Mixed news from coffeeland.
The sad news is that Kava Specialty Coffee has closed. They’ve decided to just sell their beans and will no longer be brewing their specialty coffees at the corner of Broadway and MacDonald.
The good news is that 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters has just opened a hip looking café at 2152 West 4th (between Arbutus and Yew, in Nacional Clothing‘s old spot). They’ve done a very nice job with the decor and I love the colour design of their cups. But really, cups-shmups, it’s of course all about the coffee and if the latte I had earlier this week is anything to go by, I will be frequenting this place quite a bit. It seems they follow Caffe Artigiano’s lead in not heating up the milk so much, which makes for a sweet and smooth latte. Yum.
[UPDATE & IGNORANCE DISCLAIMER: Well Duh, 49th Parallel makes great coffee and reminds me of Caffe Artigiano… Today when I was buying another one of those delicious lattes I noticed a print out of this article. Not only does it reveal that 49th Parallel won this year’s Krups Kup of Excellence, but also that Vince Piccolo – the very same that sold Caffe Artigiano about a year ago – is the owner. Artigiano Addict (see comments) is clearly a lot better informed about Vancouver’s coffee scene than I am…]
Last modified: June 11, 2008
Both places have (had) great coffee, no doubt about it. It doesn’t surprise me that Kava closed. The space was like a big cavern, not inviting at all. I think it scared away customers.
49th Parallel, however, I think will do quite well.
The Picolo boys sold Caffe Artigiano and started 49th Parallel Coffee. I can’t believe the new Artigiano owners are letting these Coffee Gods compete so quickly!