Phil and Sebastian, Calgary

Everyone who as ever been to Calgary’s Farmer’s Market and has even the faintest bit of Marcel Proust’s favorite sense — smell — knows about the Phil and Sebastian Coffee Company. Having said that, even if you have a great sense of smell, it doesn’t guarantee that you sniffed out this news: The environmentally conscious duo now have a 1500 square foot store warming and waking Marda Loop.

But the coffee brought to you by Sebastian Sztabzyb & Phil Robertson is not simply meant to elevate your mood after a long day working but meant to heighten your sense of the magical bean altogether. Phil and Sebastian have developed quite a relationship with coffee since their company’s inception in 2007. Their mission was, as Sebastian states, “to pursue the best raw product (i.e. green coffee beans) and take a relentless journey towards roasting it properly to fully highlight the coffees innate individuality.”

Of course, Phil and Sebastian don’t expect all their patrons to “get” coffee to the extent that they do, but they do feel that every cup should tell a story. And with beans that are purchased directly from the farmers themselves, the connoisseurs keep tabs on all aspects of growth, environment, etc. Eventually this knowledge is imparted to the customer: coffees are not labeled according to the typical light, medium, dark roasts but according to the farm from which they sprouted.

Still, the intense focus that Phil and Sebastian have on their coffee is not lost on their food. Having established a food program with chef Eric Giesbrecht (formerly of Catch Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant), the menu, as part of the café’s dogma, aspires to using as much locally sourced ingredients as possible. Quinoa salad, homemade soups, and in-house roasted turkey and lamb sandwiches are just a few samplings of a card that is admittedly quite impressive for a simple coffee house.

Though Phil and Sebastian’s M.O is to educate the coffee drinker and to elevate one’s perception of the coveted liquid, the environment — a tasteful blend of rustic and urban aesthetics — by no means reeks of elitism. Actually, the clean, organic look of the space conveys the Phil and Sebastian model unobtrusively to the patron. And though the duo “believe that coffee will one day be viewed with the respect that wine now enjoys,” they’re not pushing anything. The concept will slowly sink in and eventually, like a good cup of Joe, open their customers’ eyes.

Address: 2043 33rd Avenue S.W., Calgary, AB
Contact: 403-686-1221
Cuisine: Cafe Fare
Area: Marda Loop
Venue: Cafe
Hours: Mon. – Fri. 6:30am – 9:00pm
Sat. – Sun. 7:30am – 9:00pm
Price Range: $$ (affordable)
Payment: Master Card, Visa, Debit

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