We were in the Strathcona area, walking the block, when referred to Prototype Coffee, by another shop owner. They brazenly declared Prototype Coffee as the best that Vancouver has to offer, a sentiment echoed by the gentleman that greeted us at the counter within.
Given such a great referral, I could not walk away without trying their coffee for myself.
If you weren’t looking for the shop you would miss it. It is at the end of the building, somewhat tucked away under stairs. Their name and logo painted on the wall refers you to the door.
Pulling it open is quite an experience as you don’t expect to see the decorative feature within. An artistic piece of 4D triangles with sides covered in faux moss and/or reflective mirrors. The entrance is bottle neck narrow, given the barrier that separates walk in traffic from those with their beverages, already seated.
Having heard it was our first visit, the clerk at the counter was even more exuberant in his description of what they offer. Going into detail about what sets them apart and helping us narrow down our choices.
At Prototype they roast their own coffee beans in house, a delicate act of love they do in small batches for precision crafting. On the menu their beans are grouped by country of origin from Central America, South America, Asia, and Africa. From there all the available beans have their tasting notes listed. Great for those who don’t know what they want or like, but do know they want their coffee to taste like fudge kiwi, and almond; or nectarine, pineapple and hops.
Still can’t narrow things down? Do as we did and order a flight. The clerk recommend Brazil’s Tres Iramaos as a good base coffee to start off with, to be able to compare it to the others. A good recommendation as this was smooth and easy with all the flavours of coffee you would expect, but significant lighter in mouth feel. To drank more like tea, coming out of the drip. This was listed as having notes of milk, chocolate hazelnut, and almond. All familiar flavours to coffee.
Next we choose the Thailand Khun Lao, having never tried Thailand coffee before. This was so much more robust by comparison. Layered with great depth that included tang and a fuller bodied mouth feel. This was described as tasting like red wine, dark chocolate, black tea, and apricot; which I can vouch for as being pretty accurate. The coffee rich, bold, and on the bitter side.
The last choice was another recommendation we took from our clerk. He offered it for its pretty pronounced blueberry flavour, and he wasn’t wrong. Blueberry on the nose that followed to taste. Ethiopia Worka described as having blueberry, lavender, passionfruit, and hop notes.
After ordering, you grab a seat and your selection is brought to you. But I prefer standing at the bar and waiting for it, to be able to watch the soothing drip process. And the skilled hands of the clerk who was tending to multiple funnels, filters, and pots at one time.
The process is as follows. Pouring a test tube of beans into a machine grinder, then taking the powder and overturning it on the drip filter-lined funnel. Next water from a delicate spouted kettle gets poured overtop. And after a quick steep, a dial is twisted and the coffee begins to filter into a carafe for servicing.
In our case, the carafe is then presented on a tray along with its listed coffee and glasses to pour them into, as part of our flight. We would try each, going back to revisit in comparison.
All three were such easy and enjoyable coffees, coming from someone who isn’t necessarily a coffee fan. It felt like a waste to not finish them all, especially as the total of all three was less in caffeine than a regular grande coffee order from Starbucks. Here, I leaned that caffeine collects when steeped and brewed coffee sits. Seeing as the three we had before us were filtered to order, we did not have such an issue.
If looking for food, they also sell flavoured waffles. And had we not come from dessert, I would have indulged. Especially with flavours like blue Jasmine and lemon Bergamont.
Having tried it, I don’t know if they are the best coffee in the city, given my lack of experience on the subject. However, this was definitely one of the best coffee ordering experiences I have ever had. Infectious excitement is passed on from the staff to the patron. Here, they love their coffee and their knowledge and passion on the topic is not lost. Let their trained specialists help you find your favourite brew. And for those intimated by drip over and all the flourishes to coffee these days, this is a judgment free zone to get a crash course on coffee 101. I highly recommend visiting and ordering their pour over flight to get better acquainted with their international options.
Prototype Coffee
833 Hastings St, Vancouver V6A 3Y1
604-251-6451
prototypecoffee.ca
