Gold Winner Jeremy Waterman, Dilly Dally Coffee Cafe Silver Winner Danielle Archer, The Nook on Gottingen Bronze Winner Laura Arsenault, Java Blend Coffee Roasters Mere months ago, Jeremy Waterman was hired as lead barista at Dilly Dally Cafe to help get the new coffee shop up and running. After about six years in the industry, […]
Java Blend Coffee Roasters
Posted inNews + Opinion
Cortado Tasting Room’s coming soon
Alex Lee loves a good cortado. To make it right, the seemingly simple drink— two ounces of espresso and two ounces of milk— requires precision pouring. “If you mess up on any variables the drink turns really bad really fast—every single aspect has to be perfect,” he says. That attention-to-detail is something Lee and his […]
Posted inArts + Music
12 ways to have an awesome weekend
It’s a rough-and-tumble weekend with roller derby, feminist punk, Monster Jam and wrestling on the go. Get out and play–but consider wearing kneepads. 12. OBEY Convention › Nadja, Sound of the Mountain, Cloaked Figure. Thursday, May 26, 7:30pm. Toronto-grown, Berlin-based dreamsludge duo Nadja juxtapose elements of shoegaze, metal, ambient music and doom for a transcendental […]
Posted inLifestyle
Up and at ’em
5:30am Lane swim, Canada Games Centre, 26 Thomas Raddall Drive If you’re still rubbing the sleep from your eyes, a dip into this chlorine bath should help wake you up. Swim lengths of Clayton Park’s amazing competition-sized pool in the wee hours (5:30-9:45am), Monday through Friday. 6am Bootcamp, Evolve Fitness, 5540 Cunard Street Nothing like […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Specialty Coffee
Gold Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters Silver Winner Two If By Sea, Dartmouth Bronze Winner Steve-O-Reno’s Cappuccino Java Blend’s owner Jim Dikaios has seen coffee change over the years, from a commodity to something that’s treated more like wine. The business used to involve calling up some importer and ordering bags of, for example, generic […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Barista
Gold Winner Danielle Archer, The Nook Silver Winner Laura Arsenault, Java Blend Coffee Roasters Bronze Winner Jeremy Waterman, The Smiling Goat Danielle Archer’s favourite hot beverage to make is a macchiato in a Gibraltar glass, not just for the drink itself, but the challenge. “It’s kind of like a test of how good you are—pour […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Cafe
Gold Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters Silver Winner Two If By Sea, Dartmouth Bronze Winner Lion & Bright Cafe Wine Bar Java Blend has good coffee (see Best Coffee, gold winner). It even has great coffee (see Best Specialty Coffee, gold winner). But it also has something coffee alone cannot provide, and that’s the perfect […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Coffee
Gold Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters Silver Winner Steve-O-Reno’s Cappuccino Bronze Winner Just Us!, Spring Garden The true test of a pizzeria is its basic pie—sauce and cheese, maybe some basil—without the distractions of elaborate toppings and the restaurant’s ambience. By that measure, a coffee shop’s regular old cup of joe says a lot. […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Cafe
Gold Winner Two If By Sea Cafe, Dartmouth Silver Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters Bronze Winner Lion & Bright Two If By Sea came into being from what co-owner Zane Kelsall describes as “romantic visions of living beside the ocean.” Neither he nor co-owner Tara MacDonald were born on the east coast (Kelsall’s from Alberta […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Coffee
Gold Winner Anchored Coffee, Two If By Sea Cafe Silver Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters Bronze Winner Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar To some coffee is a ritual, to some it’s an escape from the reality of a busy workday and, sometimes, it’s just a good ol’ cup of joe. Two If By Sea’s gold-winning […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Specialty Coffee
Gold Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters Silver Winner Steve-O-Reno’s Cappuccino Cafe Bronze Winner Two If By Sea Cafe, Dartmouth We know you’ve got a whole lotta love for Java Blend’s cup-o-joe. It’s been roastin’ those beans in-house like bosses since 1938, so you’re guaranteed to get a perfect, piping hot cup of pick-me-up. This cafe […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Barista
Gold Winner Zane Kelsall, Two If By Sea Cafe, Dartmouth Silver Winner Laura Arsenault, Java Blend Coffee Roasters Bronze Winner Emily McCarthy, Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar If you ask Zane Kelsall why he loves coffee, he’ll respond with, “How long do you have?” As co-owner of Two If By Sea and passionate java lover, […]
