McDonalds aka McCafè!

Hello little soy latte's!

This week I headed over to McDonald's and had a little taste of what McCafè had to offer, and I was impressed.

The first time I ever tried McCafè was in Nice, France in 2011. It was the first beautifully renovated McDonalds location I had ever seen, obviously I had to take a look. The minute I saw the new McDonald's look, I was extremely surprised. It was so beautiful!

Now, this time around when I visited McDonald's I still saw that "wow" factor. McDonald's isn't the way it used to be. The ambiance in the new McDonald's is so gorgeous, their colour scheme is dark brown, red, black, navy blue and yellow. The furniture is very modern, with couches, chairs and bars located along the restaurant. The "look" of the store looks very expensive, not resembling how the store looked like in the past. (1 Bean Point)

When it was my turn to order my wonderful cup of delight,  the lady at the counter greeted me with a smile and said "Hello! Welcome to McDonald's! Can I take your order?". It was really nice to see such a happy women, so early in the morning (I was on my way to my Monday morning class). The lady at the cash really created an entire theme for the day, happiness (and who has happy and joyful Monday mornings? I know I usually don't.) She then gave me my medium double-double with a smile from ear to ear. (1 Bean Point)

I have to say, the flavour of the coffee was so awesome! I love McDonald's coffee. (1 Bean Point)

The price you ask? $1.54 who can complain about that? Not me! (1 Bean Point)

Drive Thru option? You bet! (1 Bean Point)



Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: 1 bean point

Price: 1 bean point

Ambiance: 1 bean point

Drive-Thru: 1 bean point

Customer Service: 1 bean point

Total Score: 5/5 total bean points!

McDonald's, you have really cleaned up your act and let me just say, I love it! Your price, flavour, ambiance and customer service is always perfect, every time I come give you a visit. Keep up the good work, and keep those awesomely awesome promotions... I love them. The free coffee week? Genius! And the McDonald's loyalty program? Delightful. You are a great example for the smaller franchises to learn from.



What do you think? Do you like the McDonald's coffee as much as I do? Let me know! I want to hear from you!

Next week's location........ Lavazza! See you next week!

Reminder:
Aroma Espresso Bar's score: 5/5 Bean Points
Faema Caffè's score: 3.5 Bean Points
Second Cup's score: 1/5 Bean Points
Illy Caffè's score: 4.5/5 Bean Points
Starbucks' score: 3/5 Bean Points
Tim Hortons' score: 2.5/5 Bean Points



Until next week! xoxo

Stay Caffeinated.




Don't forget to follow me on social media!

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Aroma Espresso Bar!

Hello my little caffeinated readers!

Didya notice the new look? If you didn't I changed the look of my blog! I hope you like it. I realized although birds are cute, they didn't suit the whole coffee-blog persona. Let me know what you think!

This week I gave an espresso bar a little visit and had a taste of their medium double double. What's the espresso bar called? Aroma Espresso Bar.

Aroma is one of the locations many people have been emailing me to try for weeks, and let me tell you; I am extremely happy that I listened to those requests.

I went to the Aroma located inside of the Promenade Mall food court. In the food court was an area marked up that was sole property of Aroma. There were beautiful wooden railings surrounding the area in a rectangle and inside the rectangle, there was an espresso bar (which was made out of wood, it looked like they had just split a tree in half and made a bar out of it) along with their "patio". The patio was beautifully located and organized. (1 Bean Point)


The patio had beautiful modern red chairs and dark brown tables. On the bar there was a glass box that held muffins. On the bar, there was an extremely large container of water with lemon that Aroma offers their customers free of cost. I noticed that they were also hand-made loafs of bread on a shelf, which is definitely not seen very often these days. The colour layout was dark brown and red, which resembled their logo colours. The ambiance was beautiful. (1 Bean Point)

When it was my turn to order the woman at the cash greeted me nicely as I ordered my medium double double coffee. Once I ordered my coffee, the lady at the cash asked me for my name and wrote it on the cup, she then told me that I could make myself comfortable at the bar while I waited for my coffee to be finished. As I waited for my drink, I prepared myself with some lemon water. The lemon water was such a sweet touch Aroma gives their customers and I think other coffee shops should join in on that movement. Beside me there were other customers getting their drinks, one of them bought 8 drinks for his co-workers (very sweet, I know) and I noticed that the coffee tray holder was completely different from the other places I have every gone too! Aroma's tray had 4 cup holders, which were in a box-shaped container with a hand on the top. The best way I could describe to you readers what it resembled was a beer container. It was so cool! The Aroma employee then went on a microphone and called out my name (so cool), gave me my drink and handed me a chocolate and said that it was a complementary chocolate from Aroma to the customer as a way of saying "Thank you" for buying coffee from them. That was extremely unexpected and such a cleaver and sweet sentiment Aroma gives out, so thank you.  ( 1 Bean Point)


The flavour you ask? AMAZING! Literally the best coffee I have ever tasted before in my entire existence. (1 Bean Point)



The price of the coffee? $2.35. The price of the coffee in reflection to the ambiance, location, flavour and customer service was fair. (1 Bean Point)




Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: 1 bean point

Price: 1 bean point

Ambiance: 1 bean point

Drive-Thru: 1 bean point

Customer Service: 1 bean point

Total Score: 5/5 total bean points!

Aroma, you left me without words. You were beyond my expectations and raise the bar higher then any other. I was beyond happy with the service, flavour, ambiance, price and the patio. I will be coming back, many MANY more times. You are now my go-to spot! If you haven't yet tried the Aroma experience yet, you are truly missing out.



What do you think? What do you like about Aroma Espresso Bar? Leave a comment, I want to hear from you!

Next week's location........ McCafè! See you next week!

Reminder:
Faema Caffè's score: 3.5 Bean Points
Second Cup's score: 1/5 Bean Points
Illy Caffè's score: 4.5/5 Bean Points
Starbucks' score: 3/5 Bean Points
Tim Hortons' score: 2.5/5 Bean Points



Until next week! xoxo

Stay Caffeinated.




Don't forget to follow me on social media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
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Faema Caffè!

Hello my fellow coffee drinkers!

Thanks for reading up about the madness we call the coffee world. Coffee is a crazy thing, or a crazily amazing thing to those who love it as much as I do. I don't know about you, but when the time comes that my lips touch the cup filled with coffee, or when I wake up in the morning and the first thing I smell is a freshly brewed coffee, or when my mouth is filled with its first sip of caffeine; is when I am the happiest. So as you can imagine, this journey so far,  has been a great one for me.

Now, before I get to the good stuff, I just wanted to clarify what happens to coffee shops that don't have drive-thu options. Coffee shops that don't have a drive-thu are still eligible for a perfect score, if and only if, they have a great location. As an example, Illy Caffè didn't have a drive thru option, but they were amazingly located in Yorkdale mall. The only issue I had was with their "patio" it was located at the side of the store and wasn't set up in an inviting manner. If the patio had been more inviting, they would have received a full score. Any questions? Send me an email! I'd love to hear from you.

This week, as you may all already know, I visited Faema Caffè.

I really liked the Faema Caffè concept and thought their coffee tasted great. Faema really captured the Italian essence of what a coffee shop should (and does) look like in Italy. It has Italian floors (I actually have the same flooring in my kitchen) the bar area was clearly designated and nicely displayed all their Italian food options. In the back of the store they had many different types of Faema coffee machines and coffee beans displayed for sale and their tables and chairs looked exactly they way they do in Italy. The only thing I can complain about in the ambiance is that I had absolutely no idea where I was suppose to go to order my drink. There was no sign and no one greeted me at the counter to show me where I was suppose to line up. ( .5 Bean Point)

Once I figured out where to order, I ordered my medium double double. The employees were so sweet and started a conversation with me.I told them that I had my mom waiting in the car, and that I going to call her to see if she wanted a coffee and they told me it was no problem, they could wait. They then asked me if I had ever had their coffee before and if I wanted any milk other milk option, they even put cocoa sprinkles on top of my coffee. (1 Bean Point)

The coffee was not cheap folks, it came to a total of $3.95. I understand that the market they are targeting is more of an older audience who know how to appreciate the Italian heritage behind the actual coffee, not the typical fast-food on-the-go coffee places I'm used too. (.5 Bean Point)

The coffee was worth every penny, I think the words my sister used to describe her cup was "it almost brought me to tears" she's a little dramatic, but the flavour was really great. (1 Bean Point)


Drive-Thru option was not available and the location was not the greatest. I went to the Faema located beside Vaughan Mills mall, it took me a good 20 minutes to be able to find the store because there are so many of the same buildings that look exactly the same that I didn't know where I was suppose to go. The parking lot was also completely full, thankfully my mom drove and waited for me in the car. (0 Bean Point)


In all, Faema Caffè was a great place! I loved everything about it except for a few minor details. All I think they need is lower their prices (even just by a little), make it clearer where people should line up and lastly, put their logo on their cup! Good luck to you Faema! I am rooting for you!


Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: 1 bean point

Price: .5 bean point

Ambiance: .5 bean point

Drive-Thru: 0 bean point

Customer Service: 1 bean point

Total Score: 3/5 total bean points!

What do you think? What do you like about Faema Caffè? Leave a comment, I want to hear from you!

Next week's location........ Aroma Espresso! Stay tuned folks!

Reminder:
Second Cup's score: 1/5 Bean Points
Illy Caffè's score: 4.5/5 Bean Points
Starbucks' score: 3/5 Bean Points
Tim Hortons' score: 2.5/5 Bean Points



Until next week!

Stay Caffeinated.




Don't forget to follow me on social media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
Google+: amelia.plastina
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Second Cup!

Heya my little bundles of coffee beans!

Special thanks goes out to all my followers who have sent me special requests of coffee establishments they want me to visit this week! From all the requests the majority of readers asked if I could review one particular place, this place being..... SECOND CUP.

So, as requested, this week I visited Second Cup and I was absolutely appalled by this particular store I visited. It was by far the worst establishment thus far.

This was my first time (that I can remember) ever going to Second Cup, I was expecting it to be similar to Starbucks and the ambiance was similar to Starbucks. The only difference was the Second Cup location, I felt was a cold and more sterile then Starbucks. I felt as though they were trying to be like Starbucks without actually copying them and it just didn't look good, warm and inviting; the way I think they tried to make their design. The store resembled my grandmothers house, it was really weird. Everything, and I mean everything, was either dark brown or white. There were dark brown couches with dark brown tables and chairs everywhere, there was also a random white wall standing on its own with an old-fashioned dark brown clock on top of it. In all, the ambiance was completely off, when I first walked into the establishment I felt like it was dull and boring and it made sense why I had never been there before; the music was so quite I didn't even notice there was music on at all; until I took the time to really listen.. it was just, in lack of better words, dead. (No bean point)

When I lined up at the counter there were two people ahead of me in line and there was only one employee working at the counter. The poor girl looked as though she was so overwhelmed that she was going to pass out. Finally, it was my turn (I had been in line at this point for over 15 minutes waiting) I first said hello and asked her why there were small symbols beside the Second Cup coffee blends, she then told me she had no idea why there was those "weird designs" she then told me how she was the worst person to ask because (even though she was working) she hadn't been a trained employee yet. I continued the conversation by asking her if she could make my medium double double with almond milk, she said "one second let me ask" I then see her leaving the counter and asking someone (who I thought was a customer) if she could give me almond milk with my coffee. The employee at the counter then came back and told me she could, she punched my order into the cash register and it came to around $7.00 and I looked at her (very confused) and asked why my drink was so expensive, she then looked and noticed she had put the wrong drink in the cash register and charged me for it twice. She proceeded by changing the order and charging me the correct amount: $2.15 for my medium double double. (no bean point)

Once I received my coffee, I wanted to see why she went to a customer to ask if I could have almond milk in my coffee, I then realized that it wasn't a customer she asked, it was another employee who was laying on the couch talking to one of her friend. I figured it was an employee because she was dressed in all black and wore a Second Cup apron. She decided it would be okay to lay out and relax while this poor girl who hadn't been trained yet was taking all the orders and making all the drinks on her own. This employee (who I would assume was there to train the girl at the counter) was sprawled out on a couch, during business hours, talking to her girlfriend and absolutely not doing her job. I was/am infuriated. (No bean point)

As I was about to sip my coffee I noticed my coffee cup was ridiculously dirty and it wasn't from my hands, it had been dirtied from who knows what before I bought it. Once I went home I put my coffee in a glass cup and drank it. The only good thing I got from this experience was the poor girl made a pretty good cup of coffee, so good for her. ( 1 bean point)

Although the flavour of the coffee was good, I think it was highly over priced considering how my experience went. If it were up to me, I wouldn't go back to any Second Cup location for the rest of my life. It was that bad. (no bean point)

No drive-thru option available. No extra points allotted due to poor location and nothing to substitute the drive-thru option. (no bean point)

Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: 1 bean point

Price: 0 bean point

Ambiance: 0 bean point

Drive-Thru: 0 bean point

Customer Service: 0 bean point

Total Score: 1/5 total bean points!

What do you think? Have you ever tried Second Cup? Let me know!

Next week's location.......... Faema Caffè! Stay tuned!

Reminder:
Last week: Illy Caffè's score: 4.5/5 Bean Points
Two weeks ago: Starbucks' score: 3/5 Bean Points
Three weeks ago: Tim Hortons' score: 2.5/5 Bean Points


Until next week!

Stay Caffeinated.


Don't forget to follow me on social media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
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Illy Caffè!

Ciao my little shots of espresso! 

What's with the Italian? Well, this week I visited Illy Caffè. An espresso brand all the way from my home land of Italia. I'm not sure if any of my loyal readers have ever been to Italy or come from an Italian culture, so for those of you who don't know; In Italy, espresso is apart of the Italian culture and life style. Every meal in Italy involves a cup of a nice espresso to help digest the plate of pasta (or pizza) they just ate.

With all of that being said, Illy Caffè was absolutely amazing. Best coffee I've had in a very, VERY long time (ever since my last trip to Italy). As I drank my $2.65 medium double double it took me back to the mountains of Tuscany where I sipped my cappuccino thinking about how I really wished there was an Illy Caffè in Canada. My dream came true.

This week I visited the Illy Caffè location at Yorkdale mall.  The overall look of the coffee shoppe was so beautiful and modern. The Illy colour scheme is red, brown and white. The shoppe was inclosed in glass walls and had many tables and chairs overlooking the mall halls. (1 bean point)

When I entered the shoppe I was greeted almost immediately. Once I was greeted, the Illy barista took out a sheet of paper and asked me for my order, he then proceeded to write it down on the paper and started making my drink, as he was making my coffee, he gave the sheet to the cashier who then cashed me out. After a few short minutes, the barista gave me my drink and directed me to the table behind me; so I could put my own cream or milk. (1 bean point)

For a luxurious Italian coffee brand, the coffee's price was very reasonable. (1 bean point)

The coffee was absolutely delicious. I could, for once, actually taste the favour of the actual coffee bean. I don't know how to describe how great it was, but I can honestly say it was the best coffee thus far. Way to go Illy! (1 bean point)

Unfortunately, there was no drive-thru option provided. Seeing as it was located in a mall, and they had no other option, I will award them half a bean point for the convenience of their location in the mall (right before the food court), unless anyone objects. (.5 bean point)

Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: 1 bean point

Price: 1 bean point

Ambiance: 1 bean point

Drive-Thru: .5 bean point

Customer Service: 1 bean point

Total Score: 4.5/5 total bean points!

For right now, Illy's only location is in Yorkdale mall. I am really hoping they will start to expand and become one of Canada's leading coffee franchises. They have my vote!



What do you think? Have you ever tried Illy Caffè? Let me know!




Next week's location.......... IS YOUR CHOICE! send me an email (or comment on below) to let me know where you'd like me to visit next!

Reminder:
Last week Starbucks' score: 3/5 Bean Points
Two weeks ago Tim Hortons' score: 2.5/5 Bean Points


Until next week, Arrivederci!

Stay Caffeinated.


Don't forget to follow me on social media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
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