Coffee Shop Mecca

By Doreen Marion Gee

Dear java fans: Welcome to the promised land! Bow before the coffee gods in James Bay. Your joy is their dream. Are you a straight-up black eye-opener fan in a rush to a board meeting that started an hour ago? Or do you want to sip a smooth velvety chai latte as your mind wanders on a sea breeze? Do you want posh ambience and a slow motion ocean view or do you like the jerky elbow-rubbing frenzy of a packed high-energy café? It is all here for you in our little wide-eyed community of insomniacs by the sea. There are gazillions of cafes, grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants that serve coffee but only the following watering holes offer the golden luscious liquid as one of their resounding features. And they all have items that are easy on the wallet!

Here are some local java oases:

James Bay Coffee and Books

James Bay Coffee and Books is one of the oldest and most unique establishments in our fair community. It has a fascinating history as a former medical office years ago. The interesting domed peak-through to the little sitting room was once the receptionist's enclave in a busy medical practice. Nervous patients once sat in the small waiting rooms that are now packed full with books. The defining feature of James Bay Coffee and Books is its double venue - used bookstore and coffee shack all mixed into one. They offer a variety of specialty tea and coffee lattes, regular coffee, espressos and cappuccinos, cold "mocha frappes" and more. Kim Willoughby is all aglow about the many shades and faces of her iconic oasis that complement the usual coffee and tea fare. Beautiful music from local artists thrills the locals on Friday nights and some Saturday evenings. Scrabble fanatics assemble en masse at the coffee shop every Tuesday night. There is a new thrill for ice cream purists at James Bay Coffee and Books. The genuine "hard core" creamy stuff now comes in many flavours. For a delicious blast from the past, try the Orange Creamsicle flavour! The book/coffee shop has gone 'vegan' and 'gluten-free' with their new and yummy veggy chili. Plus, they now offer used "Vinyl" LPs for retro fans. Check out their jazzy website for all events: . Address: 143 Menzies, Tel. 250-386-4700. Open 7 days a week until 9 PM.

Cup of Joe Café

The Cup of Joe Café proves that there is nothing better than a darn good cup of coffee! It is a proud local establishment: "probably the greatest, most famous, most beloved and most fun place around for an amazing meal, a darned fine cup of coffee and a relaxing visit with your family and friends." (from their website). They want people to know that they have the "best" bennies in Victoria! Even a glass of wine or a cool beer is waiting. The reviews of Cup of Joe emphasize that it is different, colourful, a little eccentric: "It is ... more whimsical, and it is fun to go to with its myriad of things written on the wall... 60s diner style, with a double dose of quirky." The owner, Shawn Edwards, is very enthusiastic about his beloved café. He "has had the same cup of coffee for ten years" and his patrons love it. Over time, he has heard the same comment from many patrons: "You have a great cup of coffee!" As well as the regular "Joe", they have espressos and cappuccinos. Shawn says he doesn't try to compete with the infinite variety of java at the specialty chains - he simply brews up a smashingly good "Cup of Joe." His mantra is, "Keep people happy with consistency and great quality." Address: 1-230 Menzies St. Victoria BC, 250-380-2563. Open seven days a week from 8am to 3pm. .

Serious Coffee

Serious Coffee on Menzies Street in James Bay uses coffee beans that are air-roasted. This process cooks every bean evenly and equally to bring out its full flavour, aroma and "coffee-ness." Air-roasting is superior to the usual drum-roasting method which can cook some beans too much. Their beans are roasted locally in Duncan with the finest organic "Fair-Trade" coffee from Nicaragua. Serious Coffee Shops are all locally owned and operated independently from each other. The owner tells me about his early 5:30 AM shift baking fresh muffins and scones. Their "Maccha" and other lattes are made with organic cane sugar, which gives them a warm smooth mellow taste. I am very fussy about my lattes, and in my opinion, Serious Coffee has one of the best chai lattes in Victoria. The people who run Serious Coffee truly are "serious" about high quality coffee. Their decaf java uses only a water process free of chemicals. Address: 103- 225 Menzies St. Telephone: 250-590-8506 Hours: Monday - Friday: 6:30 am to 6:00 pm; Saturday - Sunday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. Try their new "Cherry Mint Mocha On Ice" (wow!). Web: .

Discovery Coffee

Discovery Coffee's newest location in James Bay offers some interesting and unique diversions. First of all, it is licensed! Patrons can relish delicious cocktails, locally-crafted beers and wines from local breweries. Also, Discovery Coffee has been roasting its own coffee locally for seven years. It is a family run business, starting at their original Discovery Street location - hence the name. Logan, the friendly owner, is very proud of his homemade doughnuts, baked fresh at the James Bay location. They are called "Yonni's" doughnuts, their own brand name. So, stroll on down on a warm summer morning, grab a latte and a few fresh doughnuts and saunter into Beacon Hill Park for a picnic! Discovery Coffee offers "Home Barista Classes" and "Home Brew Classes." Coffee-making is a fine art at Discovery Coffee. Logan talks excitedly about his trips to other parts of the world to see the best baristas around the globe! After one and a half years in our oceanside eden, Discovery Coffee is already a very popular and successful enterprise. Tel: 250-590-6323. Address: 281 Menzies Street. Hours: 6:30am-6pm, 7 days a week. Web: .

Starbucks

Located in James Bay Square, caters to every palate: "Some like a milder coffee. Some prefer bold. The Starbucks Roast Spectrum sorts our coffees by three roast profiles" (from their website). Their new "Blond Roast" is a lighter roast for those of us who like our coffee tasty but milder. And for those of you who want a skookum blast of bold favour, the fuller-bodied coffees at Starbucks, featuring robust flavours, will grow hair on your chest. (Not a plus for ladies). Starbucks sells popular CDs and offers free iTune sample cards and free wi-fi. I love the mugs and gift items at Starbucks at very reasonable prices. Starbucks is making an effort to be a good corporate citizen. Their support of gay marriage in the USA was met with a lot of opposition by ultra-right groups and was a very courageous stand in the community. Starbucks encourages discussion about timely ideas with their "Ideas in Action" initiative. Starbucks constantly offers reduced price promotions to make things easy on the wallet. For a very small extra cost, Starbucks will cater to your every desire. They will add a raspberry or mango/orange syrup to your frappuccino or coffee - or any other flavour under the sun. I enjoy the sheer variety of flavoured drinks at Starbucks. Their "Caffé Mocha" is so sinfully good, I say a few 'Hail Marys' when I imbibe - and I am not even Catholic. Address: 425 Simcoe Street. Tel: 250-361-4884. Hours: 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM every day. Web: .

Moka House Coffee at Shoal Point

So much for being an objective journalist, but this scenic place is my personal favourite. Situated beside beautiful Fisherman's Wharf, Moka House oozes with the natural ocean splendour of James Bay. It is a large relaxing venue with a fireplace and sea views. As well as the regular varieties of coffees and lattes, they offer a nice selection of sandwiches and sweet goodies. They have some new daily specials: Chili, Grilled Cheese with Soup and a new Maccha Green Tea. Their Bacon n' Egg Breakfast Muffin is scrumptious. Address: 110 - 19 Dallas Road, Phone: (250) 298-8452. New summer hours are: Monday - Friday 6:30am-5:30pm: Weekends 8am-5:30pm. Contact: Mike and Lil Graham, franchisee owners/operators. Web: .

The Superior Point Espresso Bar

The Superior Point Espresso Bar is part of "The Superior - A Supper Club" on the corner of Kingston and Superior Streets. The coffee haven is operated by Lisa Boehme and Kevin Hernandez. Lisa describes their little java mecca in her own words: "We like to call it the Union Square of Victoria! Open every day at 8 am, except Mondays. Our espresso bar features 2% Jazz coffee by roaster Sam Jones, Jackson's Home Made Ice Cream Sandwiches and Mortiscycle Donuts. Pastry Chef Kevin Hernandez makes the donuts fresh every morning and Mortiscycle Donuts is named after his replica 1920's board track racing bike which can be seen at the espresso bar or on the road!! The Superior's urban garden patio is open for morning donut and coffee lovers to relax and enjoy. Join us throughout the day for great coffee, a donut or two and a game of chess at Union Square Victoria. Mortiscycle Donuts ... Are To Die For! Specials: If you show up on a wheel, you get a deal." This is for bike riders, for bike riders you will receive ½ price on a donut!" Sam Jones and Lisa Boehme have known each other for at least 20 years and feel Sam's roasting techniques are the best in town! We serve all kinds of espresso drinks lattes, and Americanos, and have decaf drinks as well. They serve iced espresso drinks, and Ibbara mexican chocolate is used for mocha lattes and hot chocloate.

Please note: If you feel that your eating establishment, café or grocery store is doing creative things with coffee and you want your name in lights in the Beacon, let me know and I will do a further article just about you! We appreciate all the wonderful businesses and people in James Bay and we want them to feel included in our newspaper. If Aunt Gertrude is making a fabulous cup of coffee in her basement every Tuesday night for her gal pals, tell us about it!

So my dear James Bay-ites, if you want to enjoy a fabulous summer taking in the ocean mists, heron escapades and fragrant gardens while on a coffee-high, drink yourself into a wonderful nirvana at our java filling stations here in our little mecca beside the water.