Aeropress: the other way to espresso

Last summer a friend of mine gave me a gift. When I opened it, I saw a package which contained what looked like to be a giant syringe. After thanking him, he took one look at me and he realized that I had no idea what the apparatus was. He told me it was an Aeropress - as if that meant anything to me. He went on to explain that this little device was the latest trend in the world of coffee connaisseurs. Groups of coffee loving experts walk around tasting different coffee beans at coffee conventions toting their little Aeropresses under their arms. These folk no longer take the standard coffee brew. Instead, all they need is about half a cup of boiling hot water, fresh medium ground coffee and two minutes.

You can youtube Aeropress and watch a demonstration, but let me try to explain it to you. Within what one would imagine to be the chamber of the syringe, you would place your coffee grounds. The grounds are held in by a plastic mesh lined with a paper filter. You then add your hot water to the labeled amount. Taking what looks like a small mixing paddle, the grounds and water are stirred together for 10 seconds. You then remove the mixing paddle and insert the plunger which creates an air tight chamber. As the plunger is pushed further in, the increased air pressure within the chamber forces the coffee goodness through the paper filter and into your cup. To clean, simply remove the plastic mesh cap, and pop out the coffee puck in a single push. The inside of the chamber is clean, the paper filter can be reused, and your espresso is ready. You only need to determine how much hot water you want to add to make an Americano. The Aeropress can make up to 4 shots in one press.

The Aeropress essentially makes an espresso shot using drip grind which means those relegated to drink standard preground coffee can enjoy the luxury of espresso anywhere. The taste is surprisingly flavourful. It is far superior to drip coffee and even French press, but it is still not the perfect device. You still have to have boiled water on hand which means that along with the Aeropress, you need a kettle and heat source. Because you pour, mix and press your hot water through, a lot of heat is released which means that if you like your espresso hot, you may have to drink it immediately. Someone also needs to work on the design of the equipment because the mixing paddle, the coffee scoop, and the funnel do not fit neatly into a single self contained unit. And lastly, not unlike a stove top espresso maker, the Aeropress does not make that lovely crema.

The Aeropress makes an impressive shot of espresso. If you were to perform this little ritual in public or amongst friends, you really would look like a caffeine addict which may raise a couple of eyebrows, but if that doesn't bother you I would say get it. I would take this over a stove top espresso machine any day of the week and twice on Sundays because you can control the amount of water used, the coffee grounds can't be burnt and the ritual is far cooler.

The Bamboo Cafe - Panda or Tiki or Both?

When I think of the Bamboo Cafe I can only think of two things: a panda bear sitting quietly in the corner of a room surrounded by people sipping on some hot beverages, or a tacky restaurant lit up bit tiki torches where people wear serve food in floral patterned hawaiian shirts. I don't know why, I just do. However, just as those images are puzzling so is the direction of where this little cafe is headed. It is located across the street from the Joyce Sky Train Station and has an eclectic collection of individuals who frequent the place. Over the years, it has been undergoing a bit of an evolution. It started as a coffee shop where people could run in, get a coffee and perhaps a baked good and head out on the next bus leaving the station. It then turned into a cafe that served hamburgers and french fries. Now it is a licensed cafe where locals can hang out, watch a bit of the game on the ol' tube and start up a tab. The food is fair enough considering that it is a restaurant by a skytrain station where people want their food by the time their bus is scheduled to leave. I sometimes see the place in the evening as I drive by, and there are still people passing through the place.

But what about the coffee? Since the beginning, the coffee seems to have been lost in the mix. Yet it is still hanging in there. The coffee is a better alternative to the drip coffee that I suffer through at work. They still make an americano with too much water no matter what I say. Some people just don't understand the concept of too much water in an americano.

Despite its scattered focus on what it is, the place still seems to be able to do brisk business. Perhaps it has actually found its niche. For the number of different people in the Collingwood Neighbourhood and the types of folks who flow through the station, perhaps The Bamboo has answered their calling: A cafe that does a little bit of everything. It's not my idea of a great business model, but hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Out of 5 Faresavers

Scene: 1 I find it difficult to be in there. You get everyone from neighbours to commuters. The lay out is a little bit better since they've expanded but somehow I find it a bit more on the tiki side of things rather than the panda - and I mean this not in a good way. I still go every once in a while, but I try not to linger.

Grub: 2 The food is fair, but it does feel a little bit like highway robbery. You pay for the convenience of being able to get something while in transit.

Coffee: 2 The coffee is at best inconsistent, but I will still go there because it is still better than the utilitarian coffee I am slugging back around the corner.

Agro Cafe Not so Agro

Typically when I see the colours of brown and orange in any decor I can't help but think of A&W restaurants in the early 80's. However when you throw in a few paper light fixtures and spot lighting into some cleaned up industrial venting and some exposed wood, mix in some stainless steel appliances and some white tile, you get a rather stylish little cafe. Agro Cafe located on Granville Island is tucked away in Railspur Alley. It has a great industrial loft feel with an open kitchen concept. There is a steady flow of people coming and going, but strangely you feel like you have escaped the busy crowds of the market place. The crowd ranges from False Creek residents to young families to artsy students who actually have money for a fancy coffee.

Agro serves up their own house roast. It has a deep full bodied roasted flavour and your coffee is usually served the way you ask for it. Agro serves up a variety of baked goods (usually organic and sometimes vegan friendly. Agro also has a light lunch menu but everything is made when ordered which takes a little longer but you know it hasn't been sitting in a display case for a few days.

Out of 5 Papa Burgers

Scene: 4 The location is great and the decor is tasteful. There are just enough chairs to seat people although they need to figure some things out with managing the line up entry and exit people flow.

Grub: 4 The food is quite good, but it does take a little bit of time to arrive, and for the time you wait you would expect there to be just a little bit more.

Coffee: 4 I do enjoy the coffee. They do serve a nice americano and will make it to your specifications, but the flavour still doesn't blow me away. It definitely gives me a nice little buzzy feeling that makes one warm inside, but just not that full blown crackling campfire complete with marshmallows and a blissful starry night kind of coffee.

Elysian Room: doesn't necessarily mean exceedingly delightful

The Elysian Room can be found right around the corner from the 5th Avenue Cinemas right on 5th avenue off of Burrard. Many movie goers frequent the little cafe before or after their movies. Whenever I have gone there off show time hours, I have noticed that this little cafe attracts a more mature and quieter crowd that is there more for a little afternoon tea than anything else. Even the decor kind of screams out to a certain crowd: large cloths draped from the ceiling that look like they were bought from a street vendor in a foreign country; a colour palette that seems like it was made to match terra cotta; lighting that might have once been very cool around 1995; and furniture that kind of forces you to sit properly and not linger too long. I am not slamming this place by any means. It serves some tasty coffees (fair trade and organic), it has a nice variety of loose teas (although inconsistent in leaf shred and includes some small twigs and branches), and even serves clover coffee and a couple of other coffee preparation alternatives. The baked goods are tasty even though the prices seem to be set to a bit more of an upscale market.

This is not a place that I would frequent often, but I would go there if I was waiting for someone to see a movie. I don't know if this place would be very kid friendly. It's kind of like going to that aunt's house who is more mature and who likes to have everything the way she likes it, and there is certainly a particular way of doing things when visiting her place - if you know what I mean.

Out of 5 Movie Review Stars

Scene: 2 I would rate this higher if I had guests coming into town and didn't want to scare them with to many hip folk. There really seems like there is a " no lingering" feel to the place.

Grub: 3 It is the taste of the goods that saves it here. I just don't know if the taste matches the value. It really is more of a cafe. Light pre-portioned meals available.

Coffee: 4 It is good coffee, and the fact that you can get your coffee prepared in more ways other than an espresso machine is also something to look forward to if you want to experiment. I am still a little bit leery of having them add too much water to my americano, but as long as you say so, it is good to go.

Kicking Horse Coffee Beans

I am still learning about the different coffee beans from around the world, and how they are roasted. I once saw an article (in MacLeans, I think ) on how coffee fiends were buying unroasted beans and trying their hand at roasting beans by altering an old school air blowing popcorn makers (the kind you could probably find in your parents basement stored away in a dark corner) and plugging it into a fifty foot extension chord. It told you to listen for the first and second cracks, how to adjust the heat and how you could change the flavour by adding different ingredients to the roast. It sounded so easy, but I have yet to try it. Until that point, I am stuck buying whole beans like everyone else.

My favourite bean without a doubt is from 49th parallel. It is the bean to beat so to speak in Vancouver. It has a beautiful full bodied flavour with a smooth finish. The crema is thick and lovely shade of honey brown. In short it is a beautiful thing. It is sold in many locations around Vancouver but at about $15 a pound, I can't help but look around for a more economical option. There is no way that I would go so low as a supermarket name brand at about $7 a pound. I have tried several supermarket brands and I have thought that the flavour was flat, bitter or burnt. The beans were old and stale and probably pretty unevenly roasted.

I have tried other beans that could be considered the micro-roasters of coffee beans. The brand I most commonly buy is Kicking Horse Coffee.It is an independent company roasting since 1996 from Invermere BC and uses Fair Trade Organic coffee beans. My favourite roast is the Espresso roast (followed closely by the Kick Ass - and that not just for it's name either). The flavour is a little bit tangier and sharper and has a deep roasted flavour in the finish. It is still about $14 in stores, but can often be bought for $10 when on sale.

If you get a chance buy a bag, grind it up and pull it through your machine.

Kicking Horse Espresso Roast whole bean coffee - 4 shots out of 5 not just for the flavour but also for the value when you get it on sale.

Crema from a Stove Top?

That's like asking can I get real Turkey stuffing from Stove Top without actually using a turkey. You can simulate the taste and you'll be satisfied, but I don't think it's actually going to happen. Crema appears after the oils and complex flavours from the espresso grind are extracted during the process of making a shot of espresso. It is a lovely golden brown foam that sits on the top of the shot. Some roasters brag that their crema can last for up to 17 minutes!

A friend of mine recently asked me if she could get crema through her stove top. I don't think so. There are some things that can maybe get that tiny hint of crema, but the effort doesn't seem like it is worth it when I look back at all of the suggestions:

1. As someone put it, scare the bean. Start with everything super hot (except the bean. Keep that at room temperature). Have the stove top expresso apparatus hot, the element hot, and use piping hot water.

2. Practically use turkish grounds. The tightly packed grounds will help more air pressure as the water vapour works its way through the grounds.

3. Using a expresso stove top that has no collecting reservoir, but a spout where you can watch the expresso come out. This is more for pulling the shot away from the nozzle when you see that the espresso coming out has lightened in colour to a beige or white. When you see this come out, it means that you are extracting the from the dregs of the grind, and when added to your shot makes the shot more bitter or tasteless. Bleckh!

4. If you can, buy a stove top expresso maker that has a control valve for when the water pressure is ready. I am not even sure if this is on the market. If it isn't someone needs to get on that.

I think she needed to throw out her stove top. Who are we kidding? When you want the crema at home, you are ready for a real espresso machine.

New Spring for Saltspring?

I don't know if I actually like Saltspring anymore than I did from when I first started the blog, but what I did notice is that it really is more suitable for parents who bring their small children for a cuppa coffee. The inside is still tough to maneuver a stroller in there, but there almost always seems to be room to sit down. So where would the little kiddies go? Because Saltspring is located on a corner, with a large east facing window with tables and chairs outside, parents sip lattes while their strollers are parked on the sidewalk the same way testosterone drenched young men park their crotch rockets outside their favourite watering hole. Aside from the crazy - and perhaps unintentional - expression of stroller status, the cafe does lend itself to be a decent meeting place for parents with infants. For this reason Saltspring Island Coffee Company Cafe has moved a little bit up the ladder for me.

Having said all of this, the coffee remains to be acceptable and the service indifferent. The baked goods, although limited (despite all of the different labels displayed) are good. They also have clover coffee available. Unfortunately, it appears as though they pre-portion the beans, leaving the bean dry and stale and the clover bland and tasteless.

That was a heck of a coffee break

It has been a LOOOOONG times since I posted anything. I think my need for everything to be witty was killing me. I felt like I couldn't keep it up anymore. I just need to go back to writing about the coffee shops that I like to hang out at and perhaps re-visit some old ones. In the past year, my view on coffee shops has changed slightly. I am looking at coffee shops in a new light. Since my baby came along, I feel like I have had some cafe's look at me differently as soon as they see me with a stroller or wearing a baby carrier. I feel a bit like Ruth Reichl (a previous New York Times food critic - Read Garlic and Sapphires, you will never regret it if you love foodie books are are interested in human behaviour) coming into different restaurants and having the same people react to you differently because of who you came with or who you are.

In short I am going to make a better effort in making more comments on some new places, a few comments on different beans, even make comment on some of the different ways some places prepare coffee. In short this will still be a coffee blog, but it will be served with more of the options.