Coffee Haven

A hub for blogging, letter writing, musical genius and a place to quell your caffeine addiction. Most people have their favourite coffee haunt, a place they feel comfortable to hunker down and get something done, people watch, a place to engage in conversation with complete strangers and maybe idly watch the world go by.

I thought I’d share my coffee hidey-hole. Going by the name Kawa, meaning ‘coffee’ in Polish, this cafe brings an authentic European coffee experience to Calgary and not only that but latte art competitions, musical events and I even recall a chess championships. I think it’s brilliant that the owners try and invoke some community spirit and make the coffee shop a centre for activity and socialising. The inside is sleek and sophisticated, but not intimidatingly so, giving it a modern comfort. The smell of 49th Parallel coffee beans permeates the air. Modern art pieces hang on the walls and a wooden piano sit humbly in the corner. Familiar faces of strangers always present, funny how you often get the same people sitting in exactly the same spots like they have monopoly of them.

I normally visit once or twice a week when I have a list of things to do and need somewhere to knuckle down to it. For me it’s a good environment for concentration. My orders are becoming quite predictable, when the weather is scorching – a caramel or extreme toffee frappe, and when it’s chilly – a white chocolate mocha. Even the baristas seem to be picking up on my trends. Maybe I need to learn from the saying, ‘variety is the spice of life’.