A lighter body, with higher acidity and no obvious flavours derived from roasting.
Author’s note:
A common description of light roast is after several minutes when the beans “pop” or “crack” and visibly expand in size, this stage is called first crack.
Italian for “spotted”. A true macchiatio is a teaspoon or two of foam that is marked by pouring the espresso over it. The foam is marked by the shot of espresso being poured last.
Author’s note:
Regardless of whatever chain is currently abusing the term Macchiato for marketing purposes, the above term, in my opinion, is the true and traditional form for the drink. Some of these “marketing people” call the larger version of these drinks a Latte Macchiato, but other then adding the shot of espresso to the end of the drink they do not resemble the traditional origins of the term.
A shot or two of espresso in a cup filled with frothy steamed milk. Caffe Latte is Italian for coffee with milk.
Author’s note:
Baristas will often pour the frothy milk through the espresso in a mug to make an artistic design in the crema. This is commonly refered to as Latte Art.
Latte art is made by pouring foamy milk through the espresso. There are two types of latte art. One is called free pouring where the entire art is made by pouring the milk. The other is called etching, which uses stir sticks, spoons and straws to produce a design.
Author’s note:
Chocolate syrup, chocolate powder and crema from espresso are all commonly used as tools in making the Latte Art.
A small metal or plastic pan or drawer near the bar counter for disposal of spent coffee grounds. It’s called a knock box because the barista knocks the porta-filter to remove the grounds.
Instant coffee is just regularly brewed coffee with nearly all the moisture removed by freeze drying.
Author’s note:
Instant coffee is usually made with robusta beans that are low in quality, which has been packaged for years and heavily over priced for what you get, which is only convenience.
An iced mocha is similar to a mocha but served over ice. While there are numerous variations of the iced mocha the basic consists of chocolate sauce, espresso and milk poured over ice and stirred.
Cold milk is poured over the ice and then hot expresso is added to the mixture. Many add liquid sugar to sweeten the taste.
Author’s note:
An iced latte is made with ice cubes and is not blended. It does not comes out of any machine as a mixture because anything that comes under that is either a convenience-store cappuccino or blended style drink.
Continental Coffee during Sunny Day on The Drive
I felt it was time to visit another long-standing coffee shop of East Vancouver. Continental Coffee has been a cornerstone of The Drive for 30 years and far longer than the green behemoth that sits right across the street. It has seen its fair share of cafes come and go and still remains busy with a line up to the front door some mornings.
With a wealth of great coffee on The Drive and Vancouver it is sometimes hard to cover cafes that are so close to home. So, we decided to give Continental our undivided attention.
We first visited some weeks back and still enjoyed the family-run operation in strict contrast with the feeling you get with some of the corporate giants of the area. The Americano I ordered was under extracted and really short for a 12 oz. I went back and the nice barista apologized and just added another shot. I noticed these shots were really short in time and thought it could save the owner some dough and make a better cup if the shots were more properly timed. On the other side of the scale Erica found her drink quite bitter even with the addition of some cream and sugar.
I do remember what the old Continental Coffee resembled before the renovations of Spring 2009 and found the cafe a little less cozy and some what spare. Erica arrived before I had and said she felt the cafe could use a little more care in its aesthetic appeal as the coffee was great but the vibe and feel of the cafe lessened her experience.
The second venture of this cafe review I managed alone and found my Americano has a proper extraction, with mellow undertones of a slightly darker than medium roast profile. It was a joy to drink on a Saturday afternoon with the weekend G & M. But sadly my second drink some two hours later was an 8 oz. latte with over-heated milk, which burnt my tongue a bit.
Both Erica and myself purchased some beans and found the roast bean fared far better than what was served by the barista. And you know as well as I that all the harvesting, sampling, roasting, cupping and storage can all go for not if the actual brew isn’t timed just right.
The owner of the cafe, Anita Allen, is seen behind the counter most days and was behind the counter the Saturday I re-visited. I don’t doubt the endless hours she puts into the cafe as any small business owner does to run a successful business day in and day out. After chatting with her briefly at the end of the day, I see the passion she has for coffee and it must be one of the reasons why the cafe has been around for so many years.
There is free wi-fi and plug-ins for you laptop users, but the seating is limited so don’t be a cafe loafer.
All in all I give Continental props for being one of the longest standing cafes on Commercial Drive. That along with roasting its own beans for some 30 years is a real dedication to craft and art in the coffee industry. I’d still like to see a more attentive barista behind the bar, but isn’t there always room for a little improvement?
* We at Coffee Vancouver are also not immune to a constant need for improvement.
Where this blog was written: Continental Coffee
Drinks that was ordered: 12 oz. Americano, 8 oz. Latte
Discount on to-go cup: Didn’t ask
Barista Skill: Completely random
Barista friendliness: Very friendly and welcoming
Website: none
Address: 1806 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, Canada
