The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

That's a Wrap

As this was the first coffee trade show I have ever been too, I have to say I really had a great time. I got to meet a lot of people in the coffee industry who provide the tools to the cafe’s.

I also got to see the Barista Competition live for the first time and it is impressive. The pressure the bar tenders are under to get every drink down is pretty amazing.

Swiss Family Piccolo

I finally met the lovely and equally knowledgeable Andrea Piccolo at the Swiss Water Booth. Erica and I both took the Swiss Water Challenge which provided two cups of french pressed coffee one decaf on not. Both of us could barely tell the difference between the the decaf and the caffeinated brew. We really enjoyed our chat with the gang at swiss water and hope to find out more about their unique decaffeination process.

A Greener Show?

At 50 cents a piece for this IKEA Älmhult stonewear mug, it is a cheap reusable option.

From the Aardvark paper drinking straws to the Baskets-n-bags burlap coffee trays to a hand pump portable espresso maker. This show had a number of booths focused on recyclable, biodegradable and greener products. We fully support the use of a greener more sustainable product, but the other side of the trade show we saw a whole lot of waste.

What we also saw was a lot of sample cups being offered, sampled and then being thrown out. I found it to be a lot of waste with some exhibitors wanting to give us 10 to 12 oz cups of coffee with sleeves etc.  While we were impressed with the marketing venture some of the new producers were trying to accomplish, we felt there was a lot of waste as well.

While I totally understand how hard it is to be a little more green The Salt Spring Coffee Co showed why they were leaders in sustainability. Their coffee samples were given in reusable IKEA Älmhult stonewear mug. After being used they were washed in the clean up area that was provided and brought back to the booth.

According to Banks Thomas, roaster for Salt Spring, he brought the idea to the Island Roaster, but he can’t take credit for it.

“When I was at counter culture they had reusable cups and I took the idea from them,” said Banks.

Salt Spring first introduced the reusable cups at the EPIC Sustainability convention last spring.

This is a win win, one the cost of the cup is only payed out once and then reused, and two the samplers will stick around to finish the coffee and you have a captive audience to make your pitch until they are completed. So I hope Salt Spring doesn’t mind me letting the cat out of the bag on this one and I hope the trend continues!

5 seconds of Fame

I ran into Sophie Lui from Global Television and with one look at my name tag she had me in front of her camera asking about Far Coast coffee, the just named official coffee supplier of the 2010 Olympic Games. I wasn’t surprised seeing that is the hot beverage arm of the Coke-a-Cola company. Sophie asked me to taste the coffee and give it my impression. The coffee was about an hour old and kept in stainless steel vacuum flask.  I thought it was over extracted and  and slightly higher in acidity then body.

I made the news on Thursday night (Yup you can watch it here go to the 11:00 minute mark), but as TV goes, my quote was slightly cut. I didn’t mind, I know the seconds count in a news cast and just so you think I am not a complete snob, I said

“Is this olympic worthy coffee, it certainly wouldn’t get a gold metal in my book, but I have drank far worse.”

The Barista Championship

Kyle Straw, second from right, and the finalist of the Canadian Barista Competion

It was the first time Erica and I had both seen the Canadian Barista Championships competition and in every sense of the word we were impressed with the competition. The timing needed to prepare everything to come out in a certain order, the judging involved with each and every moment is completely rehearsed and practiced over and over again.

Kyle Straw from Caffe Argitano Hornby location came out the top Canadian Barista and will be heading the London England in 2010 for the World Barista Championships in June.

But something that I saw in person that you never really see on the u-stream of the event is the support system that is there for the barista, from sample testing during the set up time to making sure the barista is completely set up. Once the competition starts the barista is on their own.

After the competition the barista goes over the their scores with the judges.  While getting feedback is par for the course, I was really impressed with the amount of detailed feedback that was given back to the barista. This wasn’t just a 30 second, you did well.  Both judge and barista when through the comp in fine detail.

Fine Example

I came to the obvious conclusion that this consultation is the true gift of the barista competition and that it is a shining example of why they are important. If baristas of national caliber spend weeks training for this event and then after the competition spend 5 to 10 minutes going over their scores with one of the judges, the trickle down effect to every cafe must be significant.

Sammy Piccolo the 2009 Canadian Barista Championship

The Coffee and Tea show and Barista Competition has concluded. You can read all about it here.

I have never been to a barista championship. It’s not that I don’t believe in them, I just have had bad timing. I have met a few champion baristas in Vancouver and their handy work is stuff coffee jitters are made of.

So when I heard that the Western Canadian Barista Championships were being held in Victoria I was completely annoyed that I couldn’t make it. My real job got in the way of my coffee addiction again.

So when I heard the nationals were coming to Vancouver, the staff of the Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene are more than excited to attend and watch a barista competition live. But, what are we going to watch? We had to do some research. I checked out the Canadian Barista Championship rules PDF, which is available from the Canadian Barista Academy website. It’s an uniquely detailed list.

According to the Canadian Barista Championship 2009 rules and regulations you will be provided with:

Judges are plentiful.

Four Sensory judges will compare the quality of the espresso based drinks. Technical Judges will watch the skill of the barista on the espresso machine and one head judge will watch them all.

What will the Barista Make?

4 shots of espresso
4 cappuccinos 5 to 6 oz
4 signature drinks
============
12 drinks total

If you have ever worked an espresso bar before you know that pumping out a drink every minute is a decent task of time management, skill and multitasking. And then presenting these drinks for inspection is more than a little stressful.

What the hell is a signature drink?

Signature Drink Base from Atlanta World Barista Championship photo credit: liz clayton

A signature drink is something the barista has developed to show the skill of their craft and to show some artistic flair and style. The signature drink is some of the most unique drink designs and combinations you will ever see. I am no expert in this subject, but I doubt you’ll see any of these drinks ever on a menu because they are so complex in creation and design.

While all of this is going on you also have a hands free microphone in between shots of espresso being pulled and milk being steamed. The barista will talk on a microphone about the origin of the roast and concept of the signature drink and why they got into coffee.

For example check out Sammy Piccolos final round in the 2009 World Barista Championships in Atlanta.

Why do Barista Competitions Matter?

It could be said that like most competitions this showdown really only matters to the people involved. I’ll pat your back and you’ll pat mine scenario.

But really what is more important is the grass roots that regional competitions provide. Just in preparation alone for the regional competitions, baristas are honing their craft and after competitions the amount of knowledge each barista brings back to his or her home cafe is extraordinary. These competitions are held across North America and have thousands of baristas competing and learning about new techniques.

Where is this all going down?

The Vancouver Convention Centre East (Canada Place)

October 14th 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

October 15th 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

How much is it to get in?

It is $15 a day to see the trade show and Barista Championship. But the Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene has a number of free passes available to watch the competition. But you have to pre-register online at the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show website.

Fill out your information and enter promo code: Online9

Once you click “Apply Promo Code” the trade show cost should be zeroed out.

The Coffee and Tea Show has concluded. Read about the show here.

Disclaimer:
• The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene is not affiliated with the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show and you will be leaving our site to access the free pass.
• The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene can not guarantee your access to the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show.

Cafe Medina on a Busy Saturday Morning

We wanted to check out Cafe Medina and cross another cafe off the ever-growing list. Having Erica along has really helped me out with the reviews. Due to the cafe hours we couldn’t make it on a weekday. So we decided to hit up the joint for some Saturday morning brunch and we were not the only ones, it took 15 minute to get seated.

The wait time was dealt with efficiently, friendly and before we knew it we were seated with menus and a drink order. I love it when a plan comes together.

Erica suggested I get the lavender latte and she would try the lavender mocha. Mine arrived with some nice latte art, a decent amount of foam on top and the milk that wasn’t over heated. The touch of lavender was a nice complement to the latte. I have never been a big fan of flavoured drinks as I don’t like to mask the coffee flavour, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the mellow tones of lavender added to the drink. It was not over powering at all. This drink would certainly complement any weekend brunch.

“Number one coffee since I have been to Vancouver,” Erica said with her hands expressively pointing at the table. “Wow. It had enough sweetness with the chocolate and the milk was smooth and creamy!”

The Layout

12oz. Lavender Mocha, left and 8oz Lavender Latte

When you enter Medina you see a large wall on the North side made of brick reaching to the top of the open ceiling and a bar running down the South side, making this one long and skinny cafe. The serving staff don’t have an easy time getting around, but one waitress made a great joke of it when she had to step over my laptop bag.

“You’re really not making this any easier on me,” she said, jokingly.

“This is a really nice brick building, very open and it is set up well for a place that is so small,” said Erica after observing her environment.

We also had some food. Erica loved her food so much she actually wanted to marry her friccasse and the skillet it came in. The staff had to separate her from the skillet. I had a waffle and a mixed berry that was pretty awesome, but only meant as a snack.

Erica also wanted to have a waffle, but felt the experience would be better served on a return visit, so she could savour every bit.

“The whole coffee and waffle thing is such a good idea,” said Erica.

I was introduced to Cafe Medina last year and agreed with Erica, they do a nice job of both the waffle and presentation. I concluded our visit with an Americano which was perfectly extracted and had decent amount of cream on the top.

Inside a busy but not chaotic Cafe Medina

There is wireless available and the password is at the bar, but weekend mornings aren’t the best for doodling. I had more than a few eyes on me as I made a couple notes on my laptop. I did see a number of people with coffee to go coming out of the cafe. The cafe uses beans from 49th parallel roasters so if you’re in the area and need something better than the waves or fatburger (but we really knew you weren’t going to go for coffee at a place called fatburger) then this is the best option in the immediate area.

In my brunch experiences when you find an awesome breakfast joint, you get an awesome meal, but run-of-the-mill coffee. Rarely have I found the two together. I can honestly say that every visit to this funky cafe called Medina has been a pleasant experience and I would come back any time.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Cafe Called Medina
Drinks that was ordered: 8 oz. lavender latte, 12 oz. lavender mocha, 12 oz. Americano
Discount on to-go cup: Didn’t ask
Barista Skill: Top Notch
Barista friendliness: Very friend and welcoming
Website: www.medinacafe.com
Address: 556 Beatty Street, Vancouver

The Barista Jam came to the Radio Station Cafe. It was a hot Sunday afternoon on the long weekend and I decided to bike down from the drive to the East Hastings haunt. I didn’t really know what a barista jam was but after reading Mark Princes (aka the Coffee Geek) Tweet I decided to take a Sunday afternoon off from work and check it out.
The Jam comprises of a dozen barista’s from a few cafes and who ever could pull the best shot of espresso grinder, judged by Robert Csar Supervisor of JJ Bean on Main Street and Mark Prince, from Coffee Geek.

Competitors chill during the judging at the Radio Station Cafe

This was the first “Jam” I had been to and there was so many things I enjoyed about spending a lazy Sunday afternoon watching barista’s compete for nothing but a belt buckle, a couple bucks and the admiration of thy fellow peers.

Other interesting notes I found from the day were:

• • It gets really hard to shoot 12 different pictures of a barista working a three group La Marzocca Super Caimano with a point and shoot digital.
• • It is really hard to watch a barista jam without being able to enjoy some espresso yourself.
• • I pulled my first shot of espresso in about five years and although I had the grace of an elephant ballet dancing, 23 seconds later I had a decent shot.
• • Vancouver has a great community of involved coffee enthusiasts who truly enjoy the adventure, mastery and complexity of serving a great shot of espresso.
• • People who volunteer to do the dishes are AWESOME!

This little Jam started last year at Radio Station Cafe making this only its second. I hope two things continue on to next year. One, that the jam just continues, heck I will even help sponsor next year if needed. Two, that it remains as fun and low key as it did this year. No one was wearing any colours or sporting any logos (other than the bags of coffee themselves, which is ok) and there wasn’t anything on the line other than a spent afternoon and some fun with fellow enthusiasts. While we need the Barista Championships in Canada (congrats Sammy) and the world, this is one that should remain just for the fun of it (and the belt buckle of course).

Gallery of Photos with captions

Epic Convention

My sister was bugging me about going to see her booth at the Epic Sustainability Convention at the new convention centre in Vancouver. While I wasn’t sure what I would find in terms of coffee. I am certainly glad I succumbed to my sisters harassment.

I checked out the Salt Spring Coffee booth and their new single orgin micro lot from Pangoa, Peru that is currently only available during the Epic Convention. It is a medium roasted coffee that is nicely balanced in both body and acidity. I spoke with a barista, (who’s name I have lost with my stolen iPhone) and she was really quite knowledgeably about the company’s mission and the coffee they were promoting. I really enjoyed my conversation with her, smart girl who is also taking a double major at university (editors note: Ya want those double major students behind your booth…)

She introduced me to Banks Thomas who is the new director of coffee for gulf island based company. We chatted about the new micro lot and how they ran a friendly little competition between the farmers of the La Co-operativa Agraria Cafetalera in Pangoa, Peru to choose the best lots to make a single origin coffee.

I was happy to see more transparency in the Salt Spring Island Coffee company and from what I hear from Thomas more is to come. Looks like were going to have yet another top roaster on the West Coast to choose from if this is any indication of what is to come.

Salt Spring Coffee

While chatting with Thomas you can see the passion he has for coffee, it is easy to tell he enjoys what he does. His past also speaks to where Salt Spring might be going. He hails from the very progressive Counter Culture Coffee a roaster that dot’s the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and has been know to produce some excellent batches of the brew.

So while I didn’t plan on blogging or even going to Epic I am certainly glad I did and want to check out of the Salt Spring Coffee cafes in Vancouver for a review.

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

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

Well I figure it was about that time, yes time to do the impossible, time to review Caffé Artigiano. But what can I say that hasn’t already been said, and if your reading this blog then maybe your already a fan. . .

Cafe Artigiano Howe Location

A few notes in point form:

• They always have a line up
• They are always busy
• Their barista’s are always really friendly (This means you Jacqueline & Arielle. sad note: both have now left Artigiano)
• Yes you will have to wait more then 30 seconds for your latte.
• Yes it really is worth the wait. . . .

Why has this micro chain of five cafes done so well and so popular, well that is a bit of a longer story, one I really don’t know all that well, but I give you what I know.

As the story goes the Piccolo brothers, (Vince, Sammy and Mike) wanted to create a different type of cafe in Vancouver, one that completely centered around quality, comfort and lively atmosphere regardless of how busy they where. It wasn’t meant to combat the huge trend of cookie cutter cafes in the Vancouver region, we don’t need another Waves or Blenz or Starbucks do we? But more to show what quality a café really can achieve.

They don’t have wireless at any of their cafes, but then what are you coming for the coffee or the Internet?

“If you want the Internet go to Blenz” One of the Barista said to me jokingly.

Barista Arielle and a Artigiano Latte

Back in the summer of 2006 when I was an actual barista and working for Seattle’s Best Coffee (in the Bental 5) I heard about the five dollar cup of coffee, how they weren’t even making a profit at that price and how it was the best coffee around.

Jen, a fellow SBC co-worker, and I had decided to check out this roast. It was the best coffee I have ever had in my life, it was a light roast, but rich in flavour amazing in texture and had this amazing lingering aftertaste that made you feel like it you were still drinking it, without a hint of burnt or bitter flavour, this is what coffee was suppose to taste like.

The cup was also made with a special brewer called a Clover, which uses a system like a French press, but instead of a plunger they use a vacuum to separate the water and the coffee. It really is an ingenious way to enjoy coffee and it’s more precise then a normal brewer. It is also $10,000 plus dollars, which is why most cafe’s can’t afford the machine.

I have heard some stories about bad service or long waits for service, but I have never had a bad experience in these cafes, especially the one off Georgia and Howe. When it is busy this cafe is quite noisy, so it is not for the studying kind.

They were using intelligentsia coffee at the Initial start up and it was the Piccolo brothers goal to always roast their own beans. They started to do that with the incorporation of 49th Parallel Coffee and in 2005 and have never looked back.

The café was sold in December 2006 to Willie Mounzer, former VP of operations for Earls. But the front end will always serve 49th Parallel Coffee, it is just a different owner behind the till.

Arielle Latte Art

Where this Blog was written: Caffé Artigiano on Hornby
Drink ordered: 12 oz latte to stay (pictured)
Discount of own to-go cup: You get nothing
Barista Knowledge: Extremely knowledgeable
Barista Friendliness: Awesome
Café website : www.caffeartigiano.com