Caffe Artigiano

[fredr123]

Caffe Artigiano has opened a new location in Calgary at 6 ave and 3 street sw. I was advised that this is one of Vancouver's best (and trendiest) coffee shops so I decided to check it out after running a few errands today.

It's quite nice inside the Caffe. Fancy tables, nice flooring, etc. Definitely a cut above Starbucks et al. The patrons were a mix of business people in fancy suits and hippies. Most of the people working behind the counter looked like someone I'd want to punch if I was tough and angry and didn't give a damn about the consequences. Guys had pony tails. Women and men had lots of tattoos and piercings and one guy had those dinner plate sized holes in his ear lobes. Not my thing.

One guy pulled shots and steamed milk while another guy (a dude with no visible tats or piercings) mixed them together. Kudos for the geometrical pattern of milk and creama on top of my cup.

This ain't coffee for people who like Starbucks and it's definitely not something a Timmy-Ho lover would enjoy. It was strong and dark and bold. No bitter aftertaste at all. Very enjoyable with a noticeable jolt of awakefulness following ingestion.

I would definitely go back and try to be more adventurous with the menu. I would even consider meeting clients there.

Has anyone else tried this place out? What did you think?

[Thunderball]

Sounds like a good place to try. Tough to find good strong coffee that doesn't have a bitter rank aftertaste.

In defense of Starbucks, if you don't order the fancy drinks, their coffee is fairly strong, especially the dark blends. I like my coffee like crude oil, and I find Starbucks is fine, not like authentic Italian espresso/coffee... but good enough. Last latte I had there was very weak though... but thats not the norm.

Timmy-Ho coffee is pretty lousy... I don't get how people can treat it like crack.

[CaptainCrunch]

One thing that I miss about downtown.

the coffee.

[flylock shox]

I thought Starbucks owned Artigiano...

Edit: Looks like I thought wrong. Some former Earl's executive owns it now.

[fredr123]

Don't get me wrong. I actually enjoy Starbucks coffees and I've been known to down a couple double-doubles back in the day. All these drinks have their place and have their fans.

I prefer a more authentic Italian latte experience whenever possible and this new Caffee Artigiano seems to fit the bill.

[enthused]

My boyfriend is an extreme coffee enthusiast, so he was very excited when he heard that Caffe Artigiano was opening here, especially since its close to work. We've been a few times, and so far we both quite like it. There are very few decent coffee shops in Calgary these days, so Caffe Artigiano is a welcome addition! However our reigning favourite is still Bumpy's (across the street from MEC).

[AFireInside]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Most of the people working behind the counter looked like someone I'd want to punch if I was tough and angry and didn't give a damn about the consequences. Guys had pony tails. Women and men had lots of tattoos and piercings and one guy had those dinner plate sized holes in his ear lobes. Not my thing.

One guy pulled shots and steamed milk while another guy (a dude with no visible tats or piercings) mixed them together.

Wow.. Talk about being bitter about something that has absolutely no impact on your life whatsoever. I have a degree (double major), a professional job, I put on the shirt and tie for work, and don't show any of mine at work except for the fact that my ears are stretched a little. Some people over do it but lighten up a little bit, its not the 1950's. I do know, that since I first got a piercing/tattoo about 10 years ago (many more since) its probably kept a lot of narrow minded people away from me. I actually just got my sleeve started 2 weeks ago. End rant.

That being said I'm not a huge coffee guy, but maybe this will change my mind, may have to stop in there during lunch one day.