The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

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

Erica Hill moved to Vancouver for a new career, a change an scenery and more then likely the coffee! Since she has arrived we have hired her on as a co-author of the blog. You might call her the senate of the coffee blog.

“The Senate was to be a place of sober second thought so that legislation would receive proper, careful consideration before finally becoming law.” ~ Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister.

Co-Author Erica Hill

And while I don’t think I drink as much coffee as Sir John A. Macdonald drank alcohol having a regular second opinion will improve the quality of the blog. It also is a lot more fun and Erica can be a great devils advocate when she feels the need, providing some good debate over the coffee table at times.

Erica has a degree in anthropology, was once a barista, and is originally from Regina, Saskatchewan.

Bike to Work with Coffee Photo: David Niddrie

I have done a few coffee tours with friends, the over-indulgent coffee tour Geoff Howe and I took, and the educational tour I took Erica Hill on at New Years Day. The first one was done by car the second was done by transit, the third will be done by bike.

This summer I have been working with Bikes on the Drive developing a blog and some social marketing around their new bike The Tree. The experience has been one of the most compelling and encompassing projects I have ever worked on. I worked with ilan Handelsman and he quite enjoyed an excellent cup of coffee and really enjoys this blog.

Over a few Americanos we hatched this plan of a biking coffee tour to some of the best coffee shops in East Vancouver. After blogging about The Tree bicycle for most of the summer I found that the bike and coffee blog share the same goals: More sustainable products through education. Both ilan and I thought this would be a great way to showcase some excellent roasters, groovy cafes and the quintessential commuter bike all in one shot (sorry no pun intended).

We had the idea and now just needed to extract the details:

The East Van Biking Coffee Tour
Sponsored by: Bikes on the Drive & Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

Meet: 10:30 am at Bikes on the Drive 1350 Commercial Drive ~ Rain or Shine.
Day: Saturday  July 11, 2009
Cost: Your choice of coffee beverage at cafes we will go to.
Distance Travelled: 9.5 kilometers
Finishing around: 2:00 pm give or take time taken at cafes.

Being that this is the first public coffee tour I have ever organized I had a few goals in mind:

1. Variety of roasters
2. Short distances travelled
3. Quality of cafe

which is kind of why we have chosen the cafes we have and the route we did. If it is a success we certainly have another one and will choose a different route with different cafes. So please come out it will be a lot of fun and hopefully good weather.

Tour has concluded thanks for all who came out

Re-Entry Espresso on Main Street

Re-Entry’s launch pad blast off from 4363 Main Street street near 28th street. It has a very 1967 tomorrow-land feel to it. Walking into it you see its blue and grey textured walls, it has a futuristic feel. It also feels like this place could have been an old diner back in the day and it was renovated and made into an espresso bar. It just has that feel too it, the three group Syneso Cyncra fit right into the surroundings.

The cafe also has a one group Syneso Cyncra that they use for testing new coffee and training purposes. I also bet that it’s used as a backup in case the three group machine calls in sick for the day.

I walked in a quiet Thursday afternoon and glanced at the futurist style menu. While my 12 oz. latte was being made I asked if the Ovaltine on the menu was a big hit with the kids. The barista joked that it was more a big hit with the parents who try to get their kids to try it, albeit with limited success, she said.

Ovaltine for you old school folks

She poured the latte in front of me, which I always liked, most cafes do this anyways, but I still think it is worth a mention. I could certainly tell beans from the venerable Seattle based roaster Vivace were used. I could really notice a difference between the Vivace and the 49th parallel I usually drink while on The Drive.

Change is as good a rest.

The latte was rich in taste, with a clean finish with a note of caramel. It was really enjoyable to have something new. I certainly savored it.

Even with being on Main Street the noise of the street didn’t travel into the cafe that much and the hi-fi stereo system was delivering some mellow lazy afternoon tunes. Sigur Rós was playing while I was enjoying my latte reading the latest copy of the Straight, the paper version, the website is not a favourite of mine.

Re-Entry Cafe Interior

Room for Improvement

I was over caffeinated by the time I finished the latte on Thursday so I thought I would try a decaf Americano on for size. I don’t think it is ordered all that often, because the bag of beans was grabbed from underneath the counter. The shot wasn’t exactly perfect and after it had cooled I felt it was slightly over extracted.

I returned the next day for a dry cappuccino which came with latte art? The foam should be so thick that you can’t pour art with it. That in my opinion is not a dry cappuccino, please don’t get me wrong I got a very nice foamy latte, but a cappuccino it wasn’t. The foam for a cappuccino should be stiff and almost moldable, maybe that is just the way I like them? Am I wrong? But a number of girls at Prado do a very nice dry cap extremely well.

In the five espresso drinks I ordered over three days at Re-Entry I received grounds in bottom of every cup and from different baristas. While the enjoyment of each drink was quite nice the last sips always had some grounds.

All in all I rank Re-entry quite high in my cafe experiences in Vancouver. The different in espresso is a nice change and I really liked the style of the cafe. The sign in the washroom was hilarious, but I will leave you to find that out for yourself. As a bonus to this review any cafe with a Mac on the counter gets an extra point in my completely biased Apple-loving opinion. . . .

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Re-Entry Espresso
Drink that was ordered: 12 oz. latte & 12 oz. decaf Americano
Discount on to-go cup: You get nothing!
Barista Skill: Top notch
Barista friendliness: nice but not chatty
Website: www.re-entry.ca

Hey, how’s it been going? Are you new around here let me show you around…

No I am not trying to pick the average reader of my coffee blog, but what would you say to a caffeinated consumer who was new in town and wanted to know about the great little places, the hidden gems? Well, hopefully I can serve for all your coffee needs.

So what’s new here at Van Indy Coffee Scene 2.0:

Better Cafe Reviews
Over the past two years of this blog, living on Commercial Drive and being generally interested in the coffee scene I learnt an awful lot. The whole essence of this blog is to pass on the most accurate information I can. I’ve done some minor editing of archived posts but only to keep information current as some of those old posts are damn popular.	Cafe Reviews
Interactive Map
I always liked maps especially when they are interactive so now you can find a visual representation of the great cafes ( in my humble opinion ) via this map. Just click on the icon to bring up the review of that café.	Interactive Map
Our Mantra
I really like to show people where I am coming from when I write a review or give my opinion. This page is after two years of coffee knowledge, what we at the Indy Coffee Scene and what I rate on. Also a code of ethics for users to see where we’re coming from and what we look for, and once advertising appears on the site, what type will be allowed.	Transparency of Reviews
Coffee Terms
When I first started in coffee a number of years ago I found the amount of rhetoric and marketing surrounding the coffee vocabulary baffling. What some call one thing, others call something else. Well I decided to stake my claim on this lexicon and collect over 100 coffee terms that are currently used in Vancouver. Two of these will be released every Tuesday in something we like to call Terminology Tuesday.	Stove Top Espresso Maker
Resource List (aka the blog roll)
This is where you can find links and resources that we think showcase good coffee knowledge and other helpful sites.	Coffee Beans and Clover Coffee Brewer
Social Media
We have also joined twitter so you can follow us at coffeevancouver. We have a flickr group called ( Vancouver Indy Coffee ) where we’re posting some awesome coffee photos.	Our Flickr Group
And What’s Coming:
User Generated Coffee Terms
Don’t find a term that we have made? Then submit your own, (a very short sign in will be required). We’re still working on the details to make your submission painless and easy and while that is happening please enjoy ours. Plenty of news, reviews and general musing about coffee in Vancouver. Stick around, this is about to get interesting…	Double Shot

Meet Erica Hill, (Erica has moved to Vancouver and now co-authors the blog) I have known Erica for a number of years as we both lived in Portage la Prairie at the same time. Now Portage doesn’t have much of a coffee scene actually there was only one indy cafe called The Grindstone and Erica worked there. I had sinced moved back to Vancouver and she moved to Lethbridge and then Regina, but she always gave me a hard time about my Starbucks rant, amongst other things, I said well there is so much more to coffee than just Starbucks. And while in Vancouver there is more to coffee, but Regina? Not so much.

Erica decided to come to Vancouver to celebrate new years and get a break from the snow of Regina, and we couldn’t deliver the usual balmy west coast weather she wanted, I was able to show her around some of the cafes in Vancouver, and so here are one girls thoughts about coffee in Vancouver. For better or for worse. . .

Drink & Cafe	Drink	Roast (if known)	Comments
49 Parallel Cafe	8 oz Latte (1 shots)	Epic Espresso	The coffee wasn’t bitter, I could drink this coffee with out a lot of milk. 8oz with one shot and I didn’t need a lot of sugar.
Prado Cafe	12 oz latte	49th Organic Espresso	I like how (the cafe) wasn’t as crazy busy or intense, I like the big cups, I can taste the flavour of the coffee more. I don’t like the bitterness of most coffee, but I do like the taste of coffee.
Tony's Cream Puffs	Tony’s Deli and Catering		Cream Puff intermission, hmmm. . . .
Bump and Grind	Clover 12oz	Costa Rica Montes de Oro Honey	It is the only coffee I could drink black, It actually tastes better black than with cream and sugar. . .
Other visits from her trip
Wicked Cafe	12 oz Latte	Black Cat	Creamer, smoother in taste. Love the intelligentsia logo….
Starbucks	12 oz Latte	Starbucks Roast	It was a good amount of coffee flavour and it wasn’t overwhelming… and the sweetness was kinda spicy…like cinnamon or something… It was creamy and the foam was actually kick ass.
Bread Garden	16 oz Latte		My latte never showed up, I had to go up and ask for it. So they finally brought it out like 20 minutes after it was ordered and it tastes awful…it was more like an Americano with foam… and it was super bitter. I added so much milk and sugar and it still tasted disgusting, very watery… Like normal shitty coffee that had been steamed. I just left the whole thing sitting there, never drank any of it.

Conclusion:

I felt like the barista’s were more involved with the customers at the locally owned coffee shops. They make you feel like a friend, at Starbucks they have kind of like a production line set up and you are purposefully separated from the barista.
I like talking to someone and making friends with them…at the ‘minimalist’ coffee shop, the woman there (Amy York) was really nice…they were all actually really nice.
At the locally owned coffee shops I feel like I can get what I want, but at Starbucks I feel as though I have to order only what’s on the menu, pre-made drinks.

And now at home:

Well just pure disappointment at what lattes I could get in Vancouver but will never be able to get here… I LOVED the latte art, it’s so easy to learn and people could take a short course to do it.. and the baristas are just so boring here now…
I wish there was a nice friendly coffee shop here and actually I wish there were more options for coffee shops in Regina…if you don’t want a chain store then you have very few options.

(Editors note: Much like Geoff,  Erica now mail orders her 49th Parallel as she missed that “Good Vancouver Coffee” way to much)

Well… I really didn’t go anywhere, but I had graduated school found a real job (and was layed off due to the economy four months later). I got kicked out of my Starbucks loving roommates apartment because he wanted to live with his new wife, the audacity, I thought!

What has happened coffee wise in the last couple months?

• Bump and Grind excels in quality and has a monthly coffee cupping hosted by Mr. Coffee Geek himself Mark Prince.
• Fare trade not so fare at all?
• Interviewed by The Point on CBC about the poor man’s latte (help me find it online)
• Cafe Luna gets a Smartmouth and a new owner.

Ya but what about the blog?

Q: Are you ever going to post more stories, reviews, rants?

A: Yes

Q: Can we get added to your fair trade list?

A: No, but not because we don’t like you. The fair trade list isn’t very fair and it never really became what I wanted it too.

Q: When are the improvements coming to the site?

A: I hate to give a wrong time line but any major improvement won’t be made until the new year. (Updates have launched March)

Wicked Cafe on Hemlock

Well, my loyal readers, Geoff Howe decided to stay on the Island for a couple more days and so I delayed the Expresso-thon. This is kind of a good thing since I have been out with a cold for the past week.
But I decided to go out and meet a fellow blogger, Peter Van de Reep. He writes Pulling Shots, (The blog has been in Stasis since January) a barista view of the world and works weekends at Wicked Cafe on West 7th and Hemlock. Wicked Cafe was started by Brad Ford back in circa 2004. I had been to Wicked a number of times before, so coming in today was a complete surprise, but not really in the best way.

• Please see the update at the bottom of this review •

Peter's Latte Art

Brad Ford is the Canadian distributor for Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, who starting roasting in 1995 and is completely a direct trade shop even before it was chic to do so.
I first had a Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos tea supplied by Steeps Tea, which helped relieve my ailing cold. Then with Peter at the helm, I had a 12 oz foamy latte with some awesome foam art going on. The quality of their coffee is really on par with the top cafes of Vancouver, and their baristas have the knowledge to back up any questions you might have.

Quality does not equal comfort

When I first entered the cafe, the door was left open, and brought in a lot of noise from the street. When some one went to close it because they were cold they were quite boldly stopped by one of the staff.
I found a seat at the large communal table in the centre of the cafe and had a large chill run down my back from the open door. Peter later told me that behind the counter it is really, really hot from all the machinery and well I sympathized. It didn’t increase the enjoyment of my stay.

Sunlight streams into Wicked Cafe

I also remember a couple of years ago that most of the seating were comfy chairs. I saw only two chairs (there is actually four), a huge table that could sit many people. I think the comfy chairs suit Wicked a lot more then the large table.

But the thing that bothered me the most about my visit to Wicked was how loud everything was. From the noise of the traffic on the street, to the yanking of the grinder, to the sound of the cash register. There was also a large tube coming from the kitchen into the front area. It looked as if the kitchen was under-construction.

The end of this story is that although there is a lot of room for improvement on Wicked’s ambience the real proof, is in the quality of the roast, the knowledge of the barista, and the quality of the pour. All of which were top of the line.

It is just not a place I would go to study for an exam or read a book.

Update March, 09: I was in Wicked Cafe on Hemlock recently and found the place quieter, the service was quick and coffee was excellent. I found the barista working behind the bar weren’t as noisy either. Noise of a espresso machine and grinders can’t be helped, but what can be helped it how hard you are on your equipment. If you watch the girls at Prado or the boys at 49th Cafe you can still have a conversation over a working cafe. Music was pretty mellow too. 

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Wicked Cafe
Drink ordered: 12 oz latte & 12 oz Rooibos
Discount of own to-go cup: didn’t ask sorry!
Barista Knowledge: Best in Vancouver
Barista’s friendliness: friendly and knowledgeable
Website: www.wickedcafe.ca

Victrola Coffee Roasters

When walking into the Victrola Cafe and Roastery Pike Street location you see high ceilings, brick walls, large bay windows that let you look on to the street but also into the roasting area. this cafe has a large open feel to it as has a great subtle feel to it. Thanks to Amy York of Prado for suggesting it.

This is a place where I could get my groove on to throw downs some prose.

As smooth as honey, as sweet as love

After witnessing all that is Starbucks at Pike Place Market and needed some mellow moments of creativity and good coffee. The barista behind the counter was cool, not suggesting any special drink or trying to up sell me on anything. I knew I wasn’t in Starbucks country anymore, this was a good thing. . . . The Americano was smooth to the taste and a delight to experience with not a hint of bitterness. It was one the best decafe’s I have ever had.

I began a conversation with Chris Sharp about Macintosh battery life on the MacBook Pro and then asked “Do you worked here.”

His response was “ya kinda, I own it”

Fair Play

We had a good conversation about fair trade certification of the coffee beans and why direct trade is better then fair trade. I quite enjoyed my conversation with Sharp, I learnt more about the foundation of the direct trade agreements roasters like Sharp have and why it is more important to foster these types of relationship. I certainly agree with Sharp seeing what importers like 49th Parallel has done with the relationships with their farmers which has brought a lot of social conciseness to the coffee scene in Vancouver.

The café is certainly top of my list for Seattle cafés and has some nice soothing music to it. I certainly recommend this cafe to any visitor to Seattle, it is worth a visit.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Victrola Cafe & Roastery
Drink ordered: Decafe 12 oz Americano
Discount of own to-go cup: You get nothing
Barista knowledge: solid skill
Barista friendlyness: Nice, but not all that talkative
Website: www.victrolacoffee.com

Stumptown Pine Location

I checked out Stumptown’s Capitol Hill location very briefly, but what I saw I like, it was a different type of feel then Victrola. The two barista’s behind the counter were very lively and full of energy who had great aditudes when I walked in. I had a 12 oz. Latte that was poured perfectly with some funky free pour art. I barely had a chance to take in the surroundings. I did ask few locals and they all approved it’s awesomeness. I on my next trip to the emerald city I hope I get some more time in Stumptown.

Where this blog was written: Stumptown Pine Location
Drink ordered: 12 oz latte
Discount of own to-go cup: Did not ask sorry..
Barista Knowledge: Lacking in some latte art, but skilled none the less
Barista friendlyness: Two funny, cute and full of energy female baristas
Website: www.stumptowncoffee.com