Local Vancouver coffee roasters to fuel your day
Vancouver’s love affair with coffee is legendary, as is our infatuation with foodie culture. It’s no wonder, then, that the local roasting of beans and combining art and science to pour the perfect cup have become expectations among sippers. A crop of Vancouver roasters has sprung up to meet the demand.
JJ Bean Coffee Roasters
1904 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V5L 1J3One of the original Vancouver roasters, JJ Bean has been fuelling Vancouverites’ love of coffee since 1996. With four generations of roasters behind him, you could say owner John Neate, Jr. has coffee in his veins. Their flagship Powell Street shop is where the magic happens — their roasting and wholesale business runs out of the back of this East Van location, with its usual neighbourhood-specific vibe at play in the café out front. A pound of beans gets you a free coffee, too.
East Van Roasters
319 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J4A newer kid on the block, East Van Roasters operates as a social enterprise, employing women living in the nearby Rainier Hotel to roast coffee beans in their small operation in Gastown. Besides the obvious, though, a reason to visit this space is that it also makes chocolate directly from the cacao bean, coaxing out the irresistible flavours and transforming them into drinkable chocolate and truffles. Their open workspace lets you see the metamorphosis in real time.
Milano Coffee Roasters
156 8th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1N2A truly passionate soul when it comes to beans and roasting, Brian Turko will happily inform you about his unique process of blending roasts to create the perfect cup of coffee. Steeped in Italian tradition but firmly planted in Vancouver, Milano originally opened with Turk’s Coffee on the Drive — a neighbourhood institution — and now has three Milano cafés throughout the city, with its roasting facility at its 8th Avenue location offering a full-service café and tasting bar.
Timbertrain Coffee Roasters Ltd
311 Cordova St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1E5Their roasting facility may be in Langley, but it’s their Gastown café — all warm wood and exposed brick and with subtle design references to the interior of a train — where you’ll want to enjoy this particular cup. Their slow-food philosophy means that each coffee order is brewed and tended to with the utmost patience, care and attention, resulting in an almost-transcendent cup of coffee. Forget our rushed to-go ethos and savour your morning beverage in this first-class lounge. We’re all aboard.
Matchstick Coffee
639 15th Ave E, Vancouver, BC V5T 2R6The earnest and passionate team behind Matchstick want to change the way you think about coffee. And their attentive roasting, by-the-cup brewing and community-focussed vibe may just succeed at having you view your everyday pick-me-up as something truly special. They roast and serve only single-origin coffee, prepared either as a pour-over or an espresso-based drink. Their minimalist but welcoming cafés also serve lovely pastries and lunch. This is a place to stay awhile and make the mundane extraordinary.
Pallet Coffee Roasters Inc
323 Semlin Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 4H9The latest venture to take advantage of our current love affair with local roasting, Pallet Coffee Roasters in the vibrant and growing Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood prides itself on only roasting beans that are in season. This means their menu of coffees changes frequently, but you’re bound to find something you love, especially if you’re looking to pair that coffee with a pastry, like their perfect, shattering croissants and flaky pain au chocolats. Full breakfast and lunch are also on offer.
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