Coffee Culture: A Trip Through BC and Alberta's best cafes
Posted by Backpacker Buzz on October 1st, 2010 to
An essential part of any travel experience is sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by. Whether it's an Italian cappuccino, a Vietnamese iced coffee, or a French café au lait, coffee is a universal constant of travel.
While Canada's cafe culture lacks the history and tradition found in other countries, it continues to grow and innovate. In particular, BC and Alberta are home to some of the best baristas in North America.
Last month, the 2010 Canadian Barista Championships took place in Toronto and Western Canadian cafes dominated with the top six baristas hailing from BC and Alberta.
This year's winner was Rob Kettner of Fernwood Coffee Company, a Victoria-based company that sells coffee at several locations throughout the BC capital.
Kettner will represent Canada at the world barista championship in Colombia in 2011.
In second place was Benjamin Put of Calgary's Phil & Sebastian followed by fellow Calgarian Joel May of Fratello Coffee Roasters. Jeremy Ho of Phil & Sebastian came in fourth with two baristas from Vancouver's Caffe Artigiano rounding out the top six.
Victoria-based baristas Logan Gray of Discovery Coffee and Mal Kryklywyj of Street Level Espresso also took part in the competition. Both cafes are within walking distance of HI-Victoria.
Next time you're in any of these cities looking for a caffeine fix (and maybe a good WiFi connection), you may want to skip the major chains that look just like the cafes back home and check out these Western Canadian classics.
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