Vancouver coffee scene takes on international flavours

Vancouver's reputation asa coffee-loving city is nothing new but On The Coast food columnist Gail Johnson says the city has welcome three spotsthat bring something differentto the javascene.

Klaus'KaffeeHaus in Chinatown, Nusa Coffee Company in Kitsilano and Honolulu Coffee in Kerrisdale all offer fresh, international flavours, she says.

Klaus'

"Klaus's Kaffee Haus ... takes its name from one of its owner-operators, Baron Klaus Erich von Hochgotz. He and his partner, Jensen Sadikin, went on to run Klaus'food truck, which served wienerschnitzel," Johnson told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

"When the two saw a former dim sum place became available in Chinatown, they jumped at the chance to open their own spot," she continues.

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"Talk about a cultural mashup: Klaus's Kaffee Haus has Asian-inspired dcor as well as classical music by the likes of Mozart and Beethoven playing in the background. It's great!"

And yes, she says, owner Klaus is a legitimate baron.

Nusa

Another java joint gets its goodsstraight from the source: the Indonesian island of Java.

Johnson says Nusa Coffee Company co-owner Liza Wajong carries the nation's famous Sumatra beansand more.

Her ultimate goal is to expand people's knowledge and palates around Indonesian coffee.

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"The coffee shop carries organic Java, which it sources from the Ijen plateau on the eastern part of the island," Johnson says. "This is a medium roast that has a flavour profile of cedar, tobacco, and cocoa nibs.

"It also offers organic Flores. This is from the East Nusa Tenggara, which is the southernmost province of Indonesia. This is a medium-dark roast that has hints of pineapple and sandalwood."

Johnson recommends pairing the coffee with some of the shop'sspeciality treats.

Honolulu

Johnson's final highlight is Honolulu Coffee, which openedits first mainland North American location in Vancouver.

"The company grows its beans on its own 80-acre Kona-coffee farm on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii," Johnson says.

"Among the drinks you will find here are 100 per centKona pour-over coffee, for purists. This is ideally consumed black and has notes of strawberry and lime.

"Then there's a Hawaiian latt, which contains coconut and macadamia-nut syrups definitely for those who like things sweet."

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Johnson says food offering include pineapple-coconut croissants, chocolate-chip-and-macadamia-nut cookies and toasted cheese sandwiches with hot pineapple jam.

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast