Roaster: The Stick Specialty Roasters
Location: 6715 Eustace Rd, Sooke, BC V9Z 0H1

Fruity and well balanced, I immediately did a double take after my first sip of Tsunami Espresso from The Stick Specialty Roasters. I usually add cream to my espresso drinks but this extracted so perfectly that I drank it black - a rarity for me! Serve Tsunami Espresso Americano-style as the perfect compliment to either an early-start breakfast or a classic West Coast brunch. Suggested as a welcoming entry for those who want to start exploring the wild world of espresso-based drinks.

Nothing says West Coast living like waking up at the edge of the Pacific Rainforest looking out over a rocky beach to a rumbling swell. And what better compliment to that view than a finely brewed cup of coffee?

From adventures to Nels Bight near Cape Scott, Mystic Beach on the Juan de Fuca trail, or Beale Cove on Texada Island, morning coffee on the beach always tops my highlight list. Admittedly, I do get a bit of side-eye from friends and fellow campers when I pull out my Aeropress, my Hario hand grinder, and my JetBoil; however, the offer of a finely brewed cup of coffee as the sun rises over the waves never fails to win them over.

Many backpackers forgo their usual brewing methods on the trail, opting for instant coffee or tea to satisfy their caffeine fix. However, there are some very light and portable brewing options for adventurous nature lovers across the island and beyond. I'll give a quick highlight here of three ways to brew better coffee on the beach as you explore Vancouver Island.

Ah, the Aeropress: simple, yet effective. This brewing device is light and portable, using both immersion and pressure to maximize extraction. The small, circular paper filters are easy to pack as long as you can keep them dry, ensuring a crystal clear brew with sharp flavors and next to no sediment. In terms of technique, the Aeropress is “low floor, high ceiling”, producing excellent brews even for novice coffee makers with room to expand and experiment. Calgary roasters Phil & Sebastian can get you started with some Aeropress basics.

This Japanese-designed pour-over coffee device won the coveted Good Design Award in 2007. The Hario V60 is named for the sixty degree angle of the conical sides which helps to optimize water flow during percolation. The portability of this device is attractive to many, though it demands much more in terms of technique. Brews are clean and full of flavor but highly susceptible to issues such as channeling, grind overflow, or errors in pouring technique. With patience and practice, you can wield the V60 like a pro with a little help from the experts at Union Hand-Roasted Coffee.

Ok, ok, hear me out. Old fashioned brew methods such as Cowboy Coffee, a descendent of more traditional preparations such as Turkish coffee, are often frowned upon by those who consider themselves coffee connoisseurs. However, in terms of measurable extraction, veterans at Barista Hustle believe there may be no better option than these traditional coffee brewing practices. What may appeal to hardcore and ultralight hikers about this technique is that it requires no extra equipment. Learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of Cowboy Coffee brewing techniques from Driftaway Coffee.

No matter how far or how wide you wander across Vancouver Island or up the strait, no beach is too remote for a good cup of coffee. If you can spare the weight, it is well worth it. Pair that with locally roasted beans using the Vancouver Island Coffee Tour Map and you're all set for a transcendent coffee experience on the beach. Travel safe and brew on!

Roaster: Regard Coffee Roasters
Location: 1925 Bowen Rd #2, Nanaimo
Availability: Limited
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1920 MASL
Variety: Red Caturra
Producer: Amparo Botina
Origin: Nariño, Colombia

Amparo packs a punch. The rich fruit tones hit like a bold brass band blasting salsa melodies, so those looking for a cup full of flavor will not be disappointed. I reserved this for my afternoon pick-me-up, brewing with an Aeropress and adding a dash of cream to round out the fruity notes. Suggested for those who like to live with flair.

The sad fact is that most people drink terrible coffee.

Stale beans, burnt roasts, and poor brewing methods produce a bitter flavor; this bitterness stimulates stomach acid production which then leads to an unpleasant assortment of digestive discomforts affectionately termed ‘gut rot’ by the coffee community. Some bury the bitterness in cream and sugar; others stubbornly drink it black to prove their mettle.

Despite all this, many still enjoy coffee as a beverage. Whether because of emotional associations, cultural customs, or an acquired caffeine dependency, coffee is intricately stitched into our daily life. The good news is this: coffee does not have to taste terrible, nor does it have to make your stomach feel upset. Though the art of brewing requires a lifetime to master, I believe there are three basic coffee concepts that will spur novice coffee drinkers on to intrepid amateurs.

Coffee Concept #1: You cannot extract a high quality cup of coffee from a low quality bean.

Mass market coffee blends, pre-ground and sold in large tins at the grocery store, are problematic for several reasons, most prominently because they are sourced from so many locations. Some farms may have good crops, some poor, but inevitably the coffee quality falls to the lowest batch in the bin. Without getting too technical, high quality coffees are graded using a Q score; this standard, set out by the Coffee Quality Institute, is a grade out of 100 points. Any coffee rated 80 or above is considered specialty with a guaranteed baseline quality.  Local and small batch roasters usually source their specialty coffee beans from a single origin; this means they can be confident of the quality of the whole batch because they bought their coffee from a specific farm. Therefore, it is important to purchase beans from a source that guarantees quality from the start. In most cases, your local coffee roaster is your best bet.

Concept #2: Even high quality coffee beans can be ruined with a poor roast.

Local coffee roasters are artisans of the highest degree and are constantly roasting fresh batches of coffee. The smaller scale of their operations actually allows them to hone the roast to perfection, whereas industrial roasting methods for mass market beans typically err on the side of being overdone or even burnt. Worse, fine grinds and long stretches of time spent in transit and sitting on the grocery store shelf exacerbates staleness. Local cafes can grind whole beans for you which should be brewed within two months of the roast date for optimal freshness. Explore local light, medium, and dark roasts to discover your preferred flavor profile.

Concept #3: Your brewing method either maximizes or minimizes a coffee’s potential.

Extraction is the process of dissolving the wide array of delicious flavor components out of the coffee bean and into water as it brews. Poorly extracted coffee is a tragedy; the excellent flavor and craftmanship of the perfectly roasted bean is left in the grinds as the taster gets a paltry shadow of what the coffee could truly be. Many modern brewing techniques help optimize extraction (a subject for future articles). If you’ve never heard of an Aeropress, the Japanese-designed Hario V60, or the Moka Pot, you might be surprised at the reasonable price-point for these options designed to optimize your extraction. Each requires a bit of practice and specific types of grinds, but the flavor difference is well worth the investment of time.  

Coffee is a part of our culture, a daily ritual for some and a social rite for others. No matter when you drink your coffee, consider enriching your experience by employing these three essential coffee concepts. As always, travel safe and brew on!