The local Vancouver boutique coffee roaster, 49th Parallel has announced that it will open a second café location next month, located on Main Street at the corner of East 13th Avenue. The new café will also be home to a Lucky’s Doughnuts counter, representing the company’s first foray into food.

The 2,800 square foot café joins the company’s original West 4th Avenue location in showcasing 49th Parallel’s own range of small-batch roasted coffees. In addition, the much bigger new location will include expanded space for single-cup preparation, a 16-seat communal table that can be used for group cuppings, a 30-seat patio on the East 13th Avenue side, and garage-style doors that create an open-air space during warmer weather.

“It feels good to get back to our East Vancouver roots,” says owner Vince Piccolo, who grew up not far from the new café location. “We’re really looking forward to the extra space giving us the ability to offer cuppings and educational sessions for the general public. We’re excited to share our passion for coffee with the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.”

Bringing together the classic pairing of coffee and doughnuts to the Main Street café is the launch of Lucky’s Doughnuts. Authentic, hand-crafted and genuinely delicious, Lucky’s Doughtnuts are made fresh throughout the day using the highest quality natural ingredients. With all components made from scratch including jams, glazes and fillings, the company also strives to source locally and seasonally. A selection of 13 different doughnuts-six yeast varieties, six cake varieties and a French crueller, will be available each day, with varieties changing with the seasons.

 The new 49th Parallel Café is located at 2902 Main Street (@ East 13th Avenue), and is slated to open during the first week of June. Hours of operation will be Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 10 pm; and Sunday, 8 am to 8 pm.

Blaq Sheep Coffee House & Bistro opened last December on Pacific Boulevard.  Although slightly out of the way from the Yaletown core, this coffee house and bistro is a cozy space to stay for a while catching up with a friend over coffee/tea or to do some work on your own.  MMV writer Manveet and I both ordered standard tea-based drinks, however, we were told that Blaq Sheep’s mochas are made with a spicy cajun kick.  Soups, sandwiches and sweet baked good are also available.  Blaq Sheep is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.  Check it out the next time you are looking for an independent alternative to Starbucks, Blenz or Waves.

• Espresso: Freshly ground 100% Arabica beans in their purest, sweetest, most intense form.
• Americano: A coffee made with espresso and hot water. For the coffee lover with a stronger taste palette.
• Latte: Freshly ground espresso, frothed up steamed milk, with a thick layer of foam on top.
• Cappuccino: Made with freshly ground espresso, cappuccinos are equal parts steamed milk and thick foam providing a stronger espresso flavor than a latte.
• Mocha : Steamed 2% or skim milk mixed with rich espresso, chocolate syrup, real whipped cream and chocolate powder on top.
• Deluxe Hot Chocolate: Freshly steamed milk and velvety chocolate syrup topped off with real whipped cream and chocolate powder.

Cafe Firenze (920 Beatty Street) opened earlier this month at the edge of Yaletown at Beatty x Smithe Street. Although the name indicates a cafe, a more accurate description would actually be a small restaurant with cafe-style seating. The front of Cafe Firenze displays a freezer full of italian gelatos with 10 flavours to select from.  Adjacent to that is a display of cake slices, baked goods and other pastries.  Then there’s a cafe menu with coffee teas and lattes.  But the jewel of Cafe Firenze is its fresh made pastas and paninnis.

I was fortunate enough to meet Silvio, the Italian owner of the cafe, who welcomed me into his Cafe and ushered me behind the counter like I was a house-guest, rather than a restaurant patron. I ordered a penne with meat rosé sauce.  Silvio assures me that his pasta is authentic, Italian pasta, made with the renowned Barilla Pasta , the #1 pasta brand in Italy.  The tomatoes are also fresh cut.  The high-quality pasta and fresh vegetables are then cooked in Olio D’Oro extra virgin oil.  The rosé sauce was lighter than I expected but the slightly watery texture (likely from the tomatoes) gave the pasta dish a feeling of fresh, healthiness rather than heavy, hearty and oily.

Pasta dishes range from $10 to $15. In addition to pastas and paninnis, coming soon to Cafe Firenze will be fresh-baked pizzas.  Stay tuned…

By Joanna Lee, Modern Mix Vancouver writer

Revolver Coffee (325 Cambie Street) is a family-owned and operated coffee shop that opened in Gastown on September 1st.  However, it is not just another cafe venue in the neighbourhood.  Revolver is entirely coffee-centred and uses a rotating selection of coffee roasters to allow for more flexibility, giving customers a variety to choose from.

The coffees are all made to order and when I went on opening day, the dark roast brew ($3.50) was prepared in two and a half minutes.  I was told that the coffees are all specifically prepared depending on the type of beans and roast the customer chooses.  The water temperature and the ratio of coffee to water are some aspects that brings out the different flavours and tastes of the coffees.  There are three to six beans that customers can choose from as well as several brewing methods.

Their location on Cambie Street is across from Meat & Bread and its interior design was also done by the same man responsible for Meat & Bread and L’Abbattoir.  Raw and refurbished materials were used and the design itself is a mix between an apothecary and science lab.  Revolver’s shelves are stacked with coffee from San Francisco’s Ritual, Portland’s Kova Coffee, and Calgary’s Phil + Sebastian, all very aesthetically-pleasing.

Revolver is run by the Gianniakos family who owns Crema in West Vancouver.  It is run by the four brothers of the family, who are all highly coffee-oriented.  Revolver is open daily from 7:30am.

*photos from @Revolver_Coffee

By Joanna Lee, Modern Mix Vancouver Writer

Trafiq Cafe (4216 Main Street) is a small coffee shop/bakery located on Main Street, a neighbourhood which has seen revitalization over the past few years and one that is home to many independent coffee shops. I first noticed Trafiq in early April, when signs of construction began and signage appeared on its brown paper-covered windows. Its Main Street location is the second of two, with the first being in West Vancouver. The cafe seems to have already established itself among the locals and fits right into the hipster-scene area. With a few tables outside and some sidewalk seating, the cafe drew in a steady stream of people of all ages on a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

On the food menu is an assortment of baked goods, pastries, and sandwiches and a small lunch menu, while on the beverage list is coffee, beer and wine – something quite different from most of its cohorts in the area as one of the few licensed coffee bars on Main Street. I was told by one of the counter staff that Trafiq’s coffee is supplied by a local Vancouver roaster, Urban Roast (However, research on the said company returned no hits on Google). That said, the coffee is delicious and the cafe definitely worth a visit!

Newly launched, the Pixie is the smallest machine ever created by Nespresso. The official dimensions are 11.1 x 32.6 x 23.5 cm. The Pixie enables its users to minimize time, clutter and energy consumption while still creating the perfect single cup of coffee.  This mini machine would be perfect to use in an apartment!  Word of warning – this little machine makes a big noise – perhaps not the ideal disturbance of an early morning’s peace and quiet.

16 sleek and colorful capsules are included with the machine in various aromas and strengths (including 3 decaf).  You can learn more about them here.  If you’re an espresso lover, great.  If not, just add milk afterwards to turn your drink into a latte.  In Vancouver, The Nespresso Pixie can be purchased at The Bay Nespress Boutique (674 Granville Street) and Williams Somana (2903 Granville Street).  Suggested retail price is $269.