Call it a cup of java or joe; whether your prefer a latte, cappuchino, mocha or short black;
don't worry if you prefer to relax in the café with a magazine or get a steaming cup to go --
Edmontonians are having a love affair with coffee.
Over the past five or so years, coffee houses have been springing up like mushrooms. You can hardly go even a few
blocks without finding either a Second Cup or
Starbucks.
Starbucks and Second Cup are the two dominant commercial coffee chains in the city. The atmosphere of the Second Cup tend to be
homey and comfortable, where Starbucks has a fast feel to it. The Second Cup has more varieties of
coffee to choose from - Starbucks only has the roast of the day, usually two different kinds differing in brewing
strength. However, Starbucks has a greater selection of confection kinds of drinks, from the
fruit juice and tea slush Tiazzi, to their famous Frappuchinos. The Second Cup has their Chillers,
a coffee slush that comes in several different flavors, as well as cold versions of most of their
hot drinks like the musical-sounding Creme Brulee Ristretto and Caramel Coretto.
Starbucks can be found in most Chapters bookstores. The great thing here is that
you can take any book or magazine in the store over to the coffee bar and enjoy it with your favorite beverage.
I have always been amazed that Chapters would take the risk of merchandise getting soiled, but I guess that is what the bargain table is for!
In all fairness, the Second Cup usually has a selection of newspapers and magazines for perusal.
Grabba Jabba is another coffee house chain that has quite a few locations in the city. And anyone who attended the
University of Alberta knows Java Jive, where one could
caffeinate between classes. The Sugarbowl Café has had the honor of being voted as having the best cup of coffee
in Edmonton by the readers of SEE Magazine. It's sort of a trendy, alternative hangout
with two locations in the city, one on Whyte Avenue and
124th street respectively, with displays from local artists as well as a menu of sandwiches and light snacks.
Some people prefer to get their caffeine from tea, as a matter of personal taste. Steeps is a tea house
on 124th street and Stony Plain Road that has a variety of teas from around the world. Just a step inside the shop and your
nostrils will be filled with the rich aromas coming from the many drawers of leaves. Just pick whichever variety is most appealing and
a pot will be brewed for you, or iced. Steeps is also known for Chai lattes. Chai is an Indian spice mixture with black tea,
which tastes excellent iced.
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