traveling for better coffee

well it turns out I am not the only one who takes a trip to learn more about coffee and writes about it as well. The guys from european coffee trip are taking it to a whole new level. Instead of flying around the world to a third wave coffee boomtown they roadtrip Europe and all the major coffee hot spots. Their homepage already is a guide through central Europe featuring every major third wave coffee ambassador there is.
Make sure to check out their video collection too, entertaining and full of industry insights! Especially this one! Keep up the great work guys!

coffee flour

So this is actually weird and good news at the same time. Dan Belliveau, Starbuck's former director of technical services found a company that focuses on the development of coffee plant based flour. This in fact is truly beneficial for both consumers and the environment as it is very healthy and helps recycle the coffee pulp, one of the main pollutants in coffee production. Read the full Food Republic article here!
I'm totally excited to see real coffee cookies and other dishes coming up soon!

innsbruck's coffee

So what's new in coffee? For Innsbruck the answer is rather simple: Nothing!
There's literally nothing new and awesome going on in the coffee industry in Innsbruck.
Well let me explain myself...
I moved to Innsbruck a couple of months ago and since then I was trying to find a meaningful job in Innsbruck's coffee industry. The Problem is however that there does not seem to be such thing as a coffee industry in Innsbruck. There's two roasters both quite conservative. Unterberger is Austria's oldest coffee roaster but that does not mean that it is remarkably good. It more or less seems to be copying italian style coffees. And that's exactly the point!
I blame Italy for the lack of good coffee in Innsbruck. Geographically it is very close and therefore the influence is rather strong. Italy brought espresso and espresso based drinks to Innsbruck and basically everywhere you can read signs like 'real italian espresso'. Nobody seems to realise that this is not automatically a good thing. Italian espresso blends tend to be darkly roasted with a good crema and strong roast flavours. Associations with dark chocolate and nuts are intended, fruity flavours are ignored. Personally I kind of like that in a cappuccino because combined with well steamed milk it results in a rich and balanced flavour. The problem however is that only a few people here seem to be able to handle an espresso machine properly. I found two spots yet which is quite disappointing for a city with 190k inhabitants.
So I am quite frustrated and keep on searching. If you have a recommendation for me I would be so happy!

33 acres of sunshine

The Vancouver craft beer community is rich and diverse. A beer expert from BC Liquor explained to me that the greater Vancouver area is the hotspot for craft beer in Canada. And in North America it is only been exceeded by Portland. Well when talking about craft beer Portland definitely comes to mind first with 56 Breweries ranked #1 city with most breweries in the World.
The Portland metro area counts 76 breweries in total.
Regarding that, British Columbia with 71 breweries keeps up quite well.
Lots of bars downtown have adopted craft brewing and craft beers as their USPs with sometimes up to 50 beers on tap and some more different beers bottled on sale.
The Alibi Room for example stands out as one unique place to experience the young urban culture while enjoying a rich selection of regional and imported beers.

The beauty about having so many breweries spread around town is that on a hot day you can just stop by for refreshments.
33 Acres is one of the smaller, family owned businesses, located on W 8th Avenue with a nice patio and a beautifully designed little tasting bar.
A friend and I stopped by after a short bike tour and were super excited about the quality and purity of the beers served. Especially the 33acres of sunshine met our need for refreshment. A pale blonde with a fruity finish, light, easy to drink and just what we wanted.

news from home

Munich's coffee scene is less flourishing then Vancouver's in many different ways. North America simply is way more open for innovation and entrepreneurship. As a result every industry that becomes popular is a playground for entrepreneurs that are willing to give their best and test their luck.
Coffee was the rising star a couple of years ago in North America and still is. Although many of the original roasters vanished over the years there is still a strong entrepreneurial vibe that lets people open new roasters like Timbertrain or Rocanini every now and then. But on this tough and difficult market only the strong survive.
Munich is not different and currently pretty much dominated by large roasters like Dinzler or Burkhof which produce under sub brands for different distributors or coffee shops or just sell their own signature roasts to cafes.
Large scale roasting does not necessarily mean that there is a lack in quality but it definitely shows a lack in individuality and variation.
There are however some refreshing examples of highly individual and perfectly roasted coffees in Munich. The newest member in this exclusive club is Mahlefitz. Creative genius behind the concept is Sebastian Lösch a well known german Barista and Latte Art champion.
Mahlefitz focusses on the upper end of the quality scale by roasting only the finest green beans available on the german market in a special cyclone roaster. Sebastian slow roasts every batch to the exact right point where it develops its best aromas. the result is astonishing and not at all what you would expect from coffee. A bright amber color and a smooth but fruity finish are Mahlefitz's coffee at its best.

freedom of extraction

The only thing standing between a perfectly roasted and ground coffee and a pure and simply perfect beverage is the extraction.

Adding water with the right temperature, pressure, time and amount is crucial for any coffee no matter which brewing system is used. Alpha Dominche took the perfect extraction to the next level and created the so called steampunk brewing system.

What Alpha Dominche calls freedom of extraction is a high tech fully automated brewing system that is computer controlled by the Barista. The touchscreen controls let the Barista choose every detail of the extraction process and the machine is able to repeat it perfectly over and over again.
Wanna try different grounds or roasts? Adjust your brewing profile on the fly, save preset profiles and get perfect results every time.
Filters and brew heads are made from stainless steal and glass to offer the least possible alteration of the original product. This machine simply creates the perfect cup of coffee every time.

Don't get me wrong here it is not a fully automated coffee brewing system that can work without a barista. The Steampunk needs a Barista to set the brewing standards it uses. Instead of taking away the Barista it is promoting him from manual labourer to operator. It offers the Barista the possibility to precisely adjust the brewing variables in order to pour the perfect cup. Then it takes those parameters to repeat the process.
It is not a step towards automatisation, it is a step towards precision.

good wood

There are some recent trends in espresso machine production, some more obvious than other. One of the most common is the return to natural materials integrated beautifully in the designs of the espresso machines. Furnishing standard machines with custom wood parts is already common in high end shops but some manufacturers drive individuality to the next level.
They rebuild the body of the machines entirely or even bother rebuilding the technical parts. Such alterations used to be exclusive to large manufacturers.
Most of the examples seen at the event were rebuilt La Marzocco machines. But of course the real deal is an entirely new Slayer...

Parts of the Linea Classic with Strada Brewheads and a beautiful bodywork

Strada with custom body and fully teflon coated metal parts

Well... just a Slayer

weekend at Pike's

Last weekend the SCAA staged an event in Seattle which was probably one of the largest specialty coffee events of the year.
As Seattle is not too far away I took the Greyhound bus to check out what's new and awesome!
Saturday night I decided to stroll the city and visited Pike Place Starbucks which is the original Starbucks shop. Its heritage seems to be important to the company so they even name a blend after that specific location. And of course the place was crowded! From what I heard it always is but when there is a large scale Barista event in town... well, do the math.

The market itself is stylish in a distinct old-fashioned way and seems to be an entertaining location to hang out during  daytime. When I arrived it was almost closed so I did not get the chance to just watch people and let the time fly by.

On my way to the Hotel though I passed Seattle Coffee Works, one of the many fine coffee roasters the city is home to. 
A little event, kind of a barista jam session, took place there that evening but as I did not have my event accreditation yet I couldn't join them. So sad...
So back to the Hotel recharging the batteries for Sunday.

More on the event soon, just a small spoiler...

gas station

There are all kinds of vehicles in this city as there are in any other great cities, but everything seems kind of special in Vancouver.
The most expensive cars you see on the street are not driven by some mid life crisis men, but carry a tag that indicates the driver as "learner".
The bike lanes that are spread all over Downtown are hardly in use as there are not many road bikers. If you want to be one though please follow these instructions!
If you don't have your own vehicle there are plenty of public transportation options.
The bus lines which are very complicated and change due to road construction.
The skytrain which is fast and usually on time but has only three lines.
The sea bus which connects north van to the rest of Vancouver.

Well, for most purposes I prefer my own nice used hybrid bike. But when I grow up and think about buying a motorized vehicle it is good to know that this city has gas stations everywhere...

moja coffee roasters

moja is one of the rising stars with a brand new, very modern, clean and stylish facility in north Van. Well maybe it is not brand new but it looks like it has never been used.
As coffee roasting is a business with lots of dust, grease and dirt it is quite rare to find a roaster that actually shines in the light.
Also they have a kind of open shop concept with a huge window to the roasters. So while  you are experiencing a great cup of coffee or espresso from their Simonelli porta filter you can watch how the beans are roasted.
Many baristas I talked to call Moja the best coffee roasters in town. I have actually only tried their espresso which was rather light roasted for my taste but therefore fruity and fresh.
Also the guys at Revolver serve the Moja beans from time to time so check it out!

  

musette

A bike friendly coffee shop in the middle of downtown but only accessible through the parking lots of the back alley on Burrard and Drake is a real highlight of Vancouver's coffee culture. Not because the beans are special, they buy from 49th Parallel, but the atmosphere is something completely different.
Authenticity is the main topic one should focus when visiting this place. It's bike friendly so you are allowed to bring your bike in and they even have lots of bike fixing tools provided for the eventual pit stop.
Musette really loves bikes so the store offers a whole lot of merchandise for bikers. Water bottles, shirts, toques, helmets, sweaters, socks, you name it... anything a real Vancouver road biker could desire.
They even integrate bike parts in the interior of the shop which is pretty stylish.
So are the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with rock salt... delicious!

1000 views and Japanese BBQ

I just recognized that yesterday I hit a thousand views on my blog. So thanks to all my frequent readers, I hope you love it!

From a friend of a friend came the recommendation to visit this amazing Japanese place called Gyu Kaku where you have a BBQ grill integrated in the dining tables so that you basically prepare your own food.
There was of course lots of meat and only some veggies plus rice and amazing sauces and marinades.
Staff was friendly too, but due to the rather high prices and the two hours it took us for lunch it might not ever become a favorite spot. Sadly!

JJ Bean

While researching roasters in Vancouver I also stumbled over the guys from JJ Bean. They've been around for quite a while and are not a franchise business as many other coffee shops are. Their warehouse is in east Van and they not only roast their coffee themselves, they also supply some independent coffee shops downtown.
My first experience in one of the really stylish locations was kind of awkward though. The baristas at Burrard Street were extremely arrogant and unfriendly and kind of ruined the first impression for me.
But as a friend of mine got hired by the Yaletown outlet I decided to give them another try.
Turns out that although they are really hipster they do have a great attitude and good coffee after all. The Yaletown guys are super friendly and attentive and the JJ espresso blend is fabulous! Also the shop features an own bakery which means that muffins and cookies are always fresh.
A definite recommendation!

polar bear swim

On January 1 the annual polar bear swim took place at english bay and among lots of bizarre swimmers my roommate also dived into the freezing water. It was not a cold day at all but weather was rainy and wet and overall disgusting. The whole event was overlooked by the Vancouver lifeguards and even some SUPs were out. NYE hangover fighting of a different kind.
A huge crowd watched the event including a squirrel that probably had the best view.
For all participants there were public showers for warm up featuring motivation songs as: "We're so cold, we're so numb, we are really really dumb!"
I guess they enjoyed it!

NYE at the hatshop

2014 it is!
I hope everyone had a great night, it took me quite a while to recover after the awesome party at the Goorin Bros. hat shop in Yaletown. Thanks for Mary Jean, who works there, for her invitation to the private party for employees and friends only.
We had literally everything you could ask for, drinks, food and great company!
The dress code was kind of fancy so thanks again to Mary for giving me that awesome tie and hat to dress me up a little nicer.
The best thing about the party was the people! Interesting characters all over. A lead singer of a cheesy rock band, a world traveling art teacher, an artist who modeled a sculpture of a perfect vagina... what more can you ask for?
So a little late, but to everyone who reads my blog a happy new year!!!

christmas dinner

My first christmas away from home was definitely kind of special. I missed my family and friends although I had a long chat with them while I was still at work.
But when it comes to celebrating that eve there has to be great food, great drinks and great guests...
As most people I know were staying with their families that night we were a rather small group of only my roommate, a friend and me. I decided to follow my family's tradition and prepared a 3-course menu for us that we all enjoyed very much. I do not have much experience in cooking several courses but I think it was quite a hit. Also our fireplace made it really romantic.

New year's eve is coming up and I still have no idea how to spend it right. I would really love to participate in a party on one of the high rises with an amazing view, but it's kind of hard to find one that is open for public and not horribly expensive. Anyway 2014 will be a great year no matter where and how it starts!
See you all then!

cozy fake fireplace, baked pumpkin with parmesan and pesto, slow roasted duck legs on yam and carrots 

it never snows in Vancouver

Total breakdown of public transportation, no caps to catch anywhere, big coats, scarfs and toques. It's snowing in Vancouver!
Again!
And this does not happen very often I was told, so better make it count. This time actually it wasn't just a little bit, but a whole lot over night. Some two inches covered the whole city in beautiful white fresh powder.
Usually at this time of the day the streets are packed with cars but today is different. All you see is umbrellas.

West Hastings St. is one of the busiest in all of downtown...

christmas cookies

It's the first christmas I don't spend at home with my family and all my Canadian friends are gone for the holidays. So to wish them farewell me and my roommate hosted a little christmassy style cookie baking party yesterday. To cheer everybody up we were doing everything from scratch so that our kitchen gets really busy and messy...
We encouraged our guests to bring their own recipes and provided basic ingredients. At this point I'd like to thank Mary for coming up with that awesome Bailey's white chocolate chip cookies and Ben for his fancy coconut macaroons!!
There were also a bunch of german travelers over for they are also missing their families, so guess that could even be considered as charity work at 1623 Haro.
By the way, if you like to have any of the recipes just write or comment...

the bakers, the macaroons, the Bailey's dough, the decorated cookies, the hosts.

the vancouver christmas market

A few days ago me and some coworkers went to the german christmas market in Vancouver. It is small but pretty and we enjoyed a free carousel ride. Lots of guys from the hostel work there so it was quite familiar. The gluehwein is also almost the same as in Germany and they sell handcrafted gifts everywhere.

As it was also snowing a little bit, it was a wonderful night. A definite recommendation for anybody who wants to get in a christmassy mood!

first snow

So it's winter now, finally. We had a couple of cold days lately with temperatures dropping far below 0°. For Vancouver that's pretty cold... I've been told. Today it was manageable but when I woke up, the city was covered under a thin layer of snow. In Munich I love this mood, but here it was different. As buildings are high rises, you don't see snowy rooftops from the streets. What a shame, just half the fun!
Still fun though, time to take my new winter boots on a little hike.
Just a couple of blocks from my apartment there was a blown up water pipe last night. It was just a 20m fountain in the middle of the street. Did't have the chance to capture it because I discovered it at night but what happened to the tree next to the fountain was beautiful! It was completely covered in ice!