JJ Bean on Cambie

Finally. There's a coffee shop along Cambie, near the Park Theatre, Black Dog Video (one of Vancouver's few remaining video outlets, and probably the best) and the wonderful women's fashion boutique, Cocoon.

Surprisingly, no one, apart from a Starbucks on the corner of Cambie and 19th, has found a way to set up an independent espresso bar along this busy Canada Line corridor.







The new JJ Bean opened recently and is having its grand opening this weekend. Staff are friendly and efficient, and the coffees at this location are nicely done indeed. It is what you will find at other JJ Bean locations; some nice, rich flavours, adequate crema, and served appropriately with a glass of water and a spoon. Why other places can't get this coffee-serving-basic right is beyond me.






There is a recurring theme at JJ Bean stores of blond wood and this location is no exception. There are several long tables for the laptop and tablet people with suitable electrical outlets. The Wi-Fi must be adequate because everyone, apart from Sherry and Jeem, seemed to be on a screen of some sort.

A drawback, and it may be temporary, is the lack of outdoor seating. The large windows open onto the street, and are seemingly controlled by customers, at least on the day of our visit.








A bonus on our day at JJ Bean on Cambie was seeing an old friend, or someone who reminds us of an old friend in Argentina, named Tommy.







Locally owned by the Neate family, JJ Bean, the company, aspires to ethical business operations, including the way it sources its coffee and rewards the farmers.





Last year JJ Bean contributed to a variety of causes, including $8000 to the not-for-profit Seeds of Hope Foundation in Guatemala which provides educational opportunities to women and children. Over $12,000 was donated to sponsor the education, and room and board of 10 girls in Kenya and Tanzania through the Canadian Harambee Education Society. The company also made donations to coffee growing co-ops in Guatemala and Peru to improve conditions for the workers and their families. Some time this spring, twelve JJ Bean staff will be building homes in Guatemala through Habitat for Humanity Canada. The company contributed $18,000 to the cause, and raised another $5,500 through customers donations. All that, and the bunch of donations it makes to local concerns, makes for an even better tasting coffee, wouldn't you agree?

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2015.

Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise in Vancouver

It has been an early spring on the left coast.

The sun grows warmer each day and the return of daylight savings time signals the advance of spring and summer. Barbecues, beaches and late nights on the balcony.











These March mornings have been cold, with temperatures near freezing at sunrise. At that early hour the world is a quiet place; the air is still and the trees are full of light and colour and promise.












Vancouver's official Cherry Blossom Festival takes place beginning April 2nd. The real festival, nature's festival, is taking place right now.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2015.

Jeem goes to the Vancouver International Wine Festival

I've always wanted to attend the  Vancouver's Wine Festival, one of Canada's largest events of its kind, and this year it happened, as a gift to Sherry and Jeem. And so it happened that three of us journeyed downtown, by transit of course, on a fine early spring afternoon.
















The festival started in 1979 as a smallish fund raising event for the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company. Then, it was a two day event held at Hycroft, the mansion owned by the Vancouver University Women's Club. In 1988 the venue changed to the Vancouver Convention Centre, where it has remained, and today its primary charitable partner is Bard on the Beach.





This is no longer a small two day event. It is a big deal indeed. Thousands of people attend throughout the ten days of the festival. Special event tickets are sold out months in advance.















There are people everywhere. Queues form for almost everything, oddly reminiscent of Expo 86.






The price of admission gets pours at tens and tens of wineries, and some complimentary snack foods too (much needed with all that wine), and with the wine pouring freely, so to speak, Jeem was soon into the whole experience. Or debacle.

The main focus of our afternoon was the wines of Australia, the feature nation of this year's festival. To help geographically-challenged Canadians, and visiting Americans, a large map is positioned clearly to indicate the country, with a special arrow to highlight its wonderful national capital: Canberra.












Australia has some wonderful wine regions and all seemed to be represented at the festival. Time did not permit a full and complete circuit of the entire nation however.

Have I mentioned the large crowd of Vancouverites eager to slosh their way through a Sunday afternoon?

And then there was Jeem to contend with.

At a certain stage, the tastings, at least for Jeem, became confusing. "What exactly am I trying now, and what was the one I just finished?" and  "Am I still in Oz or have we entered Argentina?" were constant questions.

Hmmm.... Who let this guy in?

A notable highlight for the three of us was the wonderful Mad Fish Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. From Burch Family Wines, to which Jeem visited a number of  years ago, this refreshing wine features abundant fruit flavours and a citrus richness. The wine comes from the Margaret River region of Western Australia, and priced under $20, it's a great value.











A  BC winery that impressed us, for their whites, was 8th Generation Vineyard from Summerland. The owners are originally from Germany and their wines have a European flair. Stefanie and Bernd Schales have a passion for their craft that was truly intoxicating. Stefanie is a 10th generation winegrower, while Bernd is an 8th generation winemaker. They are the first generation from their families to create wines in the New World and their winery is one to watch.











All too soon it seemed, though not before stops in the Okanagan, France and Argentina, it was time to leave. Time in fact to pick up a free transit pass for the journey home. And not a minute too soon given all the wine consumed.













Possibly too late for Jeem however. Can't take him anywhere.

Photos by Jim Murray. 

Copyright 2015.

Man-down image staged. Photo by Susan Dickson.

Jeem was not harmed in the making of this post.