The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

Geoff Howe arrived from the Island primed and ready to go for our little tour of Vancouver cafes, but with him having to be back in Saskatoon on Monday we had a lot to sample and not much time. What to do ? Well instead of making each cafe its own post I decided to make a table. A coffee table (sorry I have a horrible sense of humour).

But kids, don’t try this at home. After four hours, five cafes, six drinks and 12 shots of espresso, both Geoff and I were more than done. This isn’t something I would suggest or even do again, but as photographers who love coffee it was fun while it lasted. But much like any bender, it has some drawbacks. . . .

Cafe	Geoff	Robert	Notes
	12 oz Latte (2 shots)	12 oz Americano	Robert: Brandi, my favourite barista of all time is back!!! In addition to Brandi being back Prado set the tone for the rest of the day. Geoff: Overall pretty good, the extraction was a little bitter, but it hits the spot. Barista had a pleasant demeanor within the comfortable surroundings.
	12 oz latte (1 shot)	Espresso Macchiato	Robert: Turks, where is the love? Ever since Gisele left months ago, I have rarely been back and now I know why. My Macchiato didn’t have any foam on top. It was more like an 8oz latte, which any Starbucks monkey could have made without the proper training. Geoff: It is not of a calibre I was expecting. If I can make it at home better, then it is sadly lacking. If people are doing this for a living then they should be better at it than I. I come for the experience. The ambience is nice but the coffee lacks some quality
	12oz latte (2 shots)	12oz Cappuccino	Robert: Micro-foam of awesomeness, I have been back to Soma a number of times and enjoyed the cafe each time. Don Wilson usually tends bar on Sunday mornings and is quite the knowledgeable baritsa. Geoff: Perfect temperature, solid latte art.Aftertaste a little strong but overall great experience. Friendly barista, knowledgeable about industry and trends, willing to learn. Soup was fantastic.
	Clover 12oz	Clover 12oz	Robert: We tired the Colombian – Antioquia and barista Mathew Kolehmainen gave us some Kenya – Mwiria to try and true to form the Kenyian was better then the Colombian but also almost twice the price. Thanks for the sampling Matt! Geoff: My first time tasting coffee from a Clover. Pretty neat. A lot of body in taste, almost overwhelming, but it kept me wanting more. It tastes better following a slight cool down. Kenya is my favourite, although we didn’t try Ethiopia. The barista Matt knew of my favourite Saskatoon cafe – Cafe Museo, and it’s barista Jimmy. Small world!
	12 oz Latte	12 oz Latte	Robert: 49th as good as ever, and interesting to chat with barista Colter Jones about the green machine in Seattle, smart guy, I’d enjoy a longer chat one day. Geoff: Really impressed by the feel of the place. The modern simplistic, West Coast style feel. You can really tell they put everything into their craft just from the feel of the place. Meeting the Canadian Barista Champion Colter Jones who happens to be from Saskatoon, my home town. In terms of the coffee I honestly could not appreciate it. I was too buzzed by the morning I was gone. Let this be a warning, Don’t try this at home. . . I definitely want to go back!

• Afterwards we both felt a little like Kramer from Seinfield

Here are some more photo from the rest of the day

Geoff Howe Outside Prado

Geoff shooting the poorly made drinks at Turks. Where is the love Turks?

Blogging away at Turks (in better times)

Brunch and some sweet drinks at Soma Cafe

Some Clover action at The Elysium Room

Geoff getting a little Hyper outside the Elysium Room (There is no turning back after this)

49th Parallel Latte Art

Two boys from Toon town Colter Jones, left and Geoff Howe.