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Culture

From coast to coast. Coffee roasted by Anchored Coffee in
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Served up at Revolver on the other
side of the country.

Donuts are becoming a gourmet food item, with brûléed tops
and complicated flavorings. Lee’s is just a good, old-fash-
ioned hand-made donut place. Simple is sometimes best.

low light, and the large aperture allows me to have a
razor-thin depth of field for increased subject isolation.
It’s definitely my preferred visual style.
When traveling, it’s almost impossible to
choose which coffee shops to visit without relying some-
how on someone else’s opinion, or the reputation of the
shops in general. Some cafes are quite well known for
their baristas or their coffees, and the world of coffee Cold brew coffee bottled up and ready to go.
competitions has been a strong platform for this kind of
international name recognition. When choosing cafes, The first experience of many memorable ones
however, for me it’s not just as simple as determining if in Vancouver happens at Revolver Coffee. Revolver is a
I can get a good cup of coffee or not. I am looking for a popular place. But while some cafes in town (and around
more complete experience when I travel. For me, a true the world) are popular for their hype or their brand-
coffee shop experience combines quality coffee, an ele- ing, Revolver is a place that is finely tuned to the coffee
ment of customer service, and a welcoming, comfortable, experience of its customers: the quality in the cup, and
and aesthetically pleasing environment. everything that goes with it. Their model, on the surface,
seems simple at first. They serve a rotating assortment
of coffees curated from various North American roast-
ers, serving various forms of manual brew and espresso
through a Victoria Arduino VA388 Black Eagle. But dive
deeper, and you’ll see that all of the little things are done
with purpose, and successfully. The space, while compact
and crowded at times, is designed to give the guests a full
visual experience of the coffee brewing process. They pay
attention to the details here – for instance, the Chemex
brewers are covered with a slick metal lid once the final
pour of water is dispensed in order to better retain heat.
The concept is simple, but the execution is so, so good. Meat Next door to Revolver is the Annex, which
and Bread’s daily special, with craft-brewed root beer. provides spillover seating for Revolver by way of a mas-
sive communal table. Alongside the table are displays of
various coffee-brewing paraphernalia, which are available
for purchase, but more importantly, there’s always a staff
member on-hand to answer questions and offer guidance
on each of the brewing devices as well as the retail coffees
on-hand for purchase. This arrangement was specifically
designed so that the guest could have their questions
answered away from the hectic pace of a busy café. These
small touches truly make the whole experience, even
when the café is busy, a welcoming and memorable place.
Not too far away from Revolver is Sammy Picco-
lo’s PRADO. Serving up locally based Forty-Ninth Parallel
Coffee Roasters, PRADO is more than ably equipped to
nonono The signature porchetta being prepared at Meat and deliver quality in the cup. Matching the coffee is Sammy’s
Bread. nonon charm and indisputable skills behind the bar (he’s a four-
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