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Went out searching for whole bean coffee in the Village this AM. Thrifty's has the Kicking Horse Coffee 1 lb. bags on special this week.

Found my way into James Bay Coffee Co., and was pleased to find that they are retailing the Saltspring Island Coffee whole beans, so I grabbed 1/2 pound of Metta Espresso. You got to like it when the roast has its own web page.

I see Serious Coffee, just down Menzies also has a number of their roasts available in-store, and some of those are organic as well. Might try the Warmland roast sometime.

Didn't have to visit the local 'bucks shack.

Took home the bean for prompt grind, and pump through the Gaggia for the day's first latte....

We unpacked the Gaggia Baby espresso machine on the Easter long weekend. Too bad we didn't unpack the porta-filter and tamper at the same time. No home-brew espresso, nope. We unpacked the porta-filter about a week later. Good. I actually used the bottom of a glass to tamp the grind. Got a few shots. But the tamper remained hidden. Finally, we unpacked the rest of the kitchen items, and still no tamper.

Hmmm. Large pile of empty boxes and packing materials outside. Nearly recycled by one of the local cleanup teams last week, but I held them off. I must have known. Got into the whole nasty pile last night, to sort through everything, mostly bubble-wrap and newsprint used to pack the dishes and stuff. Finally, the tamper tumbled out of one of the boxes. At last....

Headed off downtown this AM, making a couple of stops on the way to James Bay. We parked at Ladysmith St., and proceeded en masse to Moka House Shoal Point, for the first coffee of the day. We had C in the stroller and OTP on the flexi-leash. OTP was such a good boy on the coffee shop patio. He is becoming quite a proper puppy in these public places, and is always on his best behaviour. HUH!

I don't really dig this building at Shoal Point, but do enjoy the fact that at least it houses a coffee shop. We frequent it quite often, it seems. We also enjoy Fisherman's Wharf quite a bit, as there is always so much happening. More about that in an upcoming blog...

So I came up with an idea sure to please. I proposed that we walk down along the waterfront to Cook St., then head up to the Moka House there for another cup of coffee. Oh yeah! Then......we could walk back to James Bay Village for another cup of coffee......then back to Shoal Point, for a.....well, you get the picture.....the James Bay coffee circle walk....gonna do that sometime...

So we headed off down Dallas Road, and had some off-leash fun in the tall grasses down there, then ended up down at the beach catching some sunshiny rays. Ahhh...mebee that will chase this cold away...?

Had a spot of lunch, then headed up to UVic to file some paperwork, and pick up some mail. Returned to James Bay for a fun walk to Fisherman's Wharf, and dinner.....

J and C went out with L to Doncaster for the Roots of Empathy. The kids noted that little C is a little less little than she was at the last visit 2 weeks ago. Another growth spurt must be happening right before my eyes.....I stayed this visit out, as I am coming down with a little cold. Hmph. No fair, and not something to take to the little kiddies. So I stayed at home for a bit, then went into Colwood to hit the bank, shop at thugs, then come back to pick up the pup for a ride downtown.

Left pup in James Bay, then booted over to have a coffee with Jamie D at Sam's kinda new coffee joint, Discovery Coffee over on Discovery St. near Douglas. He was doing a roast when I got there, which is cool. Kinda reminded me of going into JJ Bean on Powell St. in Van. I see JJ has a new shack on Main St. so I'll have to try that out sometime when we are over there.

Nice sunny day in the PM after the morning clouds cleared.....

That road-trip last weekend was fun. Wanted to pass on this coffee-stop tip to you all. Among the coffee shops in Merritt, try the Javalanche Cafe.

Ahhh...right now, the Gaggia Baby is pumping out a beautiful shot of espresso - picked up some fresh Organic Sumatra from JJ Bean a couple days ago. Of all the JJ blends tried so far, it is my fave....so intense and full of flavour.

This shot is going down Americano style. Hmmm.....wonder if Tim's could come up with something along the lines of Canadiano ?!

Got the j-j-j-j-jitters now folks...

I am sampling a couple of excellent coffee blends today gang.....went with a single-shot espresso of the Nero Forte espresso blend from JJ Bean, House of Coffee this morning - thanks MUCH to Duncan and Louise out there for the assist on selecting that one! Now I am working on a cup of India Mysore recently roasted at Caffe Fantastico in Victoria.

The gang over at EspressoTec have recently launched their new web site, and coffee enthusiasts world-wide are encouraged to go over there and check it out! the Coreman and Colin, head of the CoffeeCrew, made a recent site visit to the world HQ of EspressoTec and had a great afternoon with Reg James.

We had a first-hand look inside several espresso machines as Reg services home and commercial units at his location near the Vancouver International Airport.

These days, the Coreman's Gaggia Baby is pumping out FINE shots of espresso, brewed with JJ Bean Organic Espresso blend!

A little update on local coffee happenings...when I was in Caffe Fantastico the other day picking up some bean, I noticed the business cards for "Black Coffee & Other Delights".

Black Coffee is up in Whippletree Junction, just south of Duncan on the right hand side of the Trans Canada Hwy. as you are heading North. Here is the scoop; Black Coffee is serving Fantastico coffee, while Fantastico is serving Black's baked treats!

Sounds like a strategic alliance to me, folks...!

The Coreman is pleased to announce yet another question in the new Coreman Trivia contest!

Go check out this image, taken in our Coal Harbour neighbourhood, and see if you can pick which building the Coreman lives in! If you contact the coreman and pick out the correct building, then you WIN!

Winners will receive a yummy caffe latte that the Coreman will make for you hot and fresh with the Gaggia Baby, that is parked in the Coreman's kitchen!

Winners that can't make it to the Coreman's Coal Harbour kitchen can opt for a latte at a coffee shop of the winner's selection.

If there are any winners in Victoria, it is hoped that they pick a preferred coffee shop....

A great honour has been bestowed upon the Coreman! As of today, The Coreman has been named as the Assistant Director of the Coffee Experts Group. In this position, the Coreman intends to further the Group's mission of advising, educating, and promoting on matters related to the consumption and enjoyment of coffee. Coreman encourages his visitors to check out the group's world-famous site!