It’s fall. On those blessed days that the sun graces us with its presence, call your lovely boyfriend of another cherrished person in your life, and check out Revolver if you have yet to do so.
Located on Cambie street north of Hastings this new cafe has ambiance, and is melting me with delight every time I order a macchiato.
Sit on the steps outside and take 5 for some daily meditation.
Macchiatos are 3 sips in length, and then just a memory of a fleeting moment.
‘It tastes like ground coffee and hot water… that’s actually not how I like my coffee to taste…’ description of a coffee experience a friend of mine had one day.
{ Experiencing quality is an individuals observations, response and reactions to tried product } – thoughts I have while at work…
So we make these observation in our mind scape. The Desert bare or Fertile soil?
The place where our thoughts travel from beginning to end. The movement of creativity & ideas towards actions.
And so thoughts can race and thoughts can roam through the mind scape. They can sit down, and be further pondered without going anywhere or suddenly somewhere. One of those many ponders came about through a portal opened during a moment with a cup of coffee.
That portal – those ideas created this art
The postcards I’ve created using espresso for color are a result of waiting periods between customers.
It’s also the result of my fondness for coffee stains. I have seen many types of coffee stains: on my clothes, my shoes, on the tops of my feet when my shoes don’t quite reach my ankles.
They also form on the sides of cups that I pull away from the portafilters’ feet just a little too early.
It’s the textured columns dripping down the walls of cups, a result of my impatience to wait one second longer, that create an attraction for my attention when it comes to stains.
This summer : 8 am ~ 9 am
Some mornings, usually a Saturday or a Sunday, I get text messages bright and early requesting my whereabouts.
I’m awake. I’m smiling. I have no plans as of yet, but there is a ritual summoning me.
” Coffee? “
“mmm.. yep ! JJ Bean on the Drive or Main?”
A few of my girlfriends and I began most of our weekend mornings this way throughout the summer. We’re morning people, and we love to go to JJ Bean early in the morning at those precious moments where the sun is warming the outdoor seating area. If we happen to miss it you can find us on the other side of the street with our mugs, bathing in the sun, soaking up life’s good vibes, and running into familiar faces that we proceed to introduce to other friends – creating these brilliant mornings of universal family.
The time we spend enjoying slow mornings, savoring the complex flavors of such a simple activity, reminds me of the importance of building rituals.
The time dedicated to activities that bring us pleasure, what ever they may be, are investments for our spirit to draw energy from.
A method of unearthing the ability to transcend city life while not having to leave the city. Of those pleasures in the world that we indulge in may we be thoughtful, appreciative, meditative in our consumption habits. This is one of my many beliefs, and how I create a connection to everything I’m surrounded by.
There are mental states to be achieved through habit that bring us closer to our spirits and strengthen our connection to nature, serenity & peace.
I want the fabled peace and serenity of
being alone, rather than the constant
hunger for action. Solace in Solitude is
my goal – Henry David Thoreau, Walden.
There’s a tugging inside me to get to that place where I will find company, coffee and maybe … do some work ?
I often get to watch that beautiful ritual take place for all types of people in many different fashions.
*3 mins to residue.*
Order favorite coffee, or one that’s sprung to mind and has not been visited for some time.
Pick out the perfect seat to plop down into and build up excitement.
I am here taking time for myself – drinking my daily poison, my elixir of life sustaining substance, a cup to connect with soul.
Connection complete – coffee is at my side.
Water. { carbonated water ? yum 
}
Lingering thoughts – who doesn’t have them while sitting down for a coffee.
My morning, my present moment, my future…
Lingering thoughts, left on the side table to be revisited and reevaluated.
Value.
Value of a cup of coffee
Value of our precious time for ourselves.
I thought about going out for coffee.
I ordered one.
I enjoy it.
It’s a connection with your soul. How awesome is that.
Repeat ?
* remember to create those moments in your daily life.
a customer who always tips his latte cup up once finished to ponder his work and his coffee
misplaced portafilter
I thought I’d mention: I didn’t always know where coffee came from.
Many people are beginning to question where our food comes from and whether or not its organic. In turn, many are consciously seeking quality taste, seasonal foods, with nutritional value over simple, dismal and unethical others .
‘How does it get here; is it organic?’
I feel like coffee consumers are not as educated about coffee as they might be about food. I fully base this off of the silent survey that has taken place,with each customer I have served over the past 3 years.
I am inspired by the energy in the social movement towards educated eaters – and I feel drawn to share with others the origin of coffee.
lovely customers, who become friends, and bring you coffee to taste while at work !
It can come in a tin can or a paper bag, but the packaging never says much about how far it has had to travel to be in front of us. There are farmers who grow it. Then there are two types of people who buy the green beans after the cherries have been harvested. The only thing that divides these two groups of people is their interest in quality, taste and the best possible conditions to support that, and those who are just looking to make some brown something and some green something.
Naturally there are a lot of details surrounding what I’m summarizing here – but it’s all to say that there are proper buying practices, and there is also the importance of roasting, brewing and serving coffee in the best way possible to reflect the work farmers have put into their crop.
Coffee Cherries. In different stages of ripeness.
Have you ever heard anyone say: I’d like the best possible corn on the market? Nope. Because in a grocery store you’re limited to organic, local and other- there are no premium corn growing regions. Only so many countries can grow corn at any given time. With coffee however, there are numerous countries that can grow coffee and harvest multiple times in a year with varying degrees of product quality
I recently learned in class about the blind marketing we are subjected to when buying Vodka. Whether it be a $20 bottle or a $60 bottle it all comes down to a very funny detail about Vodka. It’s a pure, neutral distilled spirit + H2O… that’s it. There are no other flavor components. There is only one way to make it with very few variables possible. So why the price difference? Marketing…
Bean bags , bags of Beans
A very similar world has formed around coffee. Mislabeling: our unfortunate brain twister; for those who are not willing to seeking a bit of information. Fair Trade and Oragnic are often used to describe something that is not regulated. Oops. There are even companies using the names of regions or farmers with recognized coffee on their own bags to increase the likelihood of us buying from them. Kona Coffee? Jamacian Blue Mountain ? Kopi luwak? A lot of talk about something that’s not likely to be authentic nor taste much better then the image our imaginations have created of the product.
3 questions i would love for you to ask yourself before you buy your next cup of coffee:
americano & sunny times in window seat
-Who’s the roaster?
-Where is the coffee I am about to drink from?
-What does the coffee itself taste like ? ( minus the cream, milk, sugar, honey, chocolate blah blah blah – all good at times, but not always necessary)
I thought I would mention: I didn’t always know where coffee came from. However, since I began to really taste espresso and drink brewed coffee roasted to highlight the beans many flavor characteristics, I’ve come to appreciate the whole story behind a cup of coffee.
me and a friend can make the grey the best day.
I don’t always have time to loll about the city and drink coffee in every place possible. However when that precious pocket of time crosses my path – me and a friend really do make any day glorious with a stop, or multiple, at our favorite cafes.
The Bump and Grind is a cute spot down the drive that gives your legs a good walk, and any coffee lover a selection of beans worth the stroll. Currently using Fernwood from Victoria and at times other roasters. I absolutely love sitting outside in their peachy colored elementary school chairs. As long as it’s not raining this spot is top of my list. It’s much more tranquil than the terrace at JJ bean. Although I do LOVE their muffins ( the peach ones ! ) and when interested in people watching there is always a character in action.
quirky text can be as enjoyable as conversation
Which cup of coffee made me want to create a place where those moments could be shared? Too many to count. In some ways I think it’s my coffee drinking rituals that have driven me to the beautiful moments in cafes, roasters and even in my kitchen, that left lingering tastes of coffee and satisfaction worth snapping a shot of.
I like my espresso with a spoon thanks.
This is what’s left of an espresso at CAFCA’s ( Cafe For Contemporary Art )
I was absolutely thrilled to see my espresso in a glass bodum cup. It’s truly beautiful to watch the crema pull away from the coffee to its resting position afloat the deliciousness beneath. Very much like the 30 seconds or so it takes for Guinness to settle.
