© Caffè ArtJava

Coffee places aren't exactly tough to come by here. The next caffeine fix is always right around the corner - American chain coffeehouses, little neighbourhood European-style cafés and the ubiquitous Tim Horton's. You can definitely get a decent cup of coffee in Montreal. But there is one establishment in the Plateau -- make that the only one in eastern Canada -- that's making specialty coffees that look as good as they taste.

But it's Caffè ArtJava's latte art that sets it apart from other coffee emporiums. Each latte is topped with a design carved right into the foam. Although the art alone makes the place -- which opened in July 2005 -- worth checking out, beauty is more than foam deep here. Just as much care goes into what lies beneath the pretty hearts, leaves and triple rosettes you'll find styled into your crema. Partners Spiros Karagianopoulos, and Mauro and Sandro Maltoni strive to serve not only the best-looking brew in the city, but the best-tasting too.

© Caffè ArtJava

A premium cup of coffee here starts with beans that must pass strict and high standards. No small feat, since the partners are certified by Cup of Excellence, a program with the most stringent selection process in the industry. According to Karagianopoulos, when choosing suppliers "the company has to be superior in every single way." Gimme! Coffee, rated by Food and Wine as one of the top five roasters in the US, was selected as the exclusive supplier. The company ships the roasted-on-demand beans once a week by UPS -- beans stored past 10 days is unheard of.

The shiny, red centrepiece of the café is La Marzocco FB70. The $US 15,000 espresso machine is made in Italy, and it's the only game in town for any barista who depends on stable temperatures and maximum steam capacity.

Sandro Maltoni is one of six baristas at Caffè ArtJava and Canada's only Golden Cup inspector, which makes him a brewing expert. He makes the process look like a breeze. After the portafilter has been warmed with purified water (which makes a difference in the taste), he doses it with on-spot ground coffee, "tamps" it with pressure and purges the machine of any impurities. The "crotchless" filter - which means the spout has been removed to produce the crema that's needed for latte art - is inserted and the 25-second countdown begins. The end result is an espresso with the consistency of melted chocolate. The darker areas of essential oil, or "tiger-striping," indicate a great pour. With a batch of whirlpooled milk in his right hand and the other tipping the espresso-filled cup, Maltoni barely flicks his wrist to make an image of a leaf appear, a talent achieved through "lots of practice, lots of milk, and lots of coffee."

The café's supplier ships the roasted-on-demand beans once a week by UPS, and they're never stored past 10 days.

© Caffè ArtJava

Worried about getting a little too much skip in your step? Arabica beans, which are the only beans used here, actually contain three to four times less caffeine than the Robusta variety. But be warned, once you get used to premium coffee, decent may not be good enough anymore.