The Good Neighbour!

Hello to all my lovely and caffeinated readers!

I'm so sorry for being MIA in the recent weeks, my blogger hasn't been working!! There are a lot of new and exciting things coming our way in the new year; so make sure you stay tuned and keep reading to hear all about the crazy and unexpected adventure.

Also, I joined a brand new social media webpage called "Zomato" The app is super cool and useful for every foodie looking for a great place to hang out, pig out and go on romantic dates. Be sure to follow me on the Zomato app, so you can be sure to keep track of all my coffee (and not so coffee) explorations!

As you know, a few weeks ago I visited a little coffee shoppe called The Good Neighbour, don't take this name lightly kids, they really are The Good Neighbour and I mean this in every literal way possible!

The Good Neighbour is literally located in a neighbourhood (hence the name), the coffee shoppe looks like a typical home, inside of a typical neighbourhood. Once you enter the house (The Good Neighbour) you get an urban and hipster feel. Inside the coffee shoppe you will see the coolest looking people around town. The decor was filled with warm and deep colours, I got an industrial-studio feel from the decor. The tabletops were a light brown wood, there was a cute bar over looking the city streets and there were tubes of coffee beans hanging beside a chalk board menu behind the cash counter. It was cool and very different, definitely left an impact on the decor side of my brain. (1 Bean Point)

When I entered The Good Neighbour, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was filled with cheerful, hipster customers. I walked up to the counter to order my medium double double the man behind the counter was so nice and happy to be working. As he was making my coffee, I asked him many questions about The Good Neighbour and he was properly trained and knowledgable about every question I had for him. He explained that the coffee The Good Neighbour sold was organic and 100% free trade, he also mentioned to tell me that when customers buy coffee from them, they know for sure they are buying quality and aren't just "throwing" money away. (1 Bean Point)

The flavour you ask? Raw, organic and great! As all of you know, I am a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, which actually means, I love coffee and not only do I love coffee; I also adore a great cup of coffee. Not many people really take the time like I do to make sure to really know and understand what kind of coffee I am indulging in, and I can honestly say that The Good Neighbour's coffee was just very real. Real, not like the processed coffee we are all used to from the typical franchises around us, but real in the sense it didn't taste like the favour was tampered with. The coffee was amazing and tasted a little fruity, which kind of makes sense; since coffee beans come from a fruit and then are roasted to get their flavour. (1 Bean Point)


There was no drive-thru option, and there was no parking spaces available. I had to park on the side of the road. (0 Bean Point)


Price: $4.25. The price is high, but as the barista said; you are getting what you pay for: amazing, free trade and organic coffee; with no secrets. (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: 0 bean point

Customer Service: 1 bean point

Total Score: 4/5 total bean points!

In all, The Good Neighbour was so amazing! I love how they are so transparent with their customers. When you visit The Good Neighbour, you really do know exactly what you are buying and if you have any questions about the coffee, the baristas are willing to explain everything to you without feeling like you are bothering them.



What do you guys think? Have you been to The Good Neighbour? I'd love to hear all about your experience.

Reminder:
Coffee Culture's score: 4.5/5 Bean Points
Timothy's World Cup Coffee's score: 4/5 Bean Points

LavAzza's score: 0/5 Bean Points
McCafé's score: 5/5 Bean Points
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!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
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Email me: thebeanmovement@gmail.com

Coffee Culture Cafe!

Hello to my loyal coffee beans!

A big, huge, ginormous thank you goes out to all of you readers who have supported in the past blogging weeks! When I first started this blog I thought it would be nearly impossible to attract even just one single follower, a few weeks later, The Bean Movement now has over 1,000 followers on social media websites (yay)! Keep spreading the word, my goal is 1,500 followers by the end of this year! There's going to be a contest coming soon!

This week I went to Coffee Culture Cafe.

The store layout was so beautiful and cozy. There was a fireplace with chairs around it and tables; and all their seating arrangements were cozy booths. There were very few actual chair + table options around the store, which I loved. It was different from what I've seen so far, it kind of looked like a place you'd wanna go with your friends on a snowy day (or week, like we had here in Toronto) and drink hot chocolate (or a double double) and feel at home, warm and cozy. The colour scheme was dark brown and gold. I really loved it! I even took some pictures to show my friends! (1 Bean Point)

I walked into the Coffee Culture location and ordered my medium double double. I was stunned, there were two employees on cash! As one prepared the one customer's drink the other employee took my drink order. They were both so happy, nice and organized. It was such a pleasure to see such happy people working on such a gloomy, cold, snowy day. They (and my coffee) made my day! (1 Bean Point)

Flavour was exceptional. Oh my goodness, when I had that first sip of coffee I thought I had died and gone to Heaven (yes it was that good).  Literally, it was amazing. You are all going to have to try it for yourselves. (1 Bean Point)

There was no drive thru, and unfortunately the location was okay, but not the greatest. (.5 Bean Point)

Price you ask? $2.05, wonderfully priced! (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: .5 bean point

Customer Service: 1 bean point

Total Score: 4.5/5 total bean points!

Man oh man, Coffee Culture, you really blew me away! I hope you open up more locations so I can sip some more of you exceptional coffee delight, unfortunately the location I went to was a little out of my way, but it was completely and totally worth it! With the coffee you guys make, I know I will be seeing much more of you and I can't wait!



What do you think? Have you ever had a taste of Coffee Culture? Let me know! I want to hear from you!

Next week's location........The Good Neighbour! See you next week!

PS: stay tuned fellow coffeeholics! December is on its way. And with December around the corner, that means there's something special that happens in all of the wonderful coffee franchises. Can you guess what's so special about coffee shops in December? You are not going to want to miss it!



Reminder:
Timothy's World Cup Coffee's score: 4/5 Bean Points

LavAzza's score: 0/5 Bean Points
McCafé's score: 5/5 Bean Points
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!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
Google+: TheBeanMovement
Instagram: TheBeanMovement
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Thank you Stefanie Drew for the picture.

Do you have any suggestions to help improve my blog? I'd love your feedback! Email me at: thebeanmovement@gmail.com

Timothy's World Coffee!

Hello there my little mochas!

Random thought of the day, why in the world are we allowing coffee franchises to charge us $0.05-$1.00 more for a different type of milk? I think that is so ridiculous! When you are lactose intolerant or vegan (or have any type of reason for not having regular milk) and you have to pay more for the other milk options. That is so rude! I don't understand the logic at all. It's not the poor lactose intolerant customers fault for not being able to digest the regular milk... why are coffee franchises punishing the already punished? And the vegans, all they are trying to do is save the poor innocent animals lives WHY ARE THEY BEING PUNISHED?! It really frustrates me seeing this injustice. Why are these people being treated so unfairly? I really want to understand.


This week I visited (for the first time ever) a hidden treasure called Timothy's World Coffee! I say hidden because I really didn't know where Timothy's was located. I fixed my location problem with a little app (from the Apple Store) called Yood. I typed in the word "Timothy's" and it showed me the closest location to me, which really helped me out a lot this week.

I went to the Timothy's located inside of Vaughan Mills Mall. The location was a little kiosk (along with a patio) located by entrance number 6.

I thought the kiosk was so cute and decorated so nicely for the holidays (already!) with cute little pine trees (the fake ones, of course) and I'm almost certain there was Christmas music already playing in the background which really set the mood (Christmas spirit anyone?). The Timothy's colour scheme was red, navy blue, brown and white. Timothy's was able to carry their colour scheme nicely through their logo, cups and decor. (1 Bean Point)

When I went to the counter I noticed that they had the Timothy's Keurig pods on display, which was really nice to see! I think you were able to buy a pod to test it out for yourself, but I don't know because I didn't ask (does anyone wanna help a girl out?) The lady at the counter (has anyone noticed that the employees at all the coffee shops have been women) looked like she had her hands full, well her mouth full for the matter... She had food in her mouth as she was serving her customers, which I thought was so gross (especially since a piece of whatever she was eating flew out of her mouth... GROSS!). I (as you know) ordered a medium double-double. (0 Bean Points)

The flavour of the coffee was great! I really enjoyed their coffee blend. (1 Bean Point)


The price you ask? $2.25. SCORE! The price was definitely great. (1 Bean Point)

There was no drive through option! The location in the mall was great, so I don't see why they don't deserve a good bean point for that! (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: 0 bean point

Customer Service: 0 bean point

Total Score: 4/5 total bean points!

Timothy's you really are a hidden treasure! 4/5 on a coffee shop that I have never been to is amazing! I really enjoyed the entire Timothy's experience. I will be back!



What do you think? Have you ever had a taste of  Timothy's? Let me know! I want to hear from you!

Next week's location........ Coffee Culture! See you next week!

PS: stay tuned fellow coffeeholics! December is on its way. And with December around the corner, that means there's something special that happens in all of the wonderful coffee franchises. Can you guess what's so special about coffee shops in December? You are not going to want to miss it!



Reminder:

LavAzza's score: 0/5 Bean Points
McCafé's score: 5/5 Bean Points
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!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
Google+: TheBeanMovement
Instagram: TheBeanMovement
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thebeanmovement

LavAzza!

Hello again my little caramel macchiatos! I hope that you all are keeping well!

Throughout the weeks I have been getting questions regarding WHY I would take one coffee experience and create an entire brand perception right of the bat. My answer to this question is simple:

The coffee industry is very, VERY competitive these days. I swear there are millions (not a fact, maybe just a sprinkle of exaggeration to set the mood) of different coffee companies trying to make it in this very competitive industry and just cannot make it out alive.  Through my own experiences, I have learned that every time someone walks into a location; to any sort of retail establishments they are looking for the whole package. Customers want a clear balance between price, quality and experience, but are being manipulated by marketing ploys to believe that a certain coffee brand is better without giving the other shops a fair chance. Many of the now popular coffee establishments "pride" themselves for wanting to provide an amazing customer experience, so in turn are able to jack up their prices and say that they are not only paying for the coffee, but also for the coffee-drinking experience. Now, my job as a coffee-blogger (and coffee lover) is to sort out those who really are not providing the "coffee-drinking experience" as they promised. I hate to be lied too, and I would hate for anyone to be taken advantage of. That is why this blog is a "movement"; my goal is to provide customers the knowledge they need to be able to distinguish which coffee franchises are worth their money, and who is not worth their money. Now, I am not saying in any way that even though I had a great experience in one place, it means everyone will have that same experience (and vice versa), I just want to bring awareness to the fact that everyone should get a fair chance in proving themselves to their customers and that every experience counts. You only get one shot at a good first impression.

Now onto the good stuff,

This week I took a trip over to LavAzza and man, oh man do I have a story for you! Buckle up!

Now as many of you already know from past blog posts, I am Italian and have been to Italy. I have also had the pleasure of having a real Italian coffee-drinking experience. LavAzza is an extremely popular Italian coffee brand, so when I went to their location I was expecting to see the typical Italian coffee-drinking experience I had in Italy. I was sadly mistaken.

I walked into the shop (by using their wooden, broken-down stairs) and saw the lady working at cash which on the phone with one of her friends. Not only was she on the phone with her friend, but she was also watching a work out video on the giant flat screen tv the LavAzza location had. When the lady saw that I was ready to order I asked if she could serve me a medium double double, she told me that they didn't have that on the menu, but the "caffè macchiato was just like it". I ordered the caffè macchiato, she then says "do you want this size or this size" (while holding two cups that look to me like they were the same size) I answered "whichever is suppose to be the medium". The lady then turns to her large coffee machine and starts pressing buttons and pauses. She then turns to me and says "oh, I forgot. It's a slow day, so I am cleaning the big espresso machine, but this one right here is just as good." Without a second for me to answer she started up her Keurig machine and presses all the buttons necessary. I then look at her and ask if the Keurig coffee pods she was using her at least LavAzza, she said yes. I looked on the Keurig website, and they do make LavAzza coffee pods (thankfully).  (0 Bean Points)

The store was all painted in a royal blue (when I say all, I mean all. The outer bricks were also royal blue to match the inside). The inside of the store was modest, with broken mirrors on the walls; coffee machines and coffee beans were on shelves along the back of the store (still in their Canada Post boxes). There were muffins sitting on a plate on the cash desk that were not covered. The tables and chairs were black. Honestly, it was disgusting. The only thing that was new-looking was the menu. (0 Bean Points)

The flavour, oh man. It was awful. I couldn't even describe it to you, it was just so bad. (0 Bean Points)


This price for my Keurig "LavAzza" coffee was ridiculously high. $3.95 for a cup of coffee that I could have made at home with my own machine. (0 Bean Points)


The LavAzza location had no drive thru options and zero parking, so I had to park in an apartment building's parking garage. (0 Bean Points)


Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: 0 bean point

Price: 0 bean point

Ambiance: 0 bean point

Drive-Thru: 0 bean point

Customer Service: 0 bean point

Total Score: 0/5 total bean points!

LavAzza, what happened? I was so looking forward to our encounter, but you have failed me. Please take my words of criticism and allow yourselves room for improvement. When you guys are great, I will be back.



What do you think? Have you ever had a taste of  LavAzza? Let me know! I want to hear from you!

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

Reminder:
McCafé's score: 5/5 Bean Points
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!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
Google+: TheBeanMovement
Instagram: TheBeanMovement
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thebeanmovement

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!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
Google+: TheBeanMovement
Instagram: TheBeanMovement
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thebeanmovement

Tim Hortons!

Hello my loyal coffeeholics!

Here we are again, week two; a lot has changed since we last spoke. 

I now have 113 Facebook "Likes", 91 Instagram "followers" and 44 Twitter "followers." I just want to give you all a big thank you! It means a whole lot to me that you are all spreading the word and following me. 

Now, on to the good stuff. This week I went to Tim Hortons, and let just say I was actually very surprised. 

Timmies, as most Canadians, is my go-to place. I typically absolutely adore the flavour of their coffee and I especially love their new dark roast blend, but this week when I payed Tim Hortons a visit; I ordered my typical Double-Double (Dark Roast style, of course). I  then noticed that my coffee was extremely sweet. Turns out, it was a triple triple. The lady at the counter wasn't very happy with me noticing her mistake, and when I started talking to her about my love for coffee and about my experience with the Dark Roast (and how I usually adore it) she looked at me, starred looking very unimpressed.. which I thought was pretty rude. By her reaction, I did not think it was my place to ask for a new coffee; so I left. 

Since during past visits I've had the Dark Roast Tim Hortons Double-Double, and since I know it is usually wonderful, I will give them .5 of a bean point. 

Who can complain about their price? I know I can't! I payed: $1.65 for a medium double double. (bean point)

The ambiance of Tim Hortons sort of sucks. I am not a fan of the layout they set for themselves. Everything in the store typically looks old and dirty. Their colour of choice is brown, which is fitting since coffee is also brown. However, I believe they over use the brown colour. (NO bean point)

Drive thru option: Available (bean point)

The customer service at Tim Hortons failed for me this time, sorry. (NO bean point)

Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: .5 of a bean point

Price: bean point

Ambiance: 0

Drive-Thru option: bean point

Customer Service: 0

Total score: 2.5/5 

In all, I was left unimpressed by Tim Hortons. If it were my first time in their establishment, I don't think I would go back. Usually when I buy a coffee, I'd like to at least hear a good morning or see a smile on at least one person's face; since you not only pay for the product, but also the customer service, and in this case they were both majorly lacking.  Tim Hortons' prices are not the most expensive, but according to what I payed for I do not think it was worth the money.



NEXT STOP...... Starbucks! Tune in next Thursday for updates!

Ciao for now! Stay Caffeinated. 

Don't forget to follow me on Social Media! 

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

Twitter: TheBeanMovement

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Google+: thebeanmovement@gmail.com

Welcome to the Bean Movement

Hello fellow coffeeholics!

If you are like me, and can't go a day without your freshly brewed beans, or your day cannot possibly begin without a cup or two of coffee. Then I am the blog for you. I'm here with all your tips and tricks for all your coffee needs. You may be an Espresso, American, Dark Roast, flavoured coffee, latte, or Colombian brewed coffee lover- whatever gets you through the day. I'll be here to keep you all updated on all your local coffee needs.

For the next couple of weeks I will be going to coffee shops in Toronto; comparing the flavours, prices, ambiance, drive through options and customer service. Each category gets one point, also known as a bean point, if satisfied. If I am unsatisfied, they do not get the point for that category. The highest possible score is 5 bean points.

The rules: I have to go to a different coffee shop each week and order the same drink each time. The beverage of my choosing is a medium double double.

NEXT STOP……Stay tuned, I will be posting every Thursday with updates.


Who has the best coffee? Follow me on my journey as I find the best coffee in Toronto!

Stay Caffeinated