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!