Cafe review - Stick in the Mud · Saturday July 7, 2007 by colin newell
There is still a pleasant buzz when great specialty coffee comes to a city the size of Victoria B.C. (200,000).
So, you can imagine the palpable excitement when better than average coffee came to Sooke B.C. Canada.
Some 25 miles down a windy West Coast highway, Sooke is a town with about 9700 souls. From personal observation, there is not a lot of great coffee to rave about. That changed today as the Stick in the Mud cafe opened for their first full day.
Photo at right: David Evans enjoys the first-day energy at “the Stick in the Mud” Cafe – click photo for larger view
Stick in the Mud is the pipe-dream of one very youthful David Evans. At 39 years of age, David has been drinking coffee for about 4 years. And although he did not just wake up one morning deciding to bring fantastic specialty coffee to this small town, he did have some help from some talented foodie friends.
None other than Markus of Sooke’s own Markus Wharfside Grill took David to Discovery Coffee 6 months ago. For David it was a defining moment.
Within 4 months, the Stick quite literally rose from the mud on the quiet Eustace Avenue, one block away from Sooke’s downtown junction of West Coast road and Otter Point Road. And however out-of-the-way this caffeinated alcove might be, the Stick offers its guests the options of a colorful interior or 3 or 4 outdoor patio tables to enjoy their brew.
And wonderful brew it is! Powered by beans from Discovery, Hines of Vancouver and (soon) Coffee Warbler of Vancouver, David holds court behind his La Marzocco espresso machine. He managed to keep up a lively patter with a near endless series of patrons and at the same time pulling flawless beverages.
We had iced de-caf lattes and soy macchiato – and they were spot on.
The Stick in the Mud cafe joins an impressive (and growing) pack of fine specialty coffee outlets (all independents of course) on Southern Vancouver Island – our initial impression is that it has quickly moved up the ranks to destination cafe on day-one… based on my first taste impressions that is. Few can claim that; Discovery, the Habit, and Coyote Coffee to name a few.
The Stick is in good company.
Colin Newell lives in Victoria B.C. Canada and spends a lot of time in coffee shops – some of them great coffee shops!
Best coffee is in Victoria B.C.
What a great place. He makes the best cappuccino I’ve ever had outside of the Old World. Remarkable and passionate about his craft, David brings something truly unique to our town.
Tim Ayres – Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty, Sooke, BC
— Tim Ayres Nov 23, 11:48 am #
Sounds like an exceptional coffee cafe. You should get into marketing… Your writing makes me want to jump in the car and go try the place out.
Best regards!
— Surefire Guy Dec 15, 07:43 am #
…and so you should! That is the idea. Hey. Do you own lumensflashlights?
— Colin Dec 19, 11:18 pm #
His coffee is the best in Victoria tied with Cafe Fantastico, and the atmosphere in the cafe is wonderful
— vincent cummings Dec 28, 01:37 pm #
Best Cappucino EVER!!! I was visiting Vancouver Island, travelling between Sooke and Victoria., when I was taken to the Stick in the Mud. Wow. I saw 4 or 5 pulls of the beans and watched them tamped down with industrial-like power! The staff was amazing and Dave is a Saint for Coffee drinkers. Cheers. PS To Tim Ayres comment- I agree, maybe better than some espresso from Rome :)
— David Wells Jul 19, 04:04 am #
Sounds like a must try…someday. Still remember the lasagne dance?
— cindi kemp Sept 20, 07:57 pm #
Nice posts there – thank’s for the interesting information.
Nice try with the link placement - how about some actual constructive comments next time?— Oleg Oct 6, 04:45 pm #
By far the best coffee I’ve had! I am a daily coffee drinker from St. Albert, AB and this coffee beats any coffee on the market! I highly recommend stopping by for a cup if you’re in the sooke area!
— Janeen Juse Jul 16, 01:49 pm #