doi Chaang Coffee (Beans from Thailand)
2) Kicking Horse (Grizzly Claw, yum yum)
2) Salt Spring Co

I have a french press (bodem) and Rob got a Bialetti for xmas. So we made several cups of coffee using the different beans and the different methods. I can't really tell that much of a difference between the Bialetti and the bodem.....I know his is for espresso style, but I make strong coffee in my bodem.

We also like coffee shops, JJ Bean & Milano's. We won't really do Starbucks; their coffee is crap and it's expensive. Anyway, now that we're on a tight budget we've decided to go out into the world to see what other coffee shops there are. A lot of the cafes use the same beans, but it's how they brew the coffee that makes it delicious and a good deal or not. So here's two:

1) John Henry Bikes in North Van. Yes, a bike store but they have a small coffee shop inside and it's right next to the dog park that Sadie likes to go too. So we bought two regular brewed coffee and it only cost us $2.60. WOW! So far, so good. It was Ethical Bean and usually Ethical Bean is a pretty good bean, but whoever made the coffee that day didn't use enough so it was a little too watered down for my liking. Rob puts cream in his coffee so he tasted mostly water/cream.

2) Heritage General Stores Ltd. in North Van. We both got a large dark drip and it was tasty. For the two large darks + tip it was $5.00. A large is quite huge, I might get a medium next time. Anyway, it turns out to be Milano. hahaha

3) McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds. If you're in a pinch and need a cup of coffee that's good and cheap, I'd suggest McDonalds. I wouldn't want to drink it everyday, but it's good coffee for under $2 a cup.

So that's what we have so far. Stay tuned for further coffee shop explorations.