Vancouver and the National Barista Championship

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Having returned from a week of travel to Vancouver for the CNBC, there are a lot of things that I’ve been reflecting on. We had great experiences at a lot of places in, around and on the way to Vancouver, and we met some really great people. The coffee scene in Vancouver was amazing to experience, so many cafes with solid, unique takes on coffee and the coffee experience. We only stopped at a few cafes due to how busy we were with the competition and it felt like we were just experiencing the tip of the iceberg. Some that we stopped at were JJ Bean, 49th, Elysian, Wicked and Cafe Crema in West Vancouver. All of these guys have some seriously awesome things going on at their cafes and are definitely worth checking out if you’re over there.
The competition didn’t quite go as we had hoped (our guys didn’t come in first and second) but our guys did an awesome job, and we learnt a tonne that we can take back to the cafe. At the same time, there is no doubt that we will be even stronger next year, although I expect that next year will bring a multitude of awesome baristi with whom we’ll have to contend. With how unbelievably difficult the competition was this year, with so many solid competitors, will we be seeing a Canadian winning the WBC in 2010 or 2011? I think we have a strong enough field of competitors in Canada now, it could definitely happen.
There is one last thing that I would like to talk about in regards to Vancouver… the amazing pubs (Irish Heather and Alibi Room and cocktail bar (Pourhouse) that we went to that also felt like only a hint of a much larger scene. I loved the unique experience of each of these places had to offer, each of which could have easily become (time to steal a line from *$) “my third place”. Of course, my wife would have something to say about that…
Anyway, I wanted to share a little of the excitement that I came back from Vancouver with; that sense of renewal that comes from enjoying new tastes and experiences. Really, it’s a reawakening, reminding me of what I love about the sharing of vices. Speaking of which, I almost cried when I tasted the double baked almond croissant from Thomas Haas… It was so delicious that I’m content not having another almond croissant for a long time. Oh yeah, and you can get some of his pastries at 49th Parallel.
For a good post about Mike’s experience in Vancouver, check out my co-workers’ blog: Here

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