We shall see how it goes…

Don’t just take my word for it either — we got skipped in a recent trans-Canada coffee adventure by some professionals.

Now, before you say “Who cares what this coffee snob has to say. I’m headed to Timmy’s/Starbucks/The Second Cup/whatever.”, let me explain why these third wave coffee places are important:

I’m sure many of you have had a bitter or sour shot of espresso before, only to say “Who would ever drink this stuff straight?”. This leads to the Starbucks phenomenon where most people only find espresso palatable as a smidgen of espresso (both in volume and flavor) with loads of steamed milk and flavored syrup. But coffee doesn’t have to be this way.

Just like fine restaurants, third wave coffee shops care about the sources, quality and freshness of their ingredients, have great equipment and well-trained staff, and are passionate about technique to deliver the best possible product to their clientèle. Espressos made at these places are not overly bitter or sour, and taste a lot like the smell of fresh ground coffee. Lattés are a more even balance of espresso and milk, where the sweetness of the milk is kept in check with the slight bitterness of the coffee, and they are typically crowned with latté art by a skilled barista.

Given the sad state of affairs in Winnipeg, I plan to embark on an evaluation of the reasonable coffee joints in our fair city to determine who’s got the best espresso skills and drinks. I’m not expecting to find a true “third wave” shop here, nor am I expecting latté art on my lattés. I simply hope to identify the best places for Winnipeg espresso lovers to indulge in their espresso beverage of choice, and maybe a few pleasant surprises about the espresso shops in our town.

The review plan may change, but I hope to try the two cornerstone espresso drinks at each shop: straight espresso shots and lattés.

Finally, here’s the list of places I hope to check out as this adventure continues (feel free to offer additional suggestions in the comments):

• Starbucks
• The Second Cup
• The Fyxx
• S-Cues
• Espresso Junction
• Nucci’s Gelati
• Eva’s Gelato
• Roca Jack’s
• Mondragon
• Pastry Castle
• The Black Pearl
• Crazy Water (in St. Malo)
• The Edge Cafe (in Selkirk)
• DeLuca’s
• Tim Hortons — yes, they do technically serve espressos & lattes

Hopefully I won’t be too jittery by the time this is all said and done.