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

Last summer, almost a year ago I ask Gio Corsi to help me review a famous cafe and attraction on The Drive. Cafe Calabria.

Gio Corsi might be 98% Chimp, but 100% authentic Italian

You might know Gio Corsi from some of his other rolls on the Internet. He plays the Russian Ambassador on the famous Tiki Bar TV. He also writes wrote a food blog called Vancouver Eats (he now writes Singapore Eats) and has been know to take some damn popular flickr photos.
Gio had also just returned from a trip to Italy and who better to help me review a cafe then a Italian-Canadian who just got back from Italy?
Well that summer came and went and still not a post was updated, I felt horrible, but was so behind the 8-ball in way to many project I still let this one slide. Come the new year both Gio and myself found ourselves unemployed due to the recent economic downturn.  I had decided to relaunched the coffee blog and I was determined to make good on a promise and concluded this review.

I just keep moving on…

Well as luck may have it, I found work just down the street and Gio well he found work in Singapore. Yes our lovable ambassador of food and all things tiki has moved to Asia and while we couldn’t fit in a return visit to Calabria. I promised to return a finish what we started and save some face.

Finishing what we started

Caffe Calabrian, Circa Summer 2008

Cafe Calabria has been an establishment on The Drive for 32 years and they have the memorabilia to show for it. I first tried the gelato, it was the tiramisu a little pricey and fresher could be had on The Drive although in the heat of the summer this is nothing to complain about.

Gio arrived and we went up to the bar and ordered a cappuccino and double espresso.

“The crema was a bit weak but it tastes like Italy, appearances can be deceiving,” said Corsi.

We both though the Italian of the year was a bit cheesy but it plays to the theme of the place well.

“But baring that this is the great melting pot of european goodness… Italian coffee across the street from a Thai take out and a Greek resturant.” said Corsi.

It is places like this that really make The Drive.

“You can tell a good place from everything else because it always has all the old Italian guys sitting out front.” said Corsi.

Calabria is always busy I have never seen it empty or without people sitting outside although I am sure it happens occasionally.
Going back a year later I had both a Americano and a 8oz Dry Cappuccino and both were decent I also had a biscotti that hit the spot. I have had a variety of quality and service at Calabria as it almost depends on their mood. The roast is also quite dark but something you would expect from an Italian roaster, overall quality is decent and drinks are consistent to their style, oh and character, nothing in Vancouver comes close to this cafe in terms of character.

Cappaccino with cocoa

I did enjoy my last visit and hope to see Gio back in Vancouver with in a couple years where I sure will toast his return to The Drive.

Where this blog was written: Caffe Calabria
Drink that was ordered: 8 oz Americano and 8oz Dry Cappuccino
Discount on to-go cup: none
Barista Skill: Old Skool
Barista friendliness: A little rough around the edges (but not ball busting)
Website: none