Aubade Coffee
Aubade Coffee is coffee shop located in the heart of Chinatown in a shared space with an antique store and barber shop. We first heard of the cafe when the owner and barista, Eldric Kuzma, won third in the 2016 Canadian Aeropress Competition. We were a bit shocked there was only Aeropress coffee on the menu for our first visit. No baked goods, pourover, batch brew or espresso but that's okay. We came to try the Aeropress recipe by the champ and Wow! This was the most balanced cup of coffee made by the Aeropress that we've had the luxury of trying. He uses custom paper filters he made for his recipe. Customers can also buy these filters to take home!
For those unfamiliar with Aeropress process for brewing coffee. It is a 2 piece cylinder device that uses vacuum pressure to push hot water through the ground coffee beans. It's a fast and easy to clean. Because it's compact and made out of plastic, this is our go to device to bringing with us when travelling. It's virtually indestructible!
Since our first visit Aubade Coffee has expanded their offerings to provide espresso drinks and baked goods. The espresso drinks and baked goods are a vegan theme. The baked goods come from "To Die For" (Erin Ireland) and Annabelle Choi. The dairy milk for espresso drinks is replaced with a coconut, rice, soy and buckwheat milk blend that he does himself. Personally, the milk comes out a bit too sweet and overshadows the espresso. It's difficult to beat grass fed dairy. I kind of wish there was an option for diary but for now he's going with the vegan theme. Pourovers also made it back onto the menu for a brief period but was removed for now. The coffee offered is rotational but is usually from Small Batch (Australia), 32 Lakes (BC) and De Mello Palheta (Toronto).
Eldric is very passionate for handcrafted coffee and worked in cafes in Australia. He placed 6th in the 2015 Canadian Latte Art Championship. The seating arrangement is very personal and kinda romantic hearing him talk about coffee as he crafts you a drink. There is also 2 tables across from the coffee bar if you want your own personal space.
Tip: There is a discount if you go paperless.
WHAT WE TRIED:
Aeropress | $5.50
Espresso w/ vegan milk blend | $3.30
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF AUBADE COFFEE:
Aubade is one of those places we bring friends who want to have a good cup of filtered coffee. It's as awesome watching him craft coffee and talking about his process as it is to taste the final product. The vegan blend milk didn't really work for me. If you're vegan this could be the right drink for you! I wished there was a diary option. We'll still come back for the Aeropress and if we ever wanted beans from De Melo or Small Batch we know where to go! If there is anything you love at Aubade Coffee and think we should try it next time, feel free to contact us!
The Bad:
- Doesn't have all the drinks you might be use to seeing at a typical coffee shop
- May take a while if there is queue
The Good:
- Best aeropress coffee in the city
- Very educational learning about the bean
- Fun to watch his performance
Rating: 8.5/10
DETAILS:
Facebook: /Aubade-Coffee
Instagram: @aubadecoffee
Twitter: @aubadecoffee
Website: AubadeCoffee