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Coffeehouse and Cafe Reviews


phaelon56

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just been to the Elysian room for a coffee with the missis, and very nice it was too.

You guys looked very busy, over heard some freak asking about your hot chocolate, gee how you don`t end up strangling folk is beyond me :]

I also got 1/2 pound o` beans for home use the Elysian espresso blend, great beans guys. Tell me more about the if you get a second.

Edited by transfattyacid (log)
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the coffee that we buy from Elysian coffee and tea is from Hines Public Market coffee; I'm hoping that the roaster who makes it will relocate to Vancouver...wonderful stuff.

I'm also dying to try coffe made on the new clover machine that Elysian have.

Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you. twofish@iyume.com

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I'm also dying to try coffe made on the new clover machine that Elysian have.

Yeah that machine caught my eye, they have some pretty cool kit there eh !

But what does the clover thing do ? yeah make coffee i take it but how ?

I would be interested to hear the machinics of it, and how it differs from regular coffee brewed in a more traditional way.

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I'm also dying to try coffe made on the new clover machine that Elysian have.

Yeah that machine caught my eye, they have some pretty cool kit there eh !

But what does the clover thing do ? yeah make coffee i take it but how ?

I would be interested to hear the machinics of it, and how it differs from regular coffee brewed in a more traditional way.

We tried the Clover machine coffee at Artigiano two weekends ago. It is basically an automated french press machine. You dump in freshly ground coffee. The machine then sprays hot water over the coffee grind. After a few minutes, the coffee is sucked out from the bottom via a vacuum underneath (instead of being pressed down manually by a plunger). The result is pretty much the same as a cup of coffee from a french press pot, as far as we can tell. We decide that we prefer the coffee from the espresso machine at Artigiano.

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from the Clover press release:

Why the excitement over Clover? The development of the specialty coffee industry has taken an interesting course over the last twenty years. Though the traditional coffee beverage of the North American consumer has been filter coffee—affectionately known as “drip” after its most common brewing method—the principal focus of quality-minded roasters and cafés has been on espresso. Many technical improvements have been seen in espresso machines and much labor given to espresso blends over this time, leaving filter coffee to languish, ageing in air pots or burning on the office coffee maker. Yet roasters have always understood the glory of individual, single-origin coffees. Much like wine, coffees exhibit the complexities of place, season, and process, bringing forth characteristics of each growing region, each coffee varietal. Until now, roasters have been hamstrung by the state of filter brewing technology, either making large batches that stale, or delivering individual servings in a painstaking, messy and time consuming process.

The machine employs the innovative Vacuum-Press™ technology, which borrows from the two traditional methods considered best for brewing filter coffee: the “French press” and the vacuum brewer. Both of these technologies were developed well over 100 years ago, and take five minutes minimum to deliver their brew. Now mechanized with Clover 1, the brew time is shortened to about a minute, while the quality remains. Other developments that help achieve this enormous leap include computer-controlled water temperature regulation and volumetric sensors for correct water dosage. The most important aspect of all of these technological advances is that they are completely customizable. As Elysian Coffee’s Alistair Durie articulates, “Clover takes full control of the brewing variables, yet still allows complete and precise control to the barista. Its ‘open-kitchen’ architecture reveals the beauty of preparing coffee with results that can be depended on in each and every cup.”

...

The first two of four Clover brewers manufactured have been installed in Vancouver at Caffe Artigiano (Hornby St location) and The Elysian Room, 1778 West 5th @ Burrard St.

We offer 3 to 5 coffee's to choose from, which if you visit with 2-4 people can be split so you can taste the contrast between each origin.

Alistair Durie

Elysian Coffee

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  • 2 months later...
  • 11 months later...

This is very cool.

Eric Schrepel from Portland has created a map of what he thinks are the Best Places for Espresso in North America using Google Maps:

Espressomap.com

In Vancouver:

Caffe Artigiano

Continental Coffee

Elysian Room

JJ Bean

Prado Cafe

Wicked Cafe

In North Vancouver:

Brazza

In Victoria:

Caffe Fantastico

Discovery Coffee

Dolce Vita

2% Jazz Coffee

Think of the possibilities! I'd personally want to do a "cheap eats" version for Vancouver...

健啖家(kentan-ka):A hearty eater

He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato

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  • 6 months later...

49th Parallel coffee roasters owned by Vince Piccolo (former owner of Caffe Artigiano) is opening their first coffee shop on W. 4 th between Arbutus and Yew.

Should be pretty interesting to see what he does with this as he sure made an imprint with Artigiano.

(Obviously he didn't have the old 5 year non-compete, when he sold Artigiano, as is the norm.)

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49th Parallel coffee roasters owned by Vince Piccolo (former owner of Caffe Artigiano) is opening their first coffee shop on W. 4 th between Arbutus and Yew.

Should be pretty interesting to see what he does with this as he sure made an imprint with Artigiano.

(Obviously he didn't have the old 5 year non-compete, when he sold Artigiano, as is the norm.)

The laws of Canada have shot down most non-compete clause....stating it it illegal to put into a contract a clause that retards your ability to make an income (be it your primary source) should you need to maintain your lifestyle, etc etc etc...

Or maybe Vince is doing something different enough (we all know he is smart enough and a visionary) that it does not conflict with his sale of Artigiano!!! This is probably the case.

I have had so much fun pairing food with coffee through Colter (employee/Artigiano) that I hope one day I can host a coffee/food night at Metro.

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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49th Parallel coffee roasters owned by Vince Piccolo (former owner of Caffe Artigiano) is opening their first coffee shop on W. 4 th between Arbutus and Yew.

Should be pretty interesting to see what he does with this as he sure made an imprint with Artigiano.

(Obviously he didn't have the old 5 year non-compete, when he sold Artigiano, as is the norm.)

The laws of Canada have shot down most non-compete clause....stating it it illegal to put into a contract a clause that retards your ability to make an income (be it your primary source) should you need to maintain your lifestyle, etc etc etc...

Or maybe Vince is doing something different enough (we all know he is smart enough and a visionary) that it does not conflict with his sale of Artigiano!!! This is probably the case.

I have had so much fun pairing food with coffee through Colter (employee/Artigiano) that I hope one day I can host a coffee/food night at Metro.

Perhaps a change in the laws but I'll bet he has a non compete within at least a block or more from any Artigianos.

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Perhaps a change in the laws but I'll bet he has a non compete within at least a block or more from any Artigianos.

All the better for Kits: this'll be two blocks from my house :biggrin:

Is that the old puppy mill building?

No, it's just across the street in one of the newer spaces.

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  • 3 months later...

In the last little while I've been frequenting Trees Organic Coffee and keep coming away impressed. Although it's in a bit of a funny location at the moment, along the Granville St construction zone between W Pender and W Hastings, it definitely seems to have become a gathering spot for people in the area. ESL students also seem to make up a large contingent - either it's for the cheesecake or the owners have managed to get the shop into a lot of guidebooks. And it's open every day until pretty late. The coffee is roasted on site, the muffins and cheesecake are awesome, and they have live music on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.

Website

The only downside for me is the decor - I tend to bump my head on the "branches" of the "trees" inside. :wacko:

健啖家(kentan-ka):A hearty eater

He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato

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  • 2 months later...

A couple of new branches of the Vancouver mini coffee chains have opened downtown in the last couple of months.

JJ Bean has opened in Yaletown at the corner of Homer & Davie - it's a bit of a small space, but they have a cool little upstairs nook area which works well. Kind of like a Yaletown apt I guess. And Caffe Artigiano now has a location on Granville St near Dunsmuir.

I actually wish that the locations were switched - I'm more often on Granville St and I'm a big fan of JJ Bean's roasts. I've tried Artigiano a number of times but their roasts just don't work for me. It's like they're too bitter or something. Anyone else find this?

健啖家(kentan-ka):A hearty eater

He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato

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A couple of new branches of the Vancouver mini coffee chains have opened downtown in the last couple of months.

JJ Bean has opened in Yaletown at the corner of Homer & Davie - it's a bit of a small space, but they have a cool little upstairs nook area which works well. Kind of like a Yaletown apt I guess. And Caffe Artigiano now has a location on Granville St near Dunsmuir.

I actually wish that the locations were switched - I'm more often on Granville St and I'm a big fan of JJ Bean's roasts. I've tried Artigiano a number of times but their roasts just don't work for me. It's like they're too bitter or something. Anyone else find this?

Yeah, I've found that with Caffe Artigiano too - great cappucinos, but the drip coffee is so incredibly bitter & acidic that I can't finish a cup. And I like my coffee strong! I haven't tried the coffee at 49th Parallel, their offshoot on W 4th Ave, but does anyone know how it compares to Artigiano?

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I tried Koko on Denman the other day. I didn't get coffee. I got their Italian Thick Hot Chocolate. Damn. That was by far the best hot chocolate I have had in Vancouver. It was extremely thick and creamy with a nice bitter chocolate flavour. They have something on the menu called a Turkish hot chocolate which is described similarly to a mocha but with cardamon. Gotta try that one next time!

Cheers!

Edited by Vancouver (log)
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I've tried Artigiano a number of times but their roasts just don't work for me. It's like they're too bitter or something. Anyone else find this?

Yeah, I've found that with Caffe Artigiano too - great cappucinos, but the drip coffee is so incredibly bitter & acidic that I can't finish a cup. And I like my coffee strong! I haven't tried the coffee at 49th Parallel, their offshoot on W 4th Ave, but does anyone know how it compares to Artigiano?

49th Parallel is owned by the Piccolo family, who started Artigiano and then sold it a couple of years back. I find the 49th Parallel roasts pretty similar to Artigiano's, although not quite as bitter.

健啖家(kentan-ka):A hearty eater

He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato

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  • 2 months later...

I've been to the 49th Parallel café several times now. It's my favourite place for coffee in Vancouver now. They have every piece of coffee geek kit you could imagine and use it to produce consistently great drinks. I especially like how when you order an espresso it comes on a little tray paired with a glass of water. Nice touch. Also try the croissants there, they are really nice, I wonder who makes them?

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