Hey, thanks for posting this! I live downtown and am definitely going to check this guy out sometime.
To the OP: Detour is the main roaster, and a lot of the cafes downtown pull Detour shots. Homegrown Hamilton (http://www.homegrownhamilton.com/) on King William just started roasting on site at their cafe/bar. I have yet to try their beans, though, so it's unclear if they know what they're doing.
Red Hill is the other local roaster, and they have a stall at the downtown Farmer's Market.
altiplano Senior Member Joined: 6 Mar 2008 Posts: 13 Location: The Best Coast Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Jul 1, 2012, 10:21pm Subject: Re: Coffee in Hamilton, ON?
There is a new cafe at Ottawa and Cannon. They were just getting up and running when I visited but the vibe was good and there was promise...I liked it.
Domestique is a good spot just off the main strip in Dundas, I didn't recognize the beans, but they did right by my order and the staff was great, nice little patio out back and a comfy cafe... obviously serious cyclists going by the schwag... licensed too with suds on tap if you're feeling a different thirst in this heat...
I've been drinking a lot of Detour over the past year as it is so available in lots of spots in town and I really like their cafe... their espresso is consistent but the single origin products are a bit up and down - sometimes right on and sometimes lacking - maybe that's me or my equipment though, anyway worth checking out... I'd like to see them get sealed bags for their beans too.
I tried a spot on James or was it John a few weeks ago... name escapes me, maybe had something to do with a bird... anyway it is forgettable - no idea what they are doing and the detour beans were 2 or 3 months past roast date, meh.
I dropped by Speakeasy on Saturday, but it was closed for the long weekend. :-(
North Hamilton is an up-and-coming area, especially as you get closer to the harbour. Good for him to have the cafe attached to his house. Keeps the overhead low.
I tried a spot on James or was it John a few weeks ago... name escapes me, maybe had something to do with a bird... anyway it is forgettable - no idea what they are doing and the detour beans were 2 or 3 months past roast date, meh.
Red Crow, by the hospital. My two experiences have been the same -- not great, and selling very old beans. There's a newer place down the street on James at Augusta, but haven't tried it yet.
Cake and Loaf at Dundurn+Aberdeen gets bagged Detour shipments every Thursday afternoon. You can also put in custom orders with them and pick them up there. It's convenient for finding fresh Detour without having to go to Dundas or pay for shipping.
1- our orders arrive each Thursday, just like all other Detour clients in the Hammer...
2- we order our coffee weekly! Often just making it to the next delivery date - the following Thursday, and occassionaly not... so, "stale coffee", I think not! Where you got the idea of old beans is something I'd like to know! Because they're the SAME beans, being delivered on the same schedule as every other Detour client!!
3- about 90%+ of our customers are repeat, they order brewed coffee, espressos, cappucinos, lattes and americanos - many are global travellers, and have experienced coffees (and espresso) across Canada and the world... they are not novice coffee drinkers! Yet they're repeat clients!!
4- I, myself spent the better part of the 90s on the West Coast - with several coffee tours to Seattle - and have been drinking espressos and espresso based drinks since the 70s, long before they became the "in thing", when many didn't even know what a cappucino was! And I sample my product regulary!!
Lastly, we handcraft each and every espresso... we don't just push a button and let a machine do the work! Will there be some nuances in our drinks from barista to barista in our shop, you bet! Will there be some nuances from time to time because of the roast or proportions of beans in a blend, you bet! Will there be some nuances because to the palate of the taster, you bet!!
On the weekend I popped into a place on James, south of Augusta, which has lots of roasted beans but none from local roasters (I asked). I chatted to the owner, who says the business has been there for 40 years! Can't remember the name of the place.
I went to that new place, on the east side of James north of Augusta. It's been open for 9 weeks. They have a great space in a lovely building, but the coffee is nothing special and the feel of the place was just a little too contrived. Looks like they use beans roasted in Italy. But the food looks good.
That part of town was completely empty of people on a Saturday afternoon.
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