Caffe Artigiano – Calgary, Alberta

We were downtown running a few errands this one afternoon, and walked into Caffe Artigiano for a quick bite and some coffee! The cafe was beautiful on the outside and welcoming, so we walked in!

We had ordered a Latte which was not only made to perfection, but they topped it off with foam art. It was really rich, but luckily it wasn’t my cup!

I got to enjoy a cup of Chai Tea Latte which was really good here. It ranks on the top for one of my favourites, although not at the top, it’s still really high up there!

Then, we decided to grab a quick lunch as well, so we ordered their Cranberry Smoked Turkey Panini, or something like that… anyway, they heated up the panini and brought it to our table. It looked and smelled absolutely amazing, and I’m soo glad we ordered this! It had the perfect balance between sweet and savoury!

Our overall experience here was just top notch! The environment was great, service was really awesome, and the location is quite optimal! Best of all, their stuff tasted great! I’m sure when I’m in the area again, I’ll try to stop in for another delicious treat!

Caffe Artigiano on Urbanspoon

Caffe Artigiano
100-332 6 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 699-9855

Communitea Cafe – Canmore, Alberta

Now that I’ve been to Canmore a few times, I always go by Communitea and never go in. This time, we made the extra effort to go in and it was perfect!

The space was spacious, clean, and comfortable! I really enjoyed my time there, and I’m sure all their customers did too!! It’s the weirdest thing I’m about to say, but they made me the best chai tea latte I’ve ever had so far!! It was perfectly spiced, the texture was smooth, and I can go on and on! It was just really nice!

We also had a cup of London Fog and again, it was really smooth and delicious. It seemed to have hints of vanilla and ginger which was a really refreshing twist!

As this was an in-between meal stop, we only ordered 1 panini to share – The Westcoaster, which was the perfect amount as their panini’s are quite large! It was nicely toasted, filled with eggs, smoked salmon, dill cream cheese and spinach. The dill cream cheese was a little over powering, or there wasn’t enough smoked salmon. It was a great tasting panini, but I would either put less of the dill or more smoked salmon – then it would become top notch!

I am sure I will be back next time I’m in town! Just a great little place to sit down and enjoy some relaxing time pass by! I think I’ll try their steeped tea leaves as they have a huge selection and I do enjoy my tea leaves!

Communitea Cafe

117, 1001 6th Avenue
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6818

Second Cup

Yes please! I would love a second cup from the Second Cup on High Street! I really enjoy going to this cozy location, with great service, comfortable seating, and most of all – great coffee!! I’ve tried a huge selection from coffee alternatives such as chai and hot chocolates, as well as lattes and mocha’s! They never seem to fail here, and I can sit here for a while and not feel like they’re glaring at me to leave. It normally is a really relaxing location and it doesn’t get “busy”. Of course, it’s constant in and out, but it’s never jammed packed or anything!

I really enjoy the Holiday London Fog during the Christmas season! It’s really different than the London Fog, and I just enjoy it a lot more! An all year round drink that I like is the Chai Tea Latte, which is spiced up a lot more than other Coffee Places.

For days near Christmas and the holiday season, I have TONS of favourite drinks! From Eggnog Lattes to Peppermint Hot Chocolates, these drinks really put me in the festive mood!

In the summer, I really enjoy my Frrrozen Hot Chocolate or even a Chai Chiller! They are both really good and full of flavour and a perfect cool down on a hot summer day!! If I’m looking for a nice ice cold refreshing drink, I do find myself ordering Sparkling Green Tea Lemonade which is really a Green Tea Lemonade with carbonation!

And, another Fall Favourite would definately be the Pumpkin Spiced Latte or really, anything Pumpkin spice! Second Cup makes a lot of their drinks with warm, rich, delicious flavours that sure satisfies my tastebuds!

In general, I can find something year round at my favourite Second Cup, and the one on High Street is just cozier than the rest — landing it top marks in my books!

Second Cup on Urbanspoon

Second Cup

30 High Street SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 257-2809

Oolong Tea House McKenzie Towne – Calgary, Alberta

I love tea houses, as they are called. Oolong Tea House in McKenzie Towne offers a huge selection of tea, and they let you enjoy your tea without any problems. This is due to the fact the location is large, so it can accommodate a lot of thirsty guests.

We didn’t actually try tea with tea leaves during our stop at Oolong Tea House. That particular day, i wanted to try their Chai Tea Latte, and just to compare and contrast with my favorite location’s Chai Tea.

I hate to say, but I do prefer my favorite location for the Chai Tea, but I will definitely be trying their teas that uses tea leaves, as that’s what they’re known for. I guess it was silly that I didn’t do that, but I didn’t crave anything else on that day.

Oolong Tea House

26 McKenzie Towne Gate SE
Calgary, AB

Jean Philippe Patisserie – Las Vegas, Nevada

Walking through ARIA Resort, we were greeted by Jean Philippe Patisserie each time we went to and from the casino to the elevators to get to our suite. Seeing the delicate cakes, chocolates, gelato, mini wedding cakes and much much more, I knew I would have to stop by and enjoy some of his treats.

We tried a Vanilla Flan as well as Tiramisu, with iced coffee and we fell in love with the desserts from Jean Philippe. We couldn’t stop thinking about the desserts we have purchased, and we decided to get more the following evening.

The next round, we had a strawberry tart as well as a carrot cake, with chai tea latte. Again, it was really tasty. The strawberries here at home are far from sweet, red and ripe but the strawberries on the strawberry tart was sweet and tasty! The pastry from the tart was really flaky, and it had a hint of almond and pistachios taste to it. It was really delicate, and flavorful, yet not overwhelmed by sweetness.

The carrot cake was one of my favorites. The carrot cake itself was embedded in cheesecake, which was light, soft, creamy and smooth. The carrot cake was excellent as well. The delicate decorations on top of the cake really topped it off. These were one of the best desserts we have had in awhile! I have nothing but great things to say about it.

The neatest part, all the little fine details on the cakes and pastries itself… they’re actually edible! I thought the bottom of the carrot cake was a wrap or something, but it was a really delicate piece of chocolate!

Sure, upfront, $6.00 for a pastry/cake could seem like a lot, but to taste such impressive french pastries and mini cakes really made it worth while!!