The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

Yes nothing has changed

To you coffee aficionados, this is one post you might want to skip. To those of you who see a savvy marketing campaign, and curiosity that can’t be killed along with free stuff, well, read on but don’t say I didn’t warn you. . .

When I heard that McDonalds had come up with a new roast for its coffee and was giving it away for free during the breakfast hours, well, I didn’t rush to the golden arches to get mine. But, one morning I did fine myself near one of the restaurants and tried this so-called new roast.

When it arrived the coffee was in more of an incredibly small plastic cup and extremely hot. It did have a funky lid that was probably invented to help prevent third-degree burns from super-hot coffee.

Once cool enough to sip, it was a murky taste that had no distinguishable flavour and weak in strength. It was not full in body (full in body really doesn’t mean anything). It was actually thin and watery in body and once a little cooler there were hardly any redeeming qualities.

Oh, 100 per cent Arabica Beans actually doesn’t mean as much as it used to. There are so many varieties of Arabica that just because it is of the Arabica doesn’t mean it is any good.

Case in point. . .

Most of you are probably thinking why the hell is this indy coffee blogger writing about McDonalds’ coffee and shouldn’t he know it is crap already?

Well yes, I kind of knew what I should have expected and it was the same crap in a different package. But much like “New Coke” I had to try it just to say it sucks.

Why do I torture myself? Well I do it for you my readers. I find the good, the bad and the ugly.

Just incase you were wondering I have tried the Tim Hortons *new* latte and Starbucks’ new Pike Place Roast.

Not surprisingly the Starbucks new Pike Place Roast was best out of the three and if given the choice I would choose bucks over the other two. But only because the barista might have a bit more of a clue than the other two combined.

Authors Note: Tim Hortons is not advertising its version of a “latte” anymore and you also can’t find any information when you search for latte on the website. It was never a real latte and never used a combination of espresso and freshly steamed milk. It is what I like to call convenience store cappuccino. More on that later. . .

A harsh, generally unpleasant taste detected mostly in the back of the tongue. Bitterness is characteristic of over-extracted, defective or extra-dark roasted coffees.

Author’s note:
To some, extra-dark coffee is great and should taste bitter. I found extra-dark coffee’s lack the overall sensory experience I look for in a great espresso or cup of coffee.

Biscotti refers to twice-baked cookies. In North America, biscotti are mostly associated with coffee. A Biscotto (singular form of Biscotti) is a dipping cookie. Traditionally, biscotti were almond flavoured. Today, because of their popularity in coffee houses, biscotti are often now made with dried fruits, nuts, seeds, spices, chocolate and / or frosting.

Biscotti with Vanilla and Chocolate Icing

Wicked Cafe on Hornby

For a guy who lives his coffee life simplistically nothing is really more complex than really trying to upgrade a computer that just doesn’t want to leave the safe confines of the Tiger operating system for Leopard. (For you non-mac geeks that is going from 10.4 to 10.5).

But, while my laptop was getting re-imaged I decided to check out the latest incarnation of Wicked Cafe located on Hornby St. This cafe certainly came to play with the other kids in the sandbox. (As that bully Starbucks is throwing sand a few store fronts away and Artigiano tracing a few rosetta’s sand mandala at the other end of the box).

This Wicked Cafe is a long, slender beast with a comfy bench along the length of the right side and small, two-person tables that parallel the benches down to the coffee area. This  cafe has not one but two Clover coffee machines and a pair of 2 group La Marzocco GB/5 espresso machines that are used depending on how busy it gets.

It opened early in 2009 and I have been to it a few times since it opened, I also took Erica Hill to the cafe in our  Girl in the City coffee tour we had in the new year.

Klie stirs the Clover

This time I had a Clover 12 oz. Rwanda Zirikana from Intelligentsia which had a really nice flavour of a dried berry but not over bearing in acidity and yet balanced equally as well in body. It had a really clean finish that was complex and yet refreshing second cup of the day. This was one of the best Clover coffee’s I have had since my first in 2005, as I am usually an americano type of guy.

Being that Wicked is the Canadian distributor for Intelligentsia it is not surprising to see a huge Intelligentsia logo on the back wall of the cafe and Intelligentsia info on the tables and machines. I have always been impressed with Intelligentsia’s transparency and accountability to produce a better product and a better way of life as a number of roasters have a paragraph to describe their roast and origin of the bean. Intelligentsia has an entire product data sheet where you can totally geek out on coffee info.

Its coffee is damn good and the location is really decent and a quick jaunt from the Robson and Hornby mecca of activity. The cafe doesn’t have wireless, or more than one power outlet on the outer edge, but not a big concern as there is plenty of “Internet Cafes” Downtown to chose from. The cafe serves food, along with the unique selection of muffins and sweets in a menu that is unique to other Downtown cafes. On this visit along it wa playing the music a bit too loud to carry out a business meeting if I were to have one.  But I am sure it has full control over the volume and can adjust accordingly.

Is it coffee I’d sell my soul for?

Well since the bank, VISA and Apple currently have equal shares of my soul at the moment I am not in a position to negotiate but it certainly is worth a trip.

Update – Aug/09 Black Cat Espresso running quite nicely and macchiato.

Where this blog was written: Wicked Cafe
Drink that was ordered: 12 oz. Rwanda Zirikana from the  Clover
Discount on to-go cup: 30 cents
Barista Skill: Solid skill
Barista friendliness: Cool and very Intelligentsia
Website: wickedcafe.ca

A professional who is highly skilled in coffee preparation. In Italy, a barista is a bartender who typically works behind a counter serving drinks.

An older reference to this position was called an espresso puller when extracting a shot of espresso, which consisted of pulling on a large handle with a  lot of force, forcing the hot water through the coffee grind to produce a shot. The time varied according to how long the operator pulled on the handle. With boilers and precise timers, the large handle was replaced with a button that could be timed to the exact shot time. The less elegant term was also replaced and the term became more common with the starbucks revolution of the early ’90s.

Both terms are correct for someone working an espresso bar.

Barista Amy York working her bar at Prado Cafe

A Bar is a unit of measure that is 14.503 pounds per square inch.
An espresso machine uses nine or 10 Bars of pressure to force hot water through the finely ground coffee beans. A Bar is roughly the same as the average pressure of the earth’s atmosphere, which is 1.013 25 Bar.

Author’s note:
A bar could also be in reference to an espresso bar.

A balanced coffee has flavours sensed evenly across the tongue. Blending several different beans together can create a flavourful, therefore, balanced coffee. Some people prefer coffees with particularly strong flavour distinctions and a completely unbalanced but perfect roast.

When water is pushed through the head to the porta-filter a small amount of the coffee grind is left and is pulled back into the machine. Using solid or blind porta-filters will force the water back up into the head cleaning the espresso machine of any coffee grinds that were left from the previous shot(s).

Author’s note:
A machine should be back washed regularly and should be completed every hour, which will lead to a better fresher shot(s) of espresso.

Smart Mouth Cafe

During a brief stint working in Gastown, before the horrible thing called a recession hit, I would take a walk down Water Street and hit this cafe called Cafe Luna. But what I didn’t know at the time was it wasn’t even Cafe Luna anymore. The cafe got a new name, new owners and a new roast.

What has captured my attention about Smart Mouth was what they always have written on the sandwich board out front. This has ranged from how hot the staff is to how Britney Spears isn’t allowed in, to suggesting you need to call you mom. . . (The author did call his mom after reading the sign, she is doing fine).

Sign from Winter 08

A funny sandwich board might get me in the door once, but the experience is what made me come back. The cafe is two levels with the bar and counter in the top level and a seating area on the ground level. The walls are all painted black with tiny little halogen lights hanging everywhere.

Sign April 2009

What did you say your name was?

Both inside and out on this cafe you’ll see the double branding Smart Mouth Cafe and Cafe Luna. Did this cafe developed a case of schizophrenia? Multi-personalities or is just a little bipolar? Well actually none of the above. Apparently it is just a little hard to remove all of the branding of one cafe and replace it with another when you have a 100 pound sun disk hanging behind your bar.

This is a saucy little joint that will poke fun of anything happening in the city. Most staff wear T-shirts that say “Hello my name is Smart Mouth” and these cast of characters are lead by Ron Downie, and he is usually found behind the registrar making fun of something or someone. . . but don’t worry most of it is actually self deprecating.

Smart Mouth Name Tag

The serious side of a smart mouth

What they are serious about is the espresso. I have had everything from a 12 oz latte to an 8 oz cappuccino and a 6 oz macchiato all the way down to straight shots of espresso and never had a bad shot. It has always been worth the trip into Gastown. (Any excuse to walk down Gastown’s cobblestone streets is a good one).

Interior of Smarth Mouth Cafe

They also have some groovy music playing, something that according to Downie keeps him awake and sharp witted for those smart mouthed customers. The cafe also has wireless, is licensed and serves soup and sandwiches with a side of abuse.

In the long term I hope to see all of the Cafe Luna branding taken down or at the very least covered up. Branding is almost as important as the espresso served behind the bar but don’t judge a books by it’s cover.
I totally approve of this cafe, its horrible sense of humour and its really awesome espresso. It has certainly put its money where its mouth is.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Cafe Lu. . . . Smart Mouth Cafe
Drink that was ordered: 12 oz latte (amongst others)
Discount on to go cup: Medium for the price of a small
Barista Skill: Solid skill
Barista friendlyness: Sassy and smart
Website: none

I  once again had to return to the Sunshine Coast to pick up some documents and get my taxes done. (Thanks again, Peter). I decided to review one of the longest running coffee shops of recent times in Sechelt called The Daily Roast. This cafe has been a stable of coffee consumers in Sechelt since the mid 90s.

The Daily Roast in Sechelt BC

Its first location was a small place on the main street corner. It has an all wood interior, half a dozen tables and one of the first cafes that had an internet connection. Wifi had yet to become mainstream, but the marriage of cafes and internet had begun its courtship.

The Daily Roast was also the first time I tried the Swiss Water Process for decaf coffee and even to my untrained palette at the time I enjoyed the difference. And it was the first time I had ever tasted a decaf coffee that came even close in taste to the regular cup of joe I was used to.

Blast through the next 12 years, four provinces and one territory and The Daily Roast has doubled in size and moved across the street. The Internet station is gone, but they have free wireless and is more of a cafe with soup and sandwiches with beans provided from Beans Around The World.

Crema What Crema

An americano with out any crema

The girl behind the counter took my order quickly and orderly and if anything the price was right. I received two cookies and a 12 oz americano for just over four dollars. But when I saw the americano I knew the price was too good to be true. Their wasn’t an ounce of crema shortly after the double shot was poured on top of the hot water. ( Those of you in the know always pour the shot on top of the hot water to show the quality of the crema to your customer).

As I sat down I let it cool for 30 seconds and took my first sip of what I can only describe as under extracted, no depth, little body and a poor finish of no discernible taste. I would have been happier with a drip coffee spending the extra for poorly extracted espresso.

And while I sat and drank my coffee through the cooling stages, Corey Hart “I wear my sunglasses at night” was streaming through the cafe only to be followed up by Celine Dion . . . I just tried to go to my happy place.

Just before I left I decided to go back and get a 12 oz latte to go, again it was amazingly cheap in comparison to other cafes in Sechelt and yet I was completely disappointed. The drink was made with a single shot, the milk was over heated and the taste was more heated milk with the after taste of coffee. Sadly I couldn’t even finish it and had to drink some water to get the after taste out of my mouth.

The bar area

I went back a couple days later just to make sure they weren’t having a bad day and this time I tried a 12 oz Kona medium roast of drip coffee. It had been on a heater for some time and it was luke warm, briny, and very weak in taste. I did sample some dark roast and it seemed to have a less briny taste and seemed to hide the imperfections better than my medium roast. In almost everything I tasted at this shop it seemed old, woody or muddy or just not anything desirable in a coffee. Luckily it wasn’t playing Celine on my last trip.

I would suggest cleaning everything with espresso machine detergent (also known by the brand name espresso magic), I have had some Bean Around The World roast since then and the taste was a lot better then anything servered here, Or maybe a change of your water filter?

Barista to blame?

It is always hard for me to give a bad review, because generally I really like finding good cafes, but I also wonder if it is the fault of the barista or if they are just not trained properly. The girls behind the counter were no different in age then their counterparts in Vancouver and seemed to enjoy serving customers and being sociable and cleaning up tables in an orderly manner. But for what ever reason this level of service just doesn’t follow through to the most important part of the cafe. . .  the coffee.

Faces and Places

Where blog was written: The Daily Roast
Drinks ordered: 12 oz. americano & 12 oz latte & 12 oz med roast
Discount of own to-go cup: 10 cents
Barista Skill: sadly none
Barista’s friendliness: sincere, courteous and friendly
Website: none