Living Local Starts with Coffee

For some, brewing and drinking coffee is a sacred solo ritual; for others, it is an essential element in the act of gathering. In either case the coffee experience is an intrinsic opening of the soul, like a prism bending light into its full spectrum of colours. Where we drink it, when we drink it, why we drink it all reflect who we are at our core. It offers a sense of place, grounding us as we greet the glow of dawn, as we face another turbulent hour, or as we ponder our day in the calm of dusk. 

I truly believe that living local starts with coffee. More acutely, local coffee roasters and the cafes that grind, brew, and serve their coffee offer a vivid slice of local life unlike any other. The intensity of authentic experience at these community hubs is akin to a perfect shot of espresso, a shot that could not be drawn so perfectly any other place but there. Yet too many, whether long-time locals or welcome visitors, settle for stale coffee, sloppy brews, and generic coffee experiences identically replicated across the country like cheap plastic souvenirs. Coffee can be so much more.   


The Vancouver Island Coffee Tour is a treasure map of sorts, a self-guided quest for seekers of flavour and meaning. Here you may discover cups of bliss in your local community that you never knew existed. Take it with you on your journeys up the wild coast or while island hopping through the Strait of Georgia. Support local roasters, share your experiences here, and rekindle a feeling of human connection with both your local community and those you visit. Most importantly, don’t settle for bad coffee; to do so is only to cheat yourself of all that the communities across this incredible island have to offer. Until our next meeting, travel safe and brew on.