Showing posts with label the bean movement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the bean movement. Show all posts

Monday 27 July 2015

I love the #AROMA of it

Hello there my lovelies! 

It’s pretty hot here in Toronto, given the cold winter’s we’ve had I am very pleased. I love to accompany the (newly) hot Canadian climate with a nicely chilled cup of coffee. My favourite chilled blend at the moment is an Iced Aroma Light. 

The Iced Aroma Light is exclusively made at every Aroma Espresso Bar location. Aroma Espresso Bar is Mediterranean-inspired cafe, Founded in Jerusalem in 1994. Aroma Espresso Bar has expanded to more than 165 locations, in 6 countries, worldwide. Countries including Israel, Canada and the United States (yay!). 

Aroma’s coffee is the best that I’ve had for a very, very long time. The flavour is richly full of flavour. Aroma takes pride in their coffee and have created their own signature blends of cappuccino, espresso, filtered and decaf coffee, using coffee beans imported for South America, Asia and Africa. 

Aroma has a roasting facility in Israel’s Valley of Elah. The roasting facility was established with the cooperation of the Ballestra family from Naples, Italy; who has been roasting gourmet coffee beans for generations. 

Aroma, however, is not only known for there amazing coffee’s, they are also known for their incredibly diverse Mediterranean-inspired menu. Being a vegetarian, it is hard for me to find a café with healthy, vegetarian alternatives. I have consistently and genuinely found Aroma Espresso Bar to carry a sense of nutritional integrity with every meal and drink purchase. Aroma starts from scratch every morning in each of their locations, in every aspect of their ingredients. I have never known of a café that prepares every meal fresh and made-to-order. They even freshly bake loaves of bread and pastries, that are then served only the same day as they are prepared. 

Aroma Espresso Bar, literally raises the bar (pun intended), I have honestly never been to such a beautiful establishment. Aroma revives all of my senses, all of my senses become happy just by sitting in the café. Don’t just take my word for it, go and try it for yourselves! When you do, don’t forget to tell me how much you loved it! 

I would love to hear your feedback! Send me suggestions, jokes or even some caffeine at this email address: thebeanmovement@gmail.com


Stay Caffeinated.

xoxo, Amelia



source: www.aroma.ca

Saturday 13 June 2015

Let's Get Freekeh!

Hey there my sweets!

It's almost summer time! The birds are chirping, animals are having babies and the sweet aroma of freshly grown plants is in the air. Speaking about aromas, last week I had the honour of attending Aroma Espresso Bar's private event. What did I learn at this event you may ask? All about the new Aroma-tastic super-food-filled summer salad. The salad's name is the Freekeh Salad. The salad contains an ancient grain called "freekeh" hence the name Freekeh Salad. This grain is protein-filled, which is perfect for all of us veggie lovin’, tree huggin’, animal lovin’ freekehs. 

I learned a lot about Aroma's new summer salad, because at the Aroma event a nutritionist spoke all about the freekeh grain and all its health benefits. Freekeh is an ancient grain, and is the newest superfood on the block. The freekeh grain is very similar to quinoa, as they are both a grain filled with tons of proteins.

The main benefits of Freekeh:

1) It is high in fibre.
The nutritionist at the Aroma event was explaining how in Canada many of us are very low in fibre. It is very difficult at times to eat the recommended amount of fibre as we should (especially for those who are trying to eat a low carb diet). 
2) It is low in gluten.
The freak grain is harvested early, meaning the gluten in the grain hasn't fully developed making it easy to digest. For those of you who are sensitive to gluten you will not feel bloated, or uncomfortable after eating it. Sadly, it is not gluten free so if someone is celiac you can’t eat this.
3) It is a complex carbohydrate.  
Most carbs will spike your blood sugar, and in about 2 seconds you’ll have no energy again. With freekeh, since it is a complex carb your energy and blood sugars will be more stable. You won’t get the rise and drop like you would from eating rice or any other non complex carbohydrates.
4) It is a Resistance Starch.
Resistance starch is food that bypasses our digest system and goes right through our 
gastrointestinal track and acts like food for good bacteria which is something we call a prebiotic. A prebiotic is something that helps build probiotics.
5) It is high in protein. 
Like I mentioned before, Freekeh is high in protein which is great for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone trying to eat plant based proteins. 
6) IT IS ACTUALLY GOOD!
The biggest complaint most people have when eating healthy is that healthy food doesn’t taste good. That is not the case with freekeh! Not only is it tasty but there are so many ways to enjoy it! You can make it into a soup, salad and even use it as stuffing! 

Ingredients for the Aroma Freekeh Salad: 
1) Freekeh
2) Chopped cucumbers, carrots, and tomates
3) Sliced red onion
4) Kale
5) Chopped dill pickle
6) One scoop of platene cheese
7) Light Dressing: Lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper
8) Parsley

9) Za’atar spice

The newest addition to the already amazing Aroma menu is out to every Canadian Aroma Espresso Bar, so get off your computer and go to the nearest Aroma near you! Let me know what you think, I know you will not be disappointed. 

And as always, remember to: stay caffeinated. 




Friday 10 April 2015

We are living in a veggie world!

Hello, Hello!

I am so sorry that I haven't been as frequent with my blogging escapades lately. I've been really busy working up a storm and getting myself more established as a vlogger (video-blogger). With that being said, I've missed connecting with all of you in the meantime.

The last time we spoke, I was in Acapulco, Mexico; I am back in Canada and ready for the thrills spring has to offer. For those of you who don't already know this about me, spring is my favourite season. I love the way the world starts to bloom after the long and frigid winter Canada (unfortunately) brings to the table. My favourite thing about spring is waking up to the sun beaming through my windows and hearing the birds chirping every morning. I love knowing that spring is the time of the year where (most) flowers start to bloom and (most) animal babies are born. For me, spring brings new life and new beginnings.

I love animals. From a very young age I have had a deep passion for every animal in the world. I love them so much that I remember going to petting zoos as a child and pretending the animals were literally my friends. I can actually remember trying to kiss a couple of donkeys during those days.. Call me crazy all you want, but I love animals and no one will be able to take that love away from me. I love animals so much that I decided to become a vegetarian 3 years ago. Proudly, I can say that I haven't touched a piece of animal flesh ever since then.

Honestly, when I was growing up, I never gave the slaughter of animals much thought. I knew that what I was eating was an animal, I knew I loved the taste of it and I knew I loved animals; but other then those two facts I didn't really understand what I was feeding into (pun intended). In 2012, my sister (her name is Chiara) had to do a school project which meant being a vegetarian for an entire month. I thought, being the wonderful sister that I am, I would join her in this project and be an encourager for her and make sure she didn't fail the project. However, being the most competitive person I've ever met, I decided to not only join my sister with her project and not eat meat for an entire month, but I would also give up all animal products in the meantime. I had just become a vegan cold-turkey (pun intended....again).



I remember, February 2012, I ate my last piece of meat for the rest of my life. I thought, at first, the only thing that the project entailed was to simply stop eating meat for an entire month. I was sadly (or happily) mistaken. During those 30 days, I was tortured to watch documentaries all about the slaughter of animals. Obviously, I cried my eyes out for 30 days straight. Those documentaries are not only extremely informative, they are also extremely gruesome. For a while I couldn't believe that for all these years I had been so extremely naive. I went around telling people I wanted to become an animal rescuer and I loved animals more then anything else in the world................ AS I WAS EATING A RACK OF RIBS. I felt like a complete hypocrite. Not only is the slaughter of animals completely inhumane, but it is actually extremely harmful to the environment.

Being a veggie girl (which is what I call myself) in an Italian family is much easier said then done. Italians are known for all the different type of meats they serve on a daily basis. Thankfully, my family isn't one who eat (ate) meat everyday, but they definitely loved their meat sauce and homemade meatballs on their pasta. To this day my Nonno will cut me soppressata expecting me to eat it. Last Sunday (aka family lunch day at Nonno and Nonna's house) my Nonno pulled me aside and asked me "Amelia, if you don't eat meat... then what DO you eat?" I answered that question by saying "Well Nonno, if I don't eat meat, then I eat anything that isn't meat" he was shocked by this answer and says "Amelia, EVERYTHING is meat." Yes, being a veggie girl in an Italian family is very hard.




I see becoming a vegetarian one of the best choices I have made in all of my 21 years existence.  I was born with a form of anemia and right before becoming a vegetarian, I had my regular blood test to make sure my iron levels didn't drop since my last visit, it had but not only did my iron levels drop but my B12 levels were low as well. After becoming a vegetarian, I lost 10 pounds, my iron levels became significantly higher and my B12 level went back to normal. I had a much higher level of energy and I felt healthier inside.

There are many different types of vegetarianism: 

1) Lacto-ovo vegetarian: vegetarians that eat both eggs and dairy products.
2) Pescatarian: vegetarians who occasionally eat fish.
3) Ovo-vegetarian : vegetarians who do not eat/ drink dairy products, but do occasionally eat eggs.
4) Lacto-vegetarian: vegetarians who do not eat eggs, but occasionally eat/ drink dairy products.
5) Vegan: vegetarians who do not eat animal flesh of any kind, shellfish, dairy products and eggs.

As I said before, when I first started my veggie girl journey, I was a vegan and I loved every second of it. Unfortunately, I had to stop being a vegan because I still live at home and it was hard for me to be 100% vegan (because my mom still buys me food and feeds me). I do however, plan on returning to the vegan lifestyle once I move out of my house; but for now I am 100% ovo-vegetarian. I do not eat any animal flesh, or dairy products, but I do occasionally eat a few eggs here and there.

Today, after being a full fledge veggie girl (for exactly 3 years, one month and 10 days) I can say being a veggie girl has had it's extreme struggles, when I first started becoming a vegetarian, I hated vegetables to the very core of my soul and I craved meat profusely. Eventually I started to really appreciate vegetables (along with their weird flavours) and as for the meat cravings, they are still very much alive and well. Fortunately enough, I haven't eaten meat in so long that I think veggie patties taste like an actual meaty hamburger, so once I get my teeth in those veggie burgers, the cravings are quenched. Now when I look at a steak all I can think of is that it is literally the flesh of an animal and I get completely repulsed by it and nauseated thinking about someone eating it.

Being a vegetarian is a great choice, but a hard and life-altering decision I've made for myself. It has made me become a more caring and empathetic person. I think of the world in a completely different light and literally imagine myself in the position of the animal during each stage of their miserable life. I wish I could save each and every single one of those poor animals and make them feel loved, but unfortunately I don't have the means to do that. In the past 3 years, one month and 10 days I have happily been able to save a total of 631 animals, 609 lbs of meat and 5,027 lbs of CO2 was not released into the atmosphere (http://vegetariancalculator.com/vegetarian-calculator-monthly).

If you're thinking about joining the animal-saving crew? shoot me an email: thebeanmovement@gmail.com

meow for now!
xoxo, Amelia


Stay Caffeinated.





ps. I'm now on YouTube! Check out me first video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hADcvRrXsYI

Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!!


Don't forget to follow me on social media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanMovement
Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
Gmail: thebeanmovement@gmail.com
Google+: TheBeanMovement
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Snapchat: xoxamelia



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

Thursday 5 February 2015

Second Cup Classic Hot Chocolate!

Hey there my lovely cups of hot cocoa!


Why hot cocoa you ask? This week I visited the newly improving Second Cup. I'm not sure if you all know about this, but they are currently having a hot chocolate contest! All you have to do to enter is (1) try their hot chocolate (2) rate their hot chocolate 1-5 (and seeing as I already do that on a weekly basis, I thought why not?).

I went into the Second Cup location the ambiance was really awesome and cozy, they location had a lot of customers (mostly students doing their homework). Their store colours were mostly dark browns, red and gold.  I felt like Second Cup had a very Canadian feel to it, which is very refreshing for a Canadian franchise. I walked up to the cash, where the barista asked me what I wanted, she proceeded by asking me which size I'd prefer (a small, I'm not typically a fan of hot chocolate) she smiled as she waited for me to give her the money. (1 Bean Point)

I then went to the "pick up" side of the coffee bar, where there was a different barista. That barista was so sweet! As soon as she saw me, she flashed me a big smile and asked me how I was doing and if I had ever tried their hot chocolate before. (1 Bean Point)

Now is the moment of truth. The second barista gave me my hot chocolate; and let me just say (coming from someone who literally never drinks hot chocolate) this hot chocolate was AWESOME! I give them a full 5/5 for flavour. It was just so rich and chocolatey, I also tasted a hint of coconut; but that could have just been my lip gloss (LOL). (1 Bean Point)







The Second Cup location I visited was right across the street from a Target store (which is where I was before I had my awesome hot chocolate). The location, I believe, is in a prime spot. (1 Bean Point) 

The price you ask? $2.75, aka perfecto. (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!


I was overall so happy with you Second Cup, I really had some hard feelings from my previous visit and was nervous because the trust between us had been broken. I am now very happy to say that I am ready to start building our relationship of trust and mutual understanding. This coffee-chick, aka a girl who prefers salt over sweets, thinks that your hot chocolate was amazing. I will be back very soon, maybe tomorrow? ;-)





Ps: The Bean Movement Instagram contest is still running!

Here's what you've gotta do to enter:
(1) follow The Bean Movement (if you haven't already done so)
(2) take a picture of whatever coffee you are drinking, from whatever coffee shop its from
(2) rate the coffee experience 1- 5 Bean Points
(3) tag The Bean Movement and hashtag #StayCaffeinated

On February 14th, I will be picking a winner. Will there be prizes you ask? Yes!

The prize are: coffee mug, coffee beans and a coffee gift card!





Reminder for the medium double-double challenge:
The Good Neighbour: 4/5 Bean Points
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
Google+: TheBeanMovement
Instagram: TheBeanMovement
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thebeanmovement
Zomato: TheBeanMovement
Pinterest: TheBeanMovement







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

Thursday 22 January 2015

Moroco Chocolat Boutique!

Hello my sweet caramel macchiato's!

This blog post is going to be all about two very special events:

#1 There is an Instagram and Twitter contest going on right now for The Bean Movement.
#2 I visited a cute boutique on Yorkville, Toronto this week called Moroco Chocolat Boutique.


So, about that Instagram contest... The contest was to reach my goal of 1,000 followers on Instagram. I was 320 followers away from that goal, I thought it would take by Valentines day to achieve that goal. Today, exactly THREE DAYS later I am extremely happy to announce that I have accomplished that goal, on Instagram I now have 2,000 followers. I am insanely excited about that! Thank you all so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much!! I could not have achieved this without the help of my beloved beans.

Since the goal was achieved, its time for the contest!! From tomorrow (January 23) until February 13th, I want you to:
(1) follow The Bean Movement (if you haven't already done so)
(2) take a picture of whatever coffee you are drinking, from whatever coffee shop its from
(2) rate the coffee experience 1- 5 Bean Points
(3) tag The Bean Movement and hashtag #StayCaffeinated

On February 14th, I will be picking a winner. Will there be prizes you ask? Yes!

The prize are: coffee mug, coffee beans and a coffee gift card!

Rules:
you must be following The Bean Movement on Instagram
you must tag The Bean Movement and hashtag #StayCaffeinated
you must rate the coffee experience 1-5 Bean Points

Check out my Twitter feed for more information on the upcoming Twitter contest.



Now, as I said before this week I visited Moroco Chocolat Boutique. When I got there, I realized that it would be fair if I just spoke today about my experience instead of giving it "bean points" because it isn't technically a coffee shop.

So here I go!

As you all know, last week was more of an adventure then I am used too (ya know, the whole tire explosion situation), but it turned out for the good, because on my way to Nespresso me and my mom walked by a sign (I am a marketing graduate, so I'm obsessed with advertisements.. don't judge me..k?). This sign was not like any other sign.. it was really pretty and fancy; it also happened to say the word "Chocolat" on it aka the only thing I love almost just as much as coffee (almost). The sign was really girly, it had lavender purple cursive writing on it... and it had something to do with chocolate.. so why wouldn't I want to check that place out?

I walk towards this breath-taking building (photo below)



and my jaw was so wide you could fit an entire coffee mug in my mouth.

I walked in (starstruck) and confused because I never even thought about the fact that this place was a "salon cocoa bar" aka not a coffee establishment, so would they even have coffee? I walked into the front door (where there was a chocolate shop, look down for picture) and I asked the lady at the counter,  if I could get a coffee. She asked me if the coffee was "for here or to go?" I answered, with a smile on my face "for here."



She then took me inside this beautiful room (look down for picture), gave us (me and my sister) menus and told us our server would be with us soon.




After about 10 seconds of a glance, I already knew I wanted the Cafe Latte. A few minutes went by and this beautiful creation popped in front of me. As the waiter placed the coffee in front of my presents, he continues by saying "your coffee with a complimentary macaroon."  I literally was going to fall off my chair,  I LOVE MACAROONS!!!!!!!









The macaroons were so delicious that we thought maybe we should order ourselves another one.. which me and my sister both did. I had the cassis and my sister had the salted caramel macaroon. We both had heaven in our mouths. I literally didn't think something could taste as good as those macaroons did, so naturally we decided we had to bring some home. 6 to be exact, we bought 6 macaroons to take home to our family. Which btw (by the way) they LOVED.







NOT ONLY THAT! But they also had chocolate hand prints all over their walls of different celebrities that has ever walked through their lavender doors!! SO COOL!




In all, Moroco Chcolat Boutique was wonderful, it's the most perfect place on earth to surprise your beloved Valentine for Valentine's Day (hint hint). It is so fancy and elegant and everything tasted so amazing! Their macaroons were to die for. The absolute best I have ever had (if I was blogging about macaroons, they'd win first prize).




Moroco Chocolat Boutique, I will be back very soon. I promise.





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

Thursday 15 January 2015

Nespresso Cafe!

Hello there my lovely readers, me again.

This week has been so crazy, literally crazier then my typical overly-caffeinated life. I really had no idea where to go this week to fulfill my coffee-fanatic needs. I then spoke to my mom, she told me of a "cool" place in Yorkville named "Nespresso." She goes along by saying "Amelia you have to see the experience, you can tell it's Italian design (she was an interior designer in some part of her lifetime).. it's just a beautiful experience." Guys, my mom became emotional, literally with tears in her eyes...So with that, I decided I should give in to my mother's begging (constant begging) and go on a mother-daughter coffee date.

On our way to this magical land my mom describes as Nespresso, we were driving along minding our own business, we stopped at a red light (just like any other normal human being would do at a red light) when all of a sudden, a scary (actually petrifying) man knocked on the passenger window (I was petrified, thinking we were both about to die) and the man proceeds after I screamed in his face by saying "hey lady! You have a flat tire!" As if my life couldn't get any worse, we called the car dealership who then told us that we would need to be towed and the tow truck wouldn't arrive for another 3 HOURS. 3 HOURS!!! Man, was I ever mad.


3 hours (and a bit) later, the tow truck came and we were off set to find Nespresso on foot, just like the "good old days." GREAT MOM, I LOVE TO WALK (there's a reason why I blog about coffee and not fitness). Finally after a 45 minute walk in -20 degrees, we finally found The Nespresso Cafe. Actually, now that I think about it, they call themselves the "Nespresso Cafe Boutique." I have two words to be able to completely describe to you what the Nespresso Cafe was like and here they are: Nespresso understands. Guys, I don't know if you have been to the Nespresso Cafe, but it was worth every flat tire in the world, every minute of waiting, every different type of frost bite I got on my body and every step that I walked in the freezing cold Canadian winter. It was absolutely stunning. (1 Bean Point)

I took it upon myself to post pictures of the amazing boutique and here they are:



The Nespresso Cafe Espresso Bar.



Nespresso Cafe seating. 



Nespresso Cafe menu and monogrammed table. 

After being completely frozen over *singing the cold never bothered me anyways from the Disney movie, Frozen* we finally go in the warm Nespresso Cafe, there was a hostess at the front desk, who then sat us down at a table, gave each of us a menu and a glass of water with lemon. After I took a photoshoot of the cafe, menu, tables and pretty much anything with the letter "N" on it, the waitress then came (who by the way had a beautiful English accent) and took our orders. I ordered a medium Cafe Macchiato (and asked for it to be as hot as it could possibly be made). (1 Bean Point)

This was then brought to the table: 




And I literally almost fell out of my chair. I was trying to stay cool, calm and collected. I think I played it off well though, don't you worry. The flavour and presentation was absolutely impeccable. (1 Bean Point)

The cost? $7.50. Yes, I know, it was a pretty steep price, but considering the experience it was worth every penny. (1 Bean Point)

There was no drive thru option, but the location was perfect. Nespresso is located right on Yorkville, which makes up for the high prices. (1 Bean Point)

After my amazing cup of coffee, water and chocolate, I took a tour around the Cafe and saw that they actually sell almost all of their machines in their Nespresso Cafe, along with millions of different pods. It was such a cool concept. My mom was right, those Italians, they really do know what they are doing.


I know that I've mentioned this before, but I will say it again. I've been to Italy and I have personally seen with my own eyes what the Italian coffee experience is like, Nespresso nailed it. I have also been to France, and I feel as though Nespresso was an Italian and Parisian cafe styles mixed together. I felt like I was in both Italy and France at the same time (is that even possible?). The presentation, style and flavour was impeccable. Nespresso understands. 



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!


Overall, I was extremely impressed by you Nespresso. I love you Nespresso. You make me proud to be Italian. I hope you open up many other locations around the world so we can share with everyone what a true coffee experience looks like. You are classy and fabulous. Keep up the outstanding work. Love you long time. 



Reminder for the medium double-double challenge:
The Good Neighbour: 4/5 Bean Points
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
Google+: TheBeanMovement
Instagram: TheBeanMovement
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thebeanmovement
Zomato: TheBeanMovement
Pinterest: TheBeanMovement







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















Friday 9 January 2015

Starbucks Eggnog Latte!

Hello my little beanies,

So nice to be back on my blogging quest. I am so sorry my posts have been less frequent, the holidays have been a bit on the cray side.

As promised, new and exciting things have been happening to The Bean Movement. As of today, I am an official blogger on a online magazine called "Generation Nothingness" (http://gnothingness.com/). I will be writing all about coffee trends, news and other cool coffee topics twice a month! Stay tuned to my social media websites, I will let you all know when my posts have been published on there. Below you will see a screenshot of my Generation Nothingness profile.


I know that by now, most of the holidays are over, its officially 2015 (crazy how fast time flies), school has started back up and diets are being planned; but I still just LOVE the holidays. I love the way the malls are during the holiday season and I love how festive people are. Now, being a coffee addict, I also really love how coffee shops change it up a bit during the holiday season, I love how they change their cups, their flavours and they customer service is on its game too.

Now as you all know, for the winter season my goal is to find the coffee shop with the best Eggnog Latte. The first place on the blogging list was Starbucks.

If it wasn't for Starbucks, I can honestly say that I wouldn't even know there was such thing as an "Eggnog Latte" they were the first that I heard to have such a thing (a very long time ago, aka pre-blogging days) and I can say that because of them, I have the pleasure of looking forward to having an eggnog latte almost every day of the holiday season (don't judge me, I'm addicted).

Starbucks tends to never disappoint in the eggnog latte section of my life, they are consistently encouraging my eggnog latte addiction and I do not hate it.  Now, unfortunately I tried to write this same blog post last year ( LOL, get it.. last year? It's 2015....) but I had a little set back. The Starbucks I visited RAN OUT OF EGGNOG!!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart was broken for about a second, then I decided to have a wet cappuccino (aka the love of my life).

Thankfully, this week when I went to Starbucks, they were in high stock of the eggnog for me, and this is how my story begins....

I went to Starbucks and the lady behind the counter was actually so sweet and cute. I literally loved her, she brightened my day! She took my order, tall eggnog latte, and actually ASKED me how to spell my name; instead of guessing and completely bombing it, which typically makes me want to get my name legally changed to something "normal" and easier to spell. (1 Bean Point)

When my lips touched the lid of the magical eggnog latte, I thought my mouth tasted what heaven tastes like. Needless to say, the flavour was perfect, creamy and brought me back to the first day I every tried an eggnog latte (I think it was 2008?). It was amazing. (1 Bean Point)

The price? $3.75. That hurt my bank account... I feel like Starbuck's prices keep rising and my bank account keeps getting smaller and smaller....... (No Bean Point)

The Starbucks location was prime and had a drive thru, which makes me very happy when it's -20 outside (not kidding, it was literally -20.) (1 Bean Point)

Now, I didn't enter the Starbucks this time, so I didn't get to vote on the ambiance. The point is given to them because I know it's amazing in there and because I chose to not enter, which isn't their fault.



Now it's time for the run-down:

Flavour: 1 bean point
Price: 0 bean point
Ambiance: 1 bean point
Drive-Thru: 1 bean point
Customer Service: 1 bean point

Total Score: 4/5 total bean points!

Overall I am very, very impressed by you Starbucks. I love your eggnog latte, and as I said before you are the reason I know it exists so I owe you my eggnog latte addiction. I am hoping your prices may lower... even just by a couple of cents, and if it does you deserve a 5/5!! Keep up the great work! Love you longtime.


Reminder for the medium double-double challenge:
The Good Neighbour: 4/5 Bean Points
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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Do you have any suggestions to help improve my blog? I'd love your feedback!
Email me: thebeanmovement@gmail.com

Saturday 20 December 2014

It's the holiday season!

Hello fellow coffee drinkers!

As you all start preparing for the Holidays, I'm sure that you would all just love to read all about who has the best Holiday coffee flavours. Am I right? I am pleased to announce that for the next few weeks of December, I will be taking the Holiday drinks by storm and finding the best Holiday drink in the coffee world.

My drink of the season? Eggnog latte! I realize that sometimes eggnog lattes are not always available, if this is the case, no coffee for this blogger.

The first coffee shoppe of my choosing is the one, the only; Starbucks! Baristas get ready for me! I am looking forward to this themed month, it's my favourite time of the year!

What other coffee shops do you want me to visit? Shoot me an email at thebeanmovement@gmail.com and tell me where I should go next.

See you next week xoxo.

Stay Caffeinated.











Don't forget to follow me on social media!

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Twitter: @TheBeanMovement
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Do you have any suggestions to help improve my blog? I'd love your feedback!
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Friday 19 December 2014

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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Do you have any suggestions to help improve my blog? I'd love your feedback!
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Thursday 20 November 2014

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
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thebeanmovement


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

Thursday 13 November 2014

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






Thursday 6 November 2014

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