The Bean Stop

I love this place. Always have, always will. Here’s a list of reasons why this place is the best:
1. Great service. Had a lovely chat with the man working (who’s name escapes me) about all things coffee and why Starbucks coffee tastes weird. He gave me free samples for my Keruig of the new biodegradable pods that have less of a chance of giving you BPA related cancer. Win!
2. The selection! So many different drinks of all the varieties (coffee, tea, hot, cold, cat poop coffee).
3. Almond Milk
4. Well brewed strong coffee
5. It’s a local independent business that has survived the (IMO) poorly executed eau Claire mall concept.
If you’re in the market skip Good Earth and go to The Bean Stop. They might even have rainbow squares! (Those peanut butter and rainbow marshmallow things — I die)

Quality coffee where you might not expect it.
Tucked away inside the quiet halls of Eau Clair market is the cute and cluttered little indie coffee shop called The Bean Stop. Cluttered you say? Yes I do indeed because they sell both coffee and tea, both as drinks and to take home. They have a large of both bean (coffee) and leaves (tea) which I’d love to say I’ve picked my way though, but to be honest, nine times out of ten I opt for a black cup of the regular roast. Exciting right? It’s far more tasty than any other coffee in the area, and it wakes me up. Is that not why we have coffee in the first place?
The other ¹⁄₁₀ times I opt for one of their specialty, fancy espresso bevies. My favourite so far — THE FUNKY MONKEY! Not only is it fun to say, it’s a banana mocha with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and a banana chip stuck in the top. I’m no cupid, but I’m pretty sure that’s love. Really the only downside to this drink is that the whipped cream covers the heart that the barista usually puts in my latte. Absolutely smile inducing.
If you’re at the Prince’s Island or going for a river walkway stroll I’d definitely recommend popping in for a tasty cup of Bean Stop Coffee.

Really surprises me the Eau Claire Market people haven’t designed or redeveloped this prime space. So much could be done here to make this a fabulous market type area where we could arrive with excitement, instead of let’s head over to The Bean Stop to grab a coffee and go.
This little coffee shop is well worth the visit. Cute, friendly and a nice selection of teas and coffees to choose from. They also offer snacks or what I call a «treat» to go with my coffee or for the kids if they are with me.
Well worth the visit if you are in the area.

Convenient stop-​in place when walking through the Eau Claire «Mall».
Had a double espresso which was quite good and I received friendly service.
Do not see the cream of packs of raw sugar off to the side? Just ask the staff and they will get you what you need. Sad that they cannot leave these out like other coffee shops — sign of the times in certain areas I suppose but I loved my start-​me-​up java and will return.

A bright spot in an otherwise moribund Eau Claire Market. Probably not the largest selection of coffee beans or tea leaves in the city, but they have a number of exotic items for real aficionados. For example, you can get a brewed cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain for $ 6, or if you’re feeling particularly weighed down by all your money you can drop $ 26 on a cup of coffee whose beans have passed through the GI tract of a Thai wild cat («civet poop coffee»). Following the beans selection, you may also want to stop here if you’re looking for exotic brewing-​related equipment.
For those with more pedestrian tastes, their hot chocolates and espresso-​based drinks are pretty good too :-). I haven’t had the teas, but it looks like they actually have the correct equipment to make traditional Japanese matcha, which is promising. Note that they don’t really have seating, so enjoy your beverage on sofas in the adjacent mall atrium.

Had a chocolate mint rooibos almond milk latté from here yesterday, to take with me while I watched Shakespeare in the Park with lovely company. It was like a hot cocoa with a power up! So delicious and fragrant, and the gentleman who made it for me seemed to take extra care to make it properly. And it worked. Oftentimes, cafés don’t seem to realize that at certain temperatures and at certain acidities (like if you dump hot, acidic coffee in to a mug with cold almond milk); almond milk curdles and turns in to a nasty sludge. The Bean Stop got it right, and with a genuine smile.
They also carry Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee here, which I’ve only ever had once before as a gift from my former coffee shop boss. It’s HEAVENLY. You must try it.

I was in a hurry when I swung by for the first time today, so I didn’t have time to check out everything that The Bean Stop has to offer. However, I ordered a mocha on the run and it was fantastic! Good temperature and made with 1% chocolate milk. The price is reasonable for the size and the young barista was efficient and friendly. If there hadn’t been a line-​up at Good Earth around the corner, I wouldn’t have bothered to pop in. Now that I know their mocha is way better than Good Earth, I will gladly support The Bean Stop instead.

I went to the Bean Stop for the Blue Mountain (if you’ve never tried it, wow — it’s amazing). They were out, but had my second favorite, Kona, available.
Done in a french press and ready in 7 minutes sounds great, doesn’t it?
Worst coffee ever. And at $ 9.00 for two, I expected a lot more than something that tasted like a damp coffee filter (I was a poor student… don’t judge). It was so bad, that rather than throwing it in the trash, I returned it to the counter, telling the barista that it was, in truth, undrinkable.
He told me that I’m the first person to complain. Good to know. Next time I’ll vote with my dollars alone and skip your shop all together.
There’s a reason Eau Claire is in its death throes. It’s because of sub-​mediocre products, services and amenities (seriously — have you been in that theater lately?).
If you are going to charge $ 4.50 for a coffee, please make it worthwhile. What you’re brewing now is so unacceptable.

Only ordered here once despite multiple Eau Claire visits but this is one great little nook. Adorable laminated ads amongst a mess of coffee and tea related jazz, all home to one of the more interesting baristas to grace this fine earth. This cat knows his shit and weaves tales of coffee bean wonder. Definitely a pleasurable chat while waiting for a hot cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain. Which is one of the smoothest I have ever tasted. If the Bean Shop wasn’t so far away from my place i would definitely make this a regular stop on the edible express. Edits to come once I try more of the menu.

Oh man, why haven’t I written a review about the Bean Stop yet?
I know that most of you are all about their coffee, but I am going to talk for a second about their tea. Whenever I am yearning for a specific Metropolitan Tea (a wholesaler also used at other teashops in the city, but at marked up prices), I always head over to the Bean Stop. It is here that I buy all of my «junk food tea»; varieties such as Creamed Earl Grey, Vanilla Chai, Yoga Blend, Kyoto Cherry Rose Sencha, etc. The tea here is priced extremely reasonable, and it is where my friend and I always come when we need to stock up. When I want something that is grown in smaller batches, or guaranteed to be organic or fair trade, i have other sources in the city for that. But this does wonderfully for those teas you’d like to pair with dessert, or to serve to friends.
The owner is very friendly, and always up for talking about tea. Until recently, I had only ever experienced one other staff member of his, who was an equally friendly chap who is very helpful and talkative.
I recently had to stop in to grab some Maple Tea for a snack exchange, and the staff was incredibly patient with me as I paced in circles deciding which to purchase; the loose leaf with the risk of spilling out all over the package, or the loose tea prepackaged in little sachets which I normally disapprove of. In the end, I went with the latter, mostly because the little box it came in was covered in little maple leafs and had a blurb about the NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS and their history with the maple tree.
Also, their teaware is also very reasonably priced. EVERYTHING IS AWESOME JUST GO. Do your Christmas tea shopping here. It’ll rule.
(28÷30)

Time to kill before catching a flick at Eau Claire and everything’s closed except for one very important business — the coffee shop! Thank goodness!
Our barista, a total hippie with a friendly demeanour, made drinks for the four of us one at a time (meaning, a bit slowly). We were lucky to have caught him when we did — a movie let out just after we got there and a huge line formed behind us.
My latte was tasty and hot, but nothing spectacularly special. Still, a great pick-​me-​up and no major complaints here. I like the eclectic look of the place.

I love Bean Stop, Ken knows his coffee and is always recommending new varieties for me to try out (yes I’m the adventurous, like to try new things type) so I was thrilled when the got Kopi Luwak in stock. There are two types, the spat version and the pooped version. Either way it’s kinda a strange thing to drink… puke coffee or poop coffee hmm which sounds more delicious! :P I ended up trying the spat version this time as Ken finds this the more flavorful of the two. Wasn’t disappointed it’s one helluva cup of coffee but at $ 25 for a 2 cup bodum it’s pricey. Although as I mentioned it comes in a two cup bodum so you can share which does make the price a little more palatable. Apart from the KL coffee they have Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona both high on my faves list. If nothing else Eau Claire is a pretty cool place to hang out.

When you’re hangin’ around Eau Claire and you’re in need of a coffee, the Bean Stop is an alright place to grab a cuppa joe. I’ve stopped in a few times while in the area for events, and although they have an array of tea and products for sale, they’ve been most handy for me to grab a coffee and a quick pastry. Bonus: Coffee’s been served fairly quickly. Drawback: Pastry selection is not all that big.
I haven’t yet been brave enough to try the Kopi Luwak Steven E was talking about, especially after his comment that it’s cat-​poop coffee. Really? Let’s google that, shall we?
*insert google search time here*
Well what do you know! It’s not quite a cat as I know it, but Wikipedia tells me the pits of berries excreted by civets make this coffee bean. And after a roasting and brewing process, it’s at least worth a try, right?

Great little coffee shop. They have a ton of different teas to choose from, and always have good coffee brewed up. Also happens to be the only place in Calgary you can get Kopi Luwak, the infamous cat-​poop coffee. The barista is also fantastic, chatty and charismatic.

Stale coffee that has been open too long. Coffee that has been opened is dead in 5 to 7 days excepting for espresso when it is at its peak from the 7^th to 14^th day. For filter and French press 7 days and thats it.
I hate stale coffee and for that reason I give this place a no go.

I love the tea pots that are always on sale outside of the bean stop, and the fact that it is open late. During CIFF (the Calgary International Film Festival) I’d regularly drop by to Java up. They have a decent selection of teas and the coffee is pretty good. It stays open late and is super convenient, which are its major bonuses. It’s good decent coffee from a place that’s a little bit different and that has been open forever and ever. Next time you catch a movie in Eau Claire you might drop by: they have two little tables, but there is a ton of seating in the mall proper.

The Eau Claire Market is a great place to unwind, watch a movie or take advantage of free Wi-​Fi in an open nicely lit market. Believe it or not, with all of ECM’s options there is only one option in the whole market to get strong coffee, and that is the Bean Stop.
Luckily the stop is a pleasant one; the baristas are always chatty and down to earth; having the clever talents of coercing me into conversation about the weather or some other random thing.
The coffee is pretty cheap and has a nice kick, I really like the brownies that they have here, and all the coffee accessories. These are not so affordable but browsing the shop passes the time before the movie.
Last but not least I like having the coffee option at ECM when I am with laptop and craving my internet fix.

I’ve walked by this place a good thousand times, but until yesterday, I had never actually tried it. It’s a little shop at the corner of Eau Claire Mall, right across the escalators that take you up to the theatres. There’s usually an accordion player playing a mean polka right across the shop.
There’s always been a big sign in front of the store that boasts «Calgary’s Best Chai». Really??? I had to see for myself.
I ordered a medium skim chai and yes, it was alright, but by NO means was it the best chai I’ve had in Calgary. Sorry guys, but that’s false advertising.
I must say though, the service was excellent. The man who runs the store is so friendly and nice. I was really impressed on that front.
The other thing that is super cool about The Bean Stop is that it is right beside the Free Internet area in Eau Claire Market. So you can grab your coffee or tea and sit on the comfy couches and surf the net for free. It’s really convenient, and it’s nice beyond words to have access to unlimited free Wifi. A lot of coffee places in the city either limit your time on the internet or they don’t have a comfortable set up where you can surf for hours on end. The Bean Stop has got this covered and I really appreciate this feature.
All in all, The Bean Stop is a decent coffee place. It’s location and service make it popular with the locals and it’s a great place to grab a java as you continue to peruse the market.