Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Hey Happy


Subject: Hey Happy
Location visited: downtown Victoria, BC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I have longed to visit Victoria, British Colombia for almost half of my life, and I was finally able to make a pilgrimage happen. I've been nearby in Seattle and Vancouver a dozen times, but the lack of roads to Vancouver Island paired with my east coast apprehension of ferries kept me at bay (pun intended). Finally, after cementing some intentional recreational plans, I was able to experience the beauty of this island gem one sunny weekend. 


One of my first stops off the ferry was a coffee shop located near my hotel called Hey Happy. Serving up a variety of great roasters in two gorgeous locations, their downtown vaulted shop was my first taste of Victorian coffee. The shop is bifurcated, with the right side of the counter for patron queues, leaving the left side an open stadium of seating with a handful of other bench options inside and out. 


As for my coffee that day, I had both drinks from Drumroaster Coffee. For my espresso, I had a Burundi single origin and for the drip, I had the Gold Label. The espresso, pulled short/medium with brown crema, smacked of raspberry, chocolate, lemon, hibiscus tea and challah, proving bright and sleek. The drip coffee also delivered a smooth infusion, with delightful notes of apricot, cranberry, buttered scone, blackberry tea and romaine. 


After lingering for a bit, the city beckoned and I was off to further explore. If you happen to find yourself in Victoria, definitely do yourself a favor and find a Hey Happy location with all haste. 





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