Caneel’s News Gelato & Coffee Shop = Delish!

There’s a hot new spot to get a great cup of coffee and some freshly made gelato on the island. We promise you’re not going to want to miss this one.

As we mentioned last summer, Caneel had a few changes in store for its rebirth as an independent, boutique resort last November – one of them being a new gelateria. Well we finally had the chance to sample it for ourselves and we have to admit, it was quite delicious.

The shop is called Cannella Gelateria & Coffee Shop and it’s located at Caneel in the same building as its gift shop. Cannella opened November 1 and is the brainchild of Denise Hotze. (Denise’s husband Nikolay is Caneel’s Managing Director.)

“We wanted to bring to the island, and especially to the clients of Caneel Bay, an upscale coffee shop with the best product that we could find in the world,” Denise said of the shop’s objective.

Well based on what we sampled, Denise has done just that.

Let’s start with the coffee:

Cannella sells Intelligentsia coffee, a brand that prides itself on working closely with farmers around the world to get the purest and tastiest coffee possible. The coffee is grown in some of the best coffee regions in the world including Brazil, Costa Rica and Ethiopia. In a nutshell, it’s a pretty darn good cup of joe.

And then there’s the gelato:

Cannella prides itself on using high-quality, fresh, organic ingredients from St. John all the way to Italy to make its variety of gelato a delicatesse. One of my favorite local flavors is mango soursop. Other flavors include coconut, pistachio, cookies and cream, cheesecake, caramel and more.

In addition to coffee and gelato, Cannella also offers an assortment of paninis made from freshly roasted meats making them nitrates free, gluten-free quiches, flourless cakes and more. It also has a variety of options for those who are on nut-free, gluten-free or lactose-free diets.

Here’s a small glimpse of the menu:

Denise opted to create a family-friendly gathering spot, therefore no alcohol is served at the shop.

Cannella is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Caneel does charge a $20 parking fee; however that fee will be waived upon spending $20 on the property.