Introducing (the newish) Moja Coffee.

Friends, meet Moja.  Moja, meet friends.

I finally got to check out Moja today along with my dad.  Andrew has come in a few times to crema and I’ve been hearing little bits about them the last little while.  The roaster/showcase cafe is in North Van, just behind the Canadian Tire at Park and Tilford.  It’s on the corner and not too hard to spot the giant red lettering from the street that you see in the title picture above.  

I honestly wasn’t expecting anything too special before we got there but was immediately corrected the moment we stepped in.  I gather it’s pretty new, (not the business, the location) and they’ve done a sweet job on it.  A few of the blends/single origins Moja offers sit along the back of the counter in these monster cookie jars and are very inviting.  Reminds me of Stumptown actually.  The cafe is also super clean and very simple.  And white.  

The thing that really shines though (no pun intended) is the 3 group lever espresso machine.

 

What a beautiful piece of handmade, traditional machinery.

Andrew let us pull a few shots on it to try it out for ourselves and it is pretty fun.  It really brings a new (or should I say old?) technique for pulling shots, with full hands on control over the espresso.

The levers are practically begging to be pulled down.

And check out the pitcher rinser - flush with the counter.  Gotta like that.

After a few shots we had a little tour of the roasting section and got to see and hear what Moja is all about.  It’s about really good things, incase you are wondering.  Stay small, and keep the quality first.  And keep trying new things.  (I know that’s what every business says, but these guys are actually doing it.)  Andrew said he likes to bring in African coffee’s and try out different ones all the time, and I’ve said here a few times that African coffee is my favorite as well.  Actually, Andrew had a single origin Rwandan espresso in the mazzer when we came in, which was great.  They even had some beans from Cuba that they were going to be roasting.

 

Here’s their website, www.mojacoffee.com.  You can find out more about the actual business there, but definitely check it out.  

It’s so refreshing to see people trying new things and changing it up every once in a while.