hoooweee. now thats a comprehensive store. a little open concept coffee factory that is. theyve got a little cubby hole of a room thats the roasting room. that sits at the front so you could see what the deal is from outside.
as you enter, the first thing that meets your eyes are bags and bags and bags of marijuana. no, i mean heroin. no thats not right either. its green coffee beans, aka, non roasted beans. at quick glance though...
well thats cool enough already. i couldve just walked out after that. but no, i had to read the signs, find out that i could chose one of these 50 or so choices of beans and ROAST THEM MYSELF AT HOME. you might want to make sure you have a vent on your stove first though. to be honest i might just order ahead of time and have them roast the stuff for me which you can do.
this fair trade not for profit place supports the work of Probe International, a federally registered Canadian charity that works with citizen's groups around the world to protect their lands and their livelihoods and help promote smaller coffee bean farms.
about a third of the space is devoted to coffee related products - the coolest of which i thought was the take on the go french press cup at about 12 bucks i think, well worth it if you like your coffee brewed that way.
the counter is enormous and not coincidentally is shaped like a coffee bean. it is there where you can order any number of espresso drinks, some pastries, get some info about their philosophy or talk to a roasting expert.
i had a cappucino which was fine, but what i think i enjoyed more, frankly was their open space and comfortable cushiony chairs.
if in the area, i would surely come here first.