fiend Senior Member Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 54 Location: the Van City
Posted Mon Nov 1, 2004, 4:17pm Subject: Vancouver Walkabout
As mentioned in a previous thread, my girlfriend and I stayed in the city these last two days to do some apartment hunting. Having recently discovered CoffeeGeek and the beauty of a good espresso, I had a secondary agenda of hitting some of the finer coffee establishments in town.
Yesterday was primarily a shopping and apartment hunting day but we did manage to stop in at Hornby Caffe Artigiano for my second quality espresso experience... the first being an introduction and comparison to some un-named over-roasted beans at Snoboy's house last friday.
Knowing that Artigiano poured coffee-art on every milk drink they served, I decided to start my adventure off with a macchiato while my girlfriend went with the latte. Since I know very little about quality espresso, I'll reserve judgement on anything at this point for later visits when my palate has something intelligent to tell me. We both enjoyed our drinks immensely though. While I did enjoy the look of Artigiano, I didn't find it to be a very relaxing atmosphere... largely because we were there on a Sunday just before noon but also because I've never seen so many staff members working in such a small space at one time. I think there were something like seven staff on and everything seemed rather hectic.
Abbie had to work today so I was on my own and on foot. Fortunately we're staying reasonably close to The Elysian Room and Granville Island.
A 30 minute walk through the rain found me sitting in front of a great espresso pulled by Alistair on a naked portafilter. It was impressive to watch Alistair at work and to see the dedication and care he puts into every shot. I also appreciated the glass of water he served automatically with my espresso. I don't know how common it is for coffee bars to do that, but it was appreciated. Drink two was a cappuccino finished with a foam apple and was also thoroughly enjoyed. Of all my coffee bar experiences (including before my recent espresso enlightenment) I would say that The Elysian Room was my favourite over-all experience. The decor is beautiful and the atmosphere was perfect for me to sit and write in my notebook for over an hour. The staff were very friendly and I was impressed to see that a large percentage of the customers seemed to know Alistair by name.
My next stop was Granville Island where I intended to hit JJ Bean. While looking for a washroom and thinking about grabbing a bite to eat I noticed the Blue Parrot coffee bar and decided to try some of their organic espresso. I didn't enjoy my single shot very much. I couldn't quite say why, but it seemed to have what I would imagine as bad mouthfeel.
I was happy to make my way to JJ Bean and was soon sipping another great espresso, also pulled from a naked portafilter. I'm not sure how common these are in Vancouver these days, but it was interesting to notice the quality and quantity of crema that was produced. For dessert I had a 12oz Jamaican Blue latte and grabbed a 1/2lb each of the decaf French Sumatra and the Terra Del Sol for later consumption in our press-pot. The Jamaican Blue latte was delicious. The staff here were also very friendly. At both JJ Beans and The Elysian Room, I felt as though I was being asked how the espresso was because the baristi were genuinely concerned about their product and my enjoyment of it... compared to the Blue Parrot where my drink was pulled and the staff were right back to chatting with each other.
Tommorow it's back to Squamish and bad coffee, but not without another stop at Artigiano for a ristretto or straight espresso before catching my bus.
snoboy Senior Member Joined: 4 Jun 2004 Posts: 452 Location: Rossland, BC Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: famous Silvia... now PID Grinder: modded Rocky SD Roaster: SC/CO
Posted Mon Nov 1, 2004, 6:16pm Subject: Re: Vancouver Walkabout
I actually enjoy the chaos of Artigiano... the West Van location is especially conducive to watching the staff in full swing. The bar design there is kind of a theater in the round, and there are several seats that have an excellent view of the Marzocco's working side. I also like the peacefulness and refinement of the Elysian Room. It is obvious that Alastair has put a lot of thought into creating a great atmosphere...
I have been asked How the shots were almost every time that they were good. Hine's, JJ, The Black Drop and the Elysian Room. In each case I also got the feeling that the question was sincere, and that if I had a problem with it, it would have been fixed.
Don't forget there is some half decent espresso in Squamish... at the 'Edgewater Cafe' ;)
fiend Senior Member Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 54 Location: the Van City
Posted Mon Nov 1, 2004, 7:37pm Subject: Re: Vancouver Walkabout
Hehe, I was actually just thinking about that before I sat down and opened CoffeeGeek... I'll have some JJ Bean beans to take home (sadly, still stuck with pre-ground, but the quality will still be better than my previous stock).
And I think we might just have to work on finding any other lurking Squamish espresso lovers for technique clinics and tasting at the Edgewater Cafe :p
I understand what you mean about the chaos of Artigiano... unfair of me to compare it to my relaxing day today. I look forward to going back tomorrow and spending a bit more time watching the baristi.
It was funny being in there on halloween. We kept forgetting that it was halloween on sunday and that people were dressed up at work (it can be hard to tell whether people are dressed up or not in downtown Vancouver). Several of the staff had fake blood dripping from their hairlines and at first glance I thought one of the baristas actually had a dripping head-wound! Oddly enough my only thought was: 'That can't be sanitary.'
snoboy Senior Member Joined: 4 Jun 2004 Posts: 452 Location: Rossland, BC Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: famous Silvia... now PID Grinder: modded Rocky SD Roaster: SC/CO
Posted Sun Nov 7, 2004, 10:34am Subject: Re: Vancouver Walkabout
Certainly,
Hine's is in Seattle, and you will find mention of it all over this board.
The Black drop is in Bellingham, and you will also find it mentioned here, and you will see posts from alexarc, one of the owners...
Now I am going to go and dig up the addresses for you.
Black Drop: 300 W. Champion St. Bellingham, WA
360 738 3767
Hines: I don't seem to have an actual street adress or number, and it took me a little while to find them in Seattle with the following directions, but they are basically a mile or so North of the REI store.
"take I-5 to downtown you can take the Lakeview Drive exit (take a left after the exit, then a left at the first stop light which is Lynn, head down to Eastlake, and we/re right there next to the greek restaurant)" SW Corner of Eastlake and Lynn basically.
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