Coffee in Vancouver

2023-08-24

Vancouver has the benefit of having what I would describe as a world-class coffee culture stuffed into a medium-sized city. If you need your coffee in a pinch (e.g., right before a conference talk or a meeting), this guide probably isn't for you. I would set aside an entire day for travelling across these roasteries, especially if you're planning to take public transport and see more of the city.

I'm a fan of lightly-roasted coffee, and most of the specialty coffee shops in Vancouver specialize in lighter roasts. Here's a listing of the coffee shops in Vancouver that I would recommend to anyone visiting (in no particular order):

• Prototype Coffee
• Nemesis Coffee
• Pallet Coffee Roasters
• Revolver

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it includes some of the places that I commonly enjoyed frequenting, or make an effort to visit whenever I'm back in the city.

Prototype Coffee (883 E Hastings St.)

Prototype is a small operation that sources their beans from all over the world. I've seen beans from Thailand, Ethiopia, Colombia, etc... make their way into this shop. They specialize mainly in light to very light roasts. If you like coffee that tastes tart, fruity, or almost floral, you won't be disappointed.

Seating is limited inside the shop, but I've never really seen it get packed up to the point where you wouldn't be able to sit. There's no wifi, which is fine because this isn't really a place to sit down and write your next research paper or something.

Their beans are absolutely spectacular. I've never had a bad bag. I am reminded of a time when I bought a bag, and brewed a pourover in the lab during (virtual) POPL one year. William J. Bowman (without any prompting) or reading the flavour profiles, said he could taste strawberries in the coffee. If there's one annoying thing I have to say about Prototype's beans, it's that they have a large amount of chaff after grinding. This can definitely clog up your filter if you're not careful, and throw off your brew time by quite a bit. Beans from Prototype are also on the pricier side (e.g., $20+ for 250g), whereas other places (such as Pallet) will offer 350g for a similar price.

Nemesis Coffee (555 Great Northern Way)

Nemesis has a bunch of locations (at least 3, if I remember correctly), but the location on Great Northern Way has the biggest "wow" factor of all. It's shaped like a big red onion (the architect maintains that it's a flower, but death of the artist, etc...). The interior boasts a huge amount of natural light which compliments the light-toned wood panelling throughout. But you're not here for the architecture, you're here for the coffee.

Nemesis has an excellent coffee program. Like Prototype and most of the places I describe in this post, they specialize in lighter roasts. They also do a lot of coffee-based drinks, like espresso shots or lattes. Unlike some other coffee-focused establishments, Nemesis also has a very strong offering of pastries. Their stuffed croissants (tiramisu, strawberry cream, chocolate) and cruffins (croissant muffins) are fantastic. It's a great place to get a coffee and a pastry and people-watch or read a book. This location is also pretty close to a SkyTrain station, so it's pretty convenient to get to and from.

Pallet Coffee (multiple locations)

Of all the roasteries listed in this post, Pallet is the largest and most chain-like. However, this is not to say that Pallet's coffee program is anything like the mass-manufactured likes of Tim Hortons or Starbucks. They have multiple locations, and each carries more-or-less the same selection of beans.

In terms of their coffee program, there is still a pretty strong focus on light roasts. However, from experience, Pallet's "light" roasts are marginally darker on average compared to some of the other roasteries in Vancouver. I also found Pallet's beans exceptionally well-suited to making pour over coffees, as they grind very consistently and without any chaff.

Revolver (325 Cambie St.)

Revolver is unique in the sense that it's not your traditional roastery. They aggregate beans from around the world (think Japan, Sweden, South Korea) and sell them in their tasting room. Their tasting room is simply adorned, with a very old wood floor, and benches that have been worn down by years of people sitting down and drinking coffee. You can almost smell the years of beans that have passed through, like old library book mixed with espresso.

They specialize in pour over coffee. An array of Hario V60s are laid out across the bar. Once you place your order, you can literally see your coffee being prepared right in front of you, down to the last drop.