The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

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.

Reno for the Roaster

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.

Family run operation

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.

Faces and Places

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

JJ Bean Mainstreet Store front

The Main Street JJ Bean is one of seven in the string of cafes that are part of  JJ Bean Coffee Roasters. They have a large wholesale and distributing arm which services a huge number of independent operated cafes across the lower mainland.

But the house that I am talking about is exclusively the JJ Bean Cafes located across Vancouver and are owned and operated by the parent company. These cafes are where a lot of barista’s in Vancouver have gotten their start and some cafe owners like Amy York were taught the business before going off to start new cafes.

This is also an exclusive review of the Main Street Cafe as chains go one cafe can not speak for the entire brand.

A short walk up from Broadway you’ll find yourself at East 14th and a bucks on one corner and a JJ Bean on the other. The JJ’s has a large wood finish on the exterior and a huge portal for people watching along main street. Walking into the cafe the wood theme continues with high wood ceilings, a central fire place, with a green titled and  wood bar.  As far a cafes go this is quite the large one with a pair of La Marczocco Linea three group machines and a large fireplace in the center. Their is a roaster in the corner and it is used on a weekly basis for small batch roasting.

The Main Street Patio

Song bird style

The cafe has large garage style windows which open up to the patio during the summer. I must admit I whore for this style of windows and with the type of climate Vancouver has it suites the cafe perfectly. Small little song birds who are quite cheeky in their pursuit of muffin crumbs perpetrate through the large garage bay windows. Personally I think it adds to the cafe. If a seagull came nibbling around my feet I might have a different opinion, but the sounds of the song birds are certainly sweeter then roar of traffic IMHO.

The JJ Bean Coffee Roasters has been going through a re-genesis of sorts the have shorten their line up and refined their purchasing, the Espresso Nero Organic has been really kicking it in high gear lately. I think were coming into a great time for coffee drinkers in Vancouver as the roasters are really challenging each other in terms of quality.

The Americano ordered on the first visit was rich in crema. As it cool I found it kinda mellowed out a bit with a clean finish. I had to down it as I didn’t realize the time, but even doing that I didn’t ruined the finish, although I wouldn’t recommend it.

A Roman Indulgence

The Macchiato was so good I almost forgot to take a photo

8oz Dry Cappuccino

I returned a week later to have an espresso macchiato. The milk was steam perfectly with a decent amount a micro foam and both the espresso and milk melded perfectly together. It was one of the best drinks I have ever had from a JJ Bean. I find it hard to sometimes describe the perfect drink as their are so many variables that can’t be judges or quantified. But everything came together, quality drink, the environment, service, music, mood.

In my second drink I decided to go all out and ask for an 8oz Dry Cappuccino and they delivered in my estimation a perfectly crafted dry cappuccino of which I fully enjoyed from the spoonfuls of foam on top to the perfectly heated milk below.

They don’t have wi-fi, but they do serve food and this place can get dam busy even at the slowest of days. I have been really enjoying JJ’s coffee as of late and these latest cafe visits has certainly excelled in quality from previous visits.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: JJ Bean Main Street
Drink that was ordered: 12 oz Americano & 6 oz. Macchiato and 8 oz Dry Cappuccino
Discount on to-go cup: 15 cents
Barista Skill: Top notch
Barista friendliness: personable and sociable
Website: www.jjbeancoffee.com

Short story: I sold my car. I live on The Drive. It is one of the best areas in town to live with out a vehicle. When I need one I use a Car Co-op, take the bus or call a cab. And while this has worked quite well it wouldn’t in a lot of areas. As I used to work out of my car, (and have slept in it on one occasion) it was a proof of concept to show I could really live with out it. And I have been able to very easily …

Taxi Cafe seating area

When I take the number 20 into downtown I kept on seeing this cafe on Richard Street, called Taxi Cafe. Like thousands of cafes in Vancouver I didn’t know a thing about it. But as my visits downtown increased, I kept walking past Taxi Cafe and really wanted to check it out.

I had my opportunity to check out the cafe and noticed it was much much more than a cafe. One of the most successful and award-winning advertising agencies in Canada opened up a Vancouver Office and along with Taxi Vancouver came the Taxi Cafe.

Why a cafe instead of a waiting room?
Why a professionally trained barista instead of a receptionist ?
I asked cafe manager Chris Reynolds and barista Yvon about this concept.

Yvon pour an Americano

To paraphrase they wanted to open up the front space of the offices and make it more of a public space; something where they can; one, showcase the work they have done for clients; and two, instead of meeting with a client outside a cafe why not have their own cafe? Also if a client has arrived early for a meeting, why not offer them an espresso or latte? I think this makes perfect sense actually and having the cafe open to the public helps the bottom line a bit and because the agency is all about marketing a brand (Yes those Viagra Commercials are a Taxi creation). So why not show your clients what you can do with a brand and market your own coffee shop in a city that has one of the most competitive coffee environments?

Yes but what about the cafe?

Walking in, you are met with concrete floors, white walls and marble counters. The word Taxi is written on a light wall from across the back wall. But the cafe still has minimalistic aesthetic appeal. There are three screens on the front wall showing the advertisements that taxi has worked on.
The coffee is a dark roasted espresso and is made to a professional standard. I am not a huge fan of the dark roast espresso as it loses some of the subtle flavour you can find in a roast, but overall I was happy with it. Taxi is currently packaging its own coffee and using a roaster based in Toronto called Mountainview.

View of the bar and Richards Street

Yvon was very diligent about keeping her machine clean and well timed. There isn’t a whole lot of traffic from the street that enters into the shop so she isn’t that busy but the beans are fresh and the service is personable and friendly. There isn’t any free wireless for the general public, nor is there any plug-ins.

Is independent a brand?

As far as independents go, I would consider Taxi Cafe one. They are owned and run by a large advertising agency, yet the shop is unique and different and very much has its own flair. Reynolds has plans to open up a second cafe in Toronto that is completely detached from the agency itself. Would I want to see one on every corner? No, but then I don’t like seeing a Blenz, a Waves, a Starbucks and a Tims on the same four corners of every block and in every city. And in saying that I believe Taxi fits the bill as an independent cafe in Vancouver.

Update March 2009: I have been to Taxi Cafe a number of time since this review and although they have changed their roastry to Mountainview, out of Toronto, Yvon still tends shop and I still get a great Americano.

Faces and Places

Where blog was written: Taxi Cafe
Drinks ordered: 12oz. Americano
Discount of own to-go cup: med priced at a small
Barista Skill: solid
Barista’s friendliness: informative and friendly
Website: www.taxi.ca

49th Parallel Cafe

Surprise surprise, I am not sure if the Piccolo brothers can get away from the Cafe business or was this the goal all along.

But I was finally able to check out the 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters new cafe in downtown Kitsilano and a few things surprised me while other remain the same.

This is very much not another Caffe Artigiano by a different name. The skinny cafe with high ceilings a wooden bench that flow the length of the cafe, but yet broken up by banks of lights build into the wall.

Word on the street is this will be the one and only 49th Parallel Cafe. In answering my own question above, why open up a cafe after just selling off the successful chain you started. Well the answer is simple, the hard work was already done.

Not just another Artigiano

The Artigiano experiment was to compete head to head with the green machine, serving hug volumes, but exceeding expectation in terms of quality. They mainly succeeded and have 49th Parallel to show for it. A brand that many coffee drinkers know and a brand that independent cafes look for. But I also heard that after starting the roaster, the chain was a real drain on the brothers and when the right buyer came along they made the right decision to sell.

49th Parallel Cafe inside

I felt great coming into this cafe, as busy as it was, I ordered my drink from a wonderful Kiwi girl offered a pleasant amount of conversation while I ordered.

I ordered a medium Americano which weighted in at 9 oz in size. I walked over to the sparkling new expresso machine and with in about 30 seconds had my americano in hand.

True to form the Epic Expresso was rich with flavor full of body and had a nice aftertaste that was actually leaving me wanting more. So. . . I had more. . . but I decided to have something from The Clover this time.

No drip to be found here

After a cleansing of the palette The Costa Rican was a really smooth coffee with a hint of caramel sweetness. Americano’s and The Clover is usual fair, brewed coffee is only available on the weekends.

If you are looking to get your coffee to go and in a rush you might have to wait more then a couple seconds because every cup is made independently on the clover and perfection take time.

la old la Mistral (circa 2008)

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: 49th Parallel Coffee Rosters Cafes
Drink ordered: 9 oz Americano
Discount of own to-go cup: you get nothing!
Quality and service: Extremely Knowledgeable
Barista friendliness: Always in good humour
Website: www.49thparallelroasters.com

Serious Coffee on Yates

Well, after a couple days of R&R in Victoria I can see why people like this place so much. It is awesome.

While walking around downtown I checked out a cafe called Serious Coffee, any cafe with this name is just begging for a review.

Walking I was met with a nice looking cafe, pastel colours, wood floors and track lighting. I was pretty hesitant to think I was going to match the cafe I am use to on the drive, but do I love being wrong.

The americano I had could have been a bit stronger, but it did have a nice mellow body, it just wasn’t the smack across the face of flavour I was craving or was use to with the Organic Ethiopian I usually drink at home. But as I finished the cup, the body became more present to my palette leaving me fulfilled.

Serious routine

The reason I went to Victoria was to visit my friend Lucy Nicholson who was covering the U-20 and she was covering the teams practices in the mornings, so I have my mornings free to lounge around and just enjoy life. I decided to head to back Serious Coffee and make a second review of the cafe.

I got into a great routine of having breakfast at the hostel and then walking up to the cafe and purchasing the fair trade mexican which was a well balanced medium roast.

One thing I really liked about this cafe is that they offered the local newspaper The Times Colonist a 12 oz. coffee for two dollars even. It was really nice to sit down to a daily roast with a nice rag like the TC. I grew quite accustomed to this routine and hated to give it up once I left and had to return back to school.

The girls behind the counter were quite knowledgeable and never missed a beat with any question posed to them. They were light and bubbly and generally enjoyed the work they did.

I didn’t have my laptop but all locations have free wireless and a internet cafe setup.

Serious Coffee Yates Interior view

But why a chain?

As many people know I am not much of a chain type of guy I am much more a independent cafe and local owned an operated business. I like the shop local additude, but after many years of living the land of nothing but Walmart (eg. Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) I know that sometimes searching for quality is important regardless of where it comes from.

But as my visits to Serious Coffee grew, so did my knowledge of the chain. I learnt a bit more about the company and their history, they started in 1994 in Duncan BC. They have grown through out the lower island to over 20 stores and as most of them are franchised. Again, I am not a big fan of franchised as it can really harm the brand if they are not controlled properly.

The Roastery has moved but is now back in Duncan BC and the chain is looking at expanding another 12 to 14 store’s over the next year.

I would compare this micro chain to JJ Beans in Vancouver, although they are in different markets, they are going after the same demographic and both do a nice job of it.

Is this your final answer

As I only went to one cafe, I can’t comment any more on the chain, but I’d be happy to have this cafe blocks away from my house, the staff do make the difference at this location they really did rock. So if your looking for a local cafe with a decent brew and some awesome customer service I would check them out. I would also note that unlike Murchies, the Serious Coffee location was more for locals, then tourist, it seems that they were more concerned with the providing really good product on a daily basis to locals then a single experience to a visiting tourist.

Faces and Places

Where this Blog was written: Serious Coffee (Yates & Broad location)
Drink ordered: Mexican Malinal Fair Trade 12 oz.
Discount of own to-go cup: 10 cents
Barista Knowledge: Intelligent
Barista Friendliness: Personable, good sense of humour
Café website : http://www.seriouscoffee.com/

Well Michael Breuer decided to challenge me on my hatred of Starbucks and although it took a while to get the dates confirmed, (his people needed to talk to my people) We set out last Friday to the home of Coffee in Vancouver Commercial Dr and we picked our corners.

Shift Manager Claire

First we attended the Starbucks on the Drive, where we found shift manager Claire to quite nice and knowledgeable about ways of the Starbucks. She was also totally game on our little adventure. Her shots came through at a prefect 14 seconds for their machine, now I have learnt over the years that 14 seconds is way to short for the real extraction of the flavour of the beans to happen, but Claire claims that it is running perfectly so I won’t disagree.

Breuer and myself sat down and entered the first round. We both found it a bit weak but yet with the familiar dark roast flavour Starbucks is famous for. To my surprise Breuer agreed with me. Could this be happening? Could we have a convert in our midst?

Round Two

On to Prado where we ordered what we though would be the same exact Americano to make this as scientific as possible. We also cleaned our palette with water and waited a bit to really compare the two roasts.

Owner Amy York was behind the bar and pulling the shots the timers on the shots at Prado was about 22 seconds which is prefect operating speed for her machine. We gathered the drinks and had a seat on the patio.

We both took a sip and whoa this was almost freebasing espresso here. It was bold, woke us up and was as strong as Starbucks was weak.

What we were left with were so many variables that it was hardly what I would call accurate comparison for either side.

What was so different Well here is a list. . .

	Starbucks	Prado
Drink size	A large 8 oz cup	A small 6 oz cup
Timed shot	14 sec.	22 sec.
Orgin of Beans	South American Blend	Brazil, Ethiopia and the South Pacific
Mug	Paper	Porcelain
Crema	Crema Starbucks Americano	Crema Prado Americano

Also when we look at the crema for each round you can see that Prado (pictured on the right) has triple the amount of crema as apposed to Starbucks (on the left) and that is truly important part of this exercise, because for an Americano that is where most of your flavour comes from, the less the crema the lesser quality cup.