No 9

A Coffee Maven Review

First, a word from John:


We were absolutely enchanted by Lunenburg, Nova Scotia -- a place so charming that it is the only place in North America where an entire town is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Those who know the geography of coffee shops will understand that in a place this precious is likely to have some excellent coffee.

Among the many promising options No. 9 Coffee Bar got our attention, and after a carriage ride, a lunch at one of the top do-not-miss places in the country, a visit to a distillery (that was actually our first stop), and a considerable amount of walking, it was to No. 9 that we repaired for some iced coffee.

We were delighted, not only by the ethically-sourced and delicious coffee, but also by the wonderfully cetacean decor, in recognition of Lunenburg's whaling heritage. 

Rogue Coffee

A Coffee Maven Review

Coffee has made me a morning person ... and not the kind who cannot function before coffee: it is the opposite of that. At home, I get up first and make the coffee. As those who know me might imagine, it is a process.

When we travel, it is my job to find some alternative to hotel coffee, which is almost universally undrinkable. We call it "foraging" but it really is an internet-enhanced activity. During a recent stay at a lovely hotel by the harbor in St. John's -- where we liked the wine but did not sample the coffee -- our strollings about and my online research led to quite a few options.

Among three strong contenders, I had convinced myself that Rogue Coffee would be the best. I set out to what I thought was the correct location along a steep, narrow side street, but somehow I could not find it. I was almost ready to go to my second choice (yes, I had a ranked list in mind), but I could smell really good coffee, as if it were coming from one of the closed-up clothing stores nearby. I was confused as I worked my way back down the hill.

Glancing in an alley I had somehow missed, I noticed some party lights a hundred yards or so away. As I got closer, I realized that this was Rogue Coffee!

I learned something new about my favorite brewer -- I always associate the Chemex with Springfield, Massachusetts, but it was really born in New York City -- and had a nice chat with the owner. She is passionate about good coffee. I was able to take a couple of delicious cupfuls back to our hotel, and feel good about supporting the farmers in the process.

Downtown St. John's has a lot of decent coffee shops; I am pretty confident that I found the best one.

In a neighborhood full of food and beverage options, this is a gem!

Moose Muck Coffee House

A Coffee Maven Review

As we wended our way through rural Maine -- after a nice breakfast in Mexico -- we found a café with good coffee and a strong sense of humor near the convergence of streams and mountain roadways. (Note the oxbow lake in the southwest corner of the map above.)

Curb appeal is very important for independent cafés; I know some really good places that have closed because they did not pay attention to this. Moose Muck is the opposite -- this Coffee Maven was drawn right in!

The Moose Muck Coffee House makes playful use of its name, including a signature drink of coffee with a shot of espresso. The coffee is locally roasted and delicious, though the staff do not know much about its origins. Bonus: Equal Exchange chocolate is available. Oddly, the shop has no web site and its Facebook page has been shut down. That is odd for a café of this kind in 2018.

Completing the moose motif.

Elvera's Cafe

Indoor seating with a view of Main Street

Baked goods, the menu and where you can interact with workers

Closest Dunkin Donuts only a 4 minute walk away

Elvera's Cafe is located on 132 Main Street in the heart of downtown Brockton. Elvera's cafe is open from 7am- 4pm, Monday through Friday. This modern cafe sells lots of things from coffee's, teas, hot chocolate, bagels, baked goods, soups and more. Only a 4 minute walk away from a Dunkin Donuts and Elvera's still has many loyal customers and overall has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. With indoor seating, no outside seating as the area is extremely busy, this cozy cafe was nice, clean and up to date. During my experience, I noticed there weren't a lot, if any other people in the cafe, most likely because of the time of day that I visited, I assumed that many were at work and it was a slow time of day. I also noticed that, with the 1-2 people that did enter, that people grab and go, not really sit inside and eat or enjoy their cup of coffee. I believe this is mostly because of the area and the time the cafe is open usually people are on their way to work first thing in the morning or stopping by for lunch. I noticed the customers were older men and women, not as many teens like you would see at Dunkin Donuts or a Starbucks.

JJ's Cafe !

When driving down North Main street in Brockton, you will notice the Saint Edith Stein church, gas stations, and the local pizza pub but discreetly in the same area as all that is a hidden gem. Ran by a gourmet chef, Nelson Fernandez and his father Justino "JJ" Fernandez, the two put on a show right in front of you as the dining area and kitchen have no separation or divider as in you watch the pair cook the food right in front of you and their number 1 goal is to make sure the food they serve is the best food you've ever had.  With JJ, his reputation of his own as he stated as a dishwasher and worked his way up to cook for presidents and mayors in the state. With breakfast being the main course they have specialties like red velvet pancakes, eggs Benedict or their creme brule french toast which is one of the popular dishes. They also serve lunch with sandwiches salmon and burgers like the best selling burger in the cafe the "Oli Burger" named after Oli Spearce who is known for coming to the cafe everyday for a month when it first opened and repaid him by allowing him to get his own burger. So if you're ever in Brockton and want a gourmet meal but not for the gourmet price go to JJ's Cafe !

Coffee Milano TL

Coffee Milano is a nice cafe located at 58 Center St, Middleborough, MA about a 15 minute drive from Bridgewater State University.


I went there with my girlfriend for breakfast and had an overall pleasant experience. The thing I liked most there was the atmosphere. Had a fun a rustic vibe to it with plenty of comfortable seating.


















 The food was good and fairly priced with good portions, and the menu had plenty of options for both breakfast and lunch.




For my coffee I ordered a cup of cappuccino which was okay, the worst part being served in Styrofoam. 




The owner was there and super friendly and will answer all questions you may have. Customers seem like a majority of loyal return customers for the friendly and nice atmosphere of the shop. Overall I would recommend Coffee Milano as a great spot for meeting an old friend for food, a quick date or a chill spot to relax.


By: Thomas Lucchini

Borealis Coffee

Borealis Coffee is a wonderful small coffee shop located in Riverside, RI.  The shop is located in the center of town only 2 minutes away from the ocean with a National Historic landmark very close by.  The shop uses only small batch, in house roasted beans from various regions of the world but specifically uses mostly Central American grown beans.  They take great pride in the roasting of their beans and also in educating the community about the world of coffee holding cupping events almost every week that are open to all.  The inside is a nice setup providing mostly natural light from all the windows that overlook the town and the bike path that goes behind the shop.  The choice is yours to sit and stay a while, or grab something on the go, but either way the coffee will always be of top quality and flavor that will keep you coming back for more.