The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

Coffee Vancouver SOLD!!!

Robert — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 21:31:18 +0000

Wow that was fast and some what serendipitous I posted this to the site yesterday at the same time George from http://cleanhotdry.com was wondering what I was doing with the site. George lives in Vancouver and is a coffee enthusiast. He plans on doing something completely new… But I am just glad to...

More than Just a Blog

Robert — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 00:58:19 +0000

When I started this thing it was just a blog. A thing to get a good mark on a course some three years ago. But with the growth of anything. The more I understood about coffee, wordpress and the internet. The more I wanted to change this site. But yet my technical knowledge was actually [...]

Poll: What type of cafes do you want us to review?

Robert — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:28:45 +0000

Don’t worry we’re not going anywhere! Quite the winter eh? If you have followed our tweets and thanks to the 575 followers who are :-). You’ve noticed we have exhausted our supply of coffee terms, we have a ever lasting distaste for BC Ferries Coffee and think Coke should really...

Woody

Robert — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:00:35 +0000

The taste of expired coffee. Woody coffee has a smell of dry wood or cardboard. This defect results when beans are improperly stored for an extended period of time. Coffees stored in high temperatures and humidity, such as port cities, tend to deteriorate the bean quickly and it becomes woody. All...

Whole Bean

Robert — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:01:03 +0000

Roasted coffee beans that have not been ground. Whole beans has the advantage of staying fresh longer than ground coffee. Whole bean is commonly sold for it’s utility as much as its freshness as it can be ground to different sizes for different brewing methods.

Wet

Robert — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:29 +0000

The most common usage of this verb in Vancouver is when ordering a wet cappuccino. The drink is made by first pouring the espresso shot(s) and then adding 1/3 steamed milk topped with the last third micro foam. A wet cappuccino is considered a regular cappuccino. Author’s note: In my opinion,...

Wet Process

Robert — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:01:59 +0000

In the wet process, ripe cherries are first immersed in water where any floating (coffee) cherries are removed as defective. The remaining cherries are then pressed by machine against a perforated surface, allowing only the seed to pass through the holes. The remaining pulp is then removed by...

Water Purification

Robert — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:00:56 +0000

All coffee brewing benefit from water purification. Water purification improves the taste, odour and appearance of brewed coffee. Effective filters remove contaminates, excess chlorine, particulate matter and other impurities.

Toddy

Robert — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:01:09 +0000

Is the trademarked term referencing a cold, brewed-coffee method. It has become part of the lexicon, as a generalized term. The generic term for toddy is cold, brewed coffee. Some coffee establishments call it cold, brewed-coffee concentrate.

Tamping

Robert — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:00:22 +0000

Tamping coffee grounds is necessary to produce a consistent spread of water over the entire espresso shot. Tamping is needed to prevent the channelling of the water flowing from the porta-filter through the roast. If the spent grounds do not come out in the shape of a round, puck shape then the...

Tamper

Robert — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:01:39 +0000

A short, disc-like object that is usually two or three inches in length. It is commonly made of metal or plastic, and the handle part can be wrapped in wood. Tampers are often hand-held accessories or attached to espresso grinders. Author’s note: Attached tampers allow baristas to handle the...

Swiss Water Process

Robert — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:00:56 +0000

The Swiss Water Process is a 100 per cent, chemical-free coffee decaffeination process. Most decaffeination processes use chemical solvents, such as methylene chloride (MC). The Swiss water process uses only water to remove caffeine, producing a water processed decaf coffee.

Storage

Robert — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:01:44 +0000

Whole bean coffee tastes best within the first week after it’s roasted. If it’s ground, coffee goes stale quite fast. After it is ground keep it in an air-tight container, in a cupboard or pantry, away from heat, moisture or direct sunlight. Do not store your coffee in the fridge or...

Steaming Pitcher

Robert — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:05 +0000

A stainless steel container used in conjunction with the steam wand to make frothed milk. Author’s note: The best steaming pitcher are small containers where one drink is made per container. This will cut down on cost but also to stylize the drink by customer request.

Can a Coffee Chain Expand and Keep Quality?

Robert — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:17:24 +0000

The Globe and Mail one of my favorite newspapers has a really decent article on micro-chain café expansion. They talk with Willie Mounzer, co-owner of Caffé Artigiano, Vince Piccolo of 49th Parallel and John Neate of JJ Bean and some guy from Starbucks PR. It is a really in-depth and decent article...

Steam Wand

Robert — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:01:44 +0000

A pipe stem connecting to the top of an espresso machine that is used to provide the steam for frothing milk.

Sour

Robert — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:00:12 +0000

An excessively sharp, biting and unpleasant flavour (For example, vinegar or acetic acid). Soury flavours are sometimes associated with the aroma of fermented coffee. A sour taste is caused by overripe or already fermenting cherries, or by improper fermentation where yeasts and alcohol form...

Skinny

Robert — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:01:40 +0000

Any espresso drink made with non-fat milk. For example, a skinny latte is a latte made with non-fat milk.

Single Origin

Robert — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:00:27 +0000

Unblended coffee from a growing region or plantation. Author’s note: Single origin can be considered less complex of a roast and tends to be strong to one type of flavour, hence the term single origin.

Shot

Robert — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:01:40 +0000

Author’s note: I don’t currently have a proper description or measurement for a single shot of espresso. Please take this definition with a grain of salt until the redesign. A serving of espresso is approximately 1 oz. Shots pulled short are less than 1 oz. Shots pulled long are more...