Recently I had the pleasure of chatting (over IG and email) with Jess from Slothee Coffee. She took some time to chat about coffee with me which I am forever grateful for. So enjoy, and look for her links at the end of this post!
Intro:
Jess is a coffee blogger based out of Vancouver BC who’s passionate about supporting specialty coffee, local businesses and sloths! She started Slothee Coffee as a platform upon which to share her coffee adventures as well as connect with the amazing coffee community!
What is your favourite coffee beverage?
My go to order will always be a light roast pour over coffee! It’s a seemingly simple process that involves pouring hot water over freshly ground coffee beans but I find that this manual style of brewing really brings out the intricate flavors of the roast. I tend to gravitate towards light roasts that are sweet, floral and tea-like, so coffee from Ethiopia is generally a safe bet for me. That doesn’t stop me from trying different types of coffee though and that’s one of my favourite parts of coffee culture – there’s an endless amount of different coffees to experience!
When did you first start drinking coffee?
Growing up, I loved helping my mom make her coffee in the morning and sometimes she’d let me take a small sip as a reward. I guess I was a mini barista at a young age! Perhaps that’s why I was so keen to try coffee when I was old enough. My caffeine addiction started in highschool beginning with sweet and barely caffeinated drinks like Starbucks Frappuccinos and Caramel Macchiatos to eventually graduating University with lattes and black filtered coffee.
What inspired you to start creating coffee related content?
I worked as a barista for a few years and unfortunately, had to stop due to developing complications with chronic tendonitis in my wrist and elbow. I loved being a barista and I really missed being part of the coffee community. While there’s a lot I love about my office life, a huge part of me was also yearning to start a passion project outside of my full-time job where I could channel my creativity into. It definitely felt out of my comfort zone to put myself out there but it’s honestly been so much fun creating coffee content on Slothee Coffee.
What, in your opinion, is the best coffee shop in the Vancouver area?
Oof this is a nearly impossible question!! We’re pretty blessed that the coffee scene in Vancouver has been so amazing and plentiful! With that being said, my favourite coffee roaster in Vancouver is Lüna Coffee. They’re a small roastery known for roasting amazing ‘light, bright and delightful coffee’ and I love how incredibly good their coffee is! I also really loved going to Aubade Coffee located in Chinatown and sadly, they closed last year but I am super excited for their new roastery and cafe, Harken Coffee, to open up later this year.
What’s your favourite aspect of “coffee culture”?
My favourite aspect of coffee culture is the community! I think coffee culture can come off quite intimidating at first but I’ve learned through experience that this community can be very welcoming and wholesome. Connecting with new people and geeking out about our shared love of coffee has definitely been my favourite part of starting Slothee Coffee. It’s been so much fun to learn alongside some amazing people!
Where, may I ask, did you get your sloth mascot?
It’s handmade by yours truly! When I was brainstorming ideas about creating coffee content, I knew I wanted to incorporate my love of sloths somehow and my fiancé suggested finding a mascot. I had very limited experience with needle felting and decided to pick it up again to create Slothee! Needle felting is essentially poking loose pieces of wool with a special type of needle till it fuses the wool fibers together to produce the shape you want. There were definitely a lot of poked fingers involved in the creation of Slothee but it was worth it!
Thanks so much to Jess for taking the time to do this for us, very much appreciated. I highly recommend you check her content out. You can access it through the links below:
Instagram: @slothee.coffee
Website: https://slotheecoffee.ca/
Matt's Coffee Chat 