The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

I was lead down Railspur Alley in Granville Island by graphic designer Andrea Rodgers. She wanted to show me Agro Cafe. Railspur Alley is one of the hidden jewels of Granville Island. It wasn’t too busy when I was there, but according to Andrea it can get quite busy on the weekends.

Walking into the open, wood-frame interior gives you a real nice, open feeling. I ordered an americano, it was almost too hot for an afternoon coffee but since this was a new cafe I had to give their americano a try. It was going to be a bit of a wait (busy place, four-shot machine) so we grabbed a seat on the patio and enjoyed the busker across the lane.

My americano arrived and just from the crema on top I knew it was going to be a good cup. Although, just a fair amount of crema on top does not make a great americano. The first sip was bold, but not bitter with a full body and a good aftertaste. A seemingly perfectly pulled off shot. I must return.

I went back a few days later to try their lattes. The 8 oz. free pour had some nice art to it and was sweet to my soul. The key to a great latte is not to over heat the milk but provide adequate foam. It sounds easy but few do it well.

The food was a bit on the pricey side for a student but is worth it, as it is all made in house. I did try the homemade potato soup, which satisfied my afternoon hunger. Weekdays are noticeably quieter than weekends so the environment changes when the place fills up.
Agro is also fair trade, organic and roasts its own beans in small batches upstairs in the cutest little roaster.
The Cafe has Wifi and provides a mellow mood for your enjoyment. I highly enjoyed both visits to Agro and will make it part of any visit to the Island.

Update May 2009 ~ I recently went back to Agro Cafe and found my Americano decent, great crema but some what depleted finish. I still quite enjoyed my Americano and my time in the cafe. I didn’t try the food this time around though.

Faces and Places

Where blog was written: Agro Cafe
Drinks ordered: 12oz. americano & small latte
Discount of own to-go cup: med priced at a small
Barista Knowledge: quite good
Barista’s friendliness: intelligent & swift
Website: www.agrocafe.org

Address: 1363 Railspur Alley, Vancouver, Canada

The Elysian (pronounced E·ly·sian) Room is one of the great homes for coffee lovers in Vancouver. It is home to one of the best traditionally poured cappuccinos in the city.

The Elysian fields in Greek mythology is the final resting place for the gods’ chosen ones. It is not a far stretch to see why Alistair Durie named his cafe after it. The free pour cappuccinos are to die for and the mellow mood of this cafe plays a mix of Zero 7 and Thievery Corporation in the background.

The Cafe is located just behind the Fifth Avenue Cinema, strangely enough on Fifth Ave. It is tucked into a corner of the building and has a very warm feeling once you enter. I love coming to this cafe just before a show to sip a nice americano before attending a flick with a good friend or partner.

Seating is limited as it is barely the size of a one-bedroom apartment, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality with 49th Parallel beans. There is also free wireless, but because of size don’t make it your home office.

I felt horrible for guys like Alistair Durie who put time and effort in to perfecting and marketing the Clover, only for it to be sold out to Shultz and the green machine.

What I also love about this cafe is that it is inset from Burrard Street. It fits the mellow mood of the cafe. It could almost be missed if you don’t go looking for it and it contrasts most cafes. I rather like that this cafe is arms distance away from the hubbub, much like the Elysian fields themselves.

Faces and Places

Where blog was written:The Elysian Room
Drinks ordered: Traditional Cappuccino and 12oz Americano
Discount of own to-go cup: large for price of a small
Barista skill: Top Notch
Barista’s friendliness: Cool cucumbers
Website: http://www.elysiancoffee.com

Address: 1778 West 5th Avenue, Vancouver

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 •

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.

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

Address: 1399 West 7th Ave, Vancouver

In the last of the Seattle cafes review we head to Bauhaus Books & Coffee.

Walking into Bauhaus you can’t help but feel the culture that surrounds you. Bauhaus is located In Capitol Hill (but nearer to downtown than most) with views of the Space Needle and plenty of outdoor seating.

Class act

I spent a morning at the cafe waiting for my Greyhound back to Vancouver. The staff were awesome, the drink wasn’t bad but it was definite room for improvement.

This two level cafe had a real nice feel to it. I was sitting having my latte and reading my email and I briefly looked up and saw a graphic designer working with his stylist on my left and a man sketching architectural drawings a few tables down. I felt right at home and only wish I could spend a bit more time. Like most of the cafes I really wish I could have spent more at Bauhaus. But with Seattle only four hours away I know I will be back.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Bauhaus books & Coffee
Drink ordered: 12 oz lattle
Discount of own to-go cup: Drip coffee for a buck (any size of mug)
Barista Knowledge: Decent but not excellent
Barista Friendliness: Friendly and Knowledgeable
Website: www.bauhauscoffee.net

Address: 301 East Pine Seattle, Wash, USA

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

Address: 310 E Pike St. Seattle, USA

While on a little trip back home to the Sunshine Coast I decided to check out a little cafe called Wheatberries Bakery. This cafe started as a bakery and is home to the best cookies in the entire world, it’s coffee doesn’t take a back seat either.

The Sechelt location has an open wood feel with sunflowers through out the cafe. There is large bay windows through out the cafe seating area and both indoor and outdoor area’s are bathed in natural light for most of the day.

The company started in the garage of the Mark & Jane Yellowley Robert’s Creek home in 1997 as just a bakery and had quite the following from the early beginnings. They opened their first location in Gibsons (circa 2002) to foster more growth beyond what their garage could handle. At this time they started the cafe portion.

The little bakery that could

The Sechelt Location has been operating for about three years and is centrally located right behind the cenotaph at the end of Cowrie Street.

The little family run company now has two locations in Gibsons, a year round small kiosk at the Langdale Ferry Terminal and the Sechelt Location. I don’t think their after world domination (aka like the big green machine) but it is so nice to get a good cup of coffee before catching the ferry.

The Coffee is supplied by Straight Coffee Traders of Wilson Creek another family run coastal enterprise and is organic fair trade and offers a wide variety of roasts to chose from. I had dry cappuccino which had beautiful velvet foam and was perfectly made. I couldn’t of ask for a better cup anywhere on the Lower Mainland.

The Sechelt location has wireless and was working the last time I was in town. ( March, 09 )

Langdale where the hell is Langdale?

Langdale’s claim to fame is the BC Ferries terminal to Vancouver and for the longest time if you ever missed a boat all you had to look forward to was three sparsely filled vending machines and a dullsville of waiting room for two hours.

Well more then a year ago now Wheatberries took over a former hot dog stand and turned it into a coffee Kiosk which they decided to keep open all year long.

Anything, ANYTHING is better then BC ferries coffee and when I missed the boat a couple of times last winter it was the saving grace of a long two hour wait.

Faces and Places

Where this blog was written: Wheatberries Bakery ( Sechelt )
Drink ordered: dry cappuccino
Discount of own to-go cup: 10 cents
Barista Knowledge: Fast
Barista Friendliness: Friendly
Website: None

Address: 5500 Wharf Street, Sechelt BC & Langdale Ferry Terminal

For this review I decided to say a little closer to home, in fact this is the closest café to my house on The Drive.

Bump and Grind is a saucy joint that has been open for a couple of years on the northern most edge of the Drive. The café is run by Audrey and Joe ( Christine sold the cafe in May, 2008 ) who are business partners and can usually see most days behind the counter.

The surroundings of Bump and Grind give away that this is a little more counter culture then your usual fair. The café boasts a couch full of vocabulary one large table and a few smaller ones with art that changes on a monthly basis. The café has one of the most interesting art installations a while back where the entire café was covered in “2000 pages of handwritten study notes from a Doctoral Candidate” in political science. It was one of the best art displays in a coffee shop, I had ever seen.

DJ can now be seen in the cafe spinning vinyl on the turn tables in the back on the weekends and during the week Joe and Audrey seem to always have something funky playing in the shop.

There is wifi at the shop, but they had taken away all but one power plugins away due to abuse by some loitering customers.

If you just want to sit in a cafe for six hours and nurse one cup of tea go find a Waves.

Sleeves are for wimps

A while back I dropped in to ask if I could have a sleeve for my coffee, (I didn’t bring my own mug ) and it was a bit of a struggle to get one. Apparently Josh and Christine have something against sleeves of the world, Actually they are just trying to reduce the impact on our environment and they are pretty militant about it. But instead of just bitching about something they decided to do something about it.

At Bump and Grind if you want a sleeve you’ll have to pay a buck for one, and they’ll want you to keep it too. It is a cool concept and I wish them the best of luck with it.

Since selling the Cafe Audrey and Joe sell the Coffee Cuff

A little sauce with your coffee

What I really enjoy about the drive is the fact that you can a huge variety of people and viewpoints. I think it is what makes people come to the drive. Bump and Grind is no different. Just don’t ask for a sleeve. Josh and Christine sold the cafe to Audrey and Joe in May, 08. The coffee is still the same quality but is lacking the saucy and somewhat abusive attitude. Dam I will miss that.

Since purchasing the cafe last year Joe and Audrey have really captured the attention of coffee drinkers in Vancouver and it has become one of the top cafes in Vancouver, When some of the top Barista in the country go to Bump and Grind to enjoy an espresso you know they must be doing something right.

Faces and Places

Where this Blog was written: Bump and Grind
Drink ordered: 12oz Costa Rican Roast
Discount of own to-go cup: 10 cents
Barista Knowledge: Top notch
Barista Friendliness: Awesome
Café website : none

Address: 916 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC

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.

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/

Address: 632 Yates Street, Victoria, BC

The wood grain tables counter and chairs give this place a good feel with a small comfy area in the corner and a patio area out front that always seems to have a few characters through out the day. (I usually pass Turks on my way home and also notice how full the patio is) The café has been around The Drive for at least 15 years and is owned by Milano Coffee.

The Americano was true to form a nice bold taste with long lingering after taste and not a hint of burnt or bitterness, this Patrick knows his stuff. (He has since left Turks)

The only thing that bothered me about this café is they don’t give a discount for bringing your own to-go cup. Not 10 cents, nothing. . . .

Training issues

Turks suffers from a lack of training for the staff. According to a couple of current and former employees to properly train the staff it would cost the owners to much and would be cost prohibited to give each and every staff member complete and proper training even if they only stay a week. I really feel for the owners they have a business to run and getting staff is the economy is hot (was hot) is a hard task. But when this review was originally written in June of 2007 all the barista were knowledgeable and I never had a bad drink, As of March 2009, I can barely get a decent drink made at Turks, this has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with the amount of time the owners are spending with the rookie staff.

. I have had great drinks from Turks but I have also had some pretty weak and poorly made drink, it all depends on barista. I also can’t find any evidence of direct trade practises.

Location Location Location

I still, and always have like the vibe you get when you walk into turks, I am not sure Turks would be a place I would recommend if it wasn’t for the location on the drive. Because of the eclectic nature of the the environment that surrounds Turks is the only thing that saves this place. They still play awesome music, have free wifi and it is still a place I can sit down and enjoy the environment.

Faces and Places

Where this Blog was written: Turks on the Drive
Drink ordered: One shot Americano
Discount of own cup: You get nothing!
Barista Knowledge: Poor
Barista Friendliness: Nice good selection of music

Address: 1276 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

I heard through the grapevine that Benny’s Bagels on Broadway was open after a fire had damaged the business last January and left it closed for a couple of months. I thought a review was in order if they were open.
It was after a Friday morning class that I decided to check this place out and after a long bus ride that took forever both tired and hungry and hot, all I wanted was bagels.

All I can say is wow, this place looks amazing, The entire shop from top to bottom was finished in wood and after the fire. The floor was replace along with the railings on the second floor of this high ceiling café. There were some great and groove tunes that were just loud enough to get into but yet subtle enough to carry a conversation over.

I first tried the focaccia bagel toasted with cream cheese and it is most likely the best bagel I have ever had in my entire life. I would give it a 15 out of 10. The only problem was I savored so quickly I had to get a second one.
I then tried the Cinnamon and Raisin Bagel and, although it wasn’t as good as the focaccia one, it was still a 9 of 10 in my book.

Coffee? oh right coffee. . .

Benny’s also serves coffee from the North Vancouver based Bean Around the World Roastry. I really wasn’t in a coffee mood when I arrived, but I still give this shop my seal of approval. Bring any size and style of to-go mug and they will fill it for a buck fity ($1.50).

They are also planning a welcome back Benny’s open mike night and free wireless available for you laptop users. The café is also licensed with Okanagan Spring on tap, not that I sampled a pint or two on the padio after writing this blog. . .

I would say whole (wheat maybe) heartily welcome back Benny’s!

Update: April/2009 I went to try the coffee, I stayed for the bagels. True to form Benny’s focaccia bagel is still the best bagel in the entire world, If I only could eat one begal for the rest of my life it would be a Benny’s focaccia bagel. The Americano was decent. I am not a fan of a extremely dark roast, but that is more of a personal preference, their was plenty of crema and cooled nicely.

Faces and Places

Where this Blog was written: Benny’s Bagel’s Broadway
Drink ordered: drink what drink it’s all about the bagels. . .
Discount of own cup: You are charged the “to stay” price
Barista Knowledge: decent
Barista Friendliness : Awesome, I was even ID when I ordered a pint of ale (I am 30!)
Café website : none

Address: 2505 W Broadway, Vancouver