Trigger warning – Possible snob alert.

Eldric at Aubade serves Vancouver’s best coffee hands down. To begin with, Aubade shares space with an antiques store as well as a barber shop in the back. Think of the cafe with the most eclectic tastes you have ever been in, and multiply that by 10. The menu itself is short and simple. Aeropresses and Espressos, the latter served black and white.

Sydnie had the Colombian Daniel Sanchez on the aeropress, while I went for the latte made with Gesha roasted by 32lakes. Surprisingly, the aeropress was more expensive than the Gesha!

Eldric’s attention to detail and thought going into each drink is unparalleled. Every aeropress drink of his is a controlled mix of 3 consecutive infusions of a batch of the freshly ground coffee. The first and second infusions contain most of the acids and the caffeine while the third provides the body of the drink. The optimization of the infusions is based on the taste his palate perceives, but he’s looking to quantify the acidity/caffeine content (On the lookout for engineers and scientists to do collaborative work with him).

After my first sip of the latte, I was a convert to the church of vegan milk. I was expecting a regular latte, but instead got one made with steamed milk of rice, coconut and buckwheat. It was sweet, rich and full while still letting the flavor notes from the espresso come through. Best drink ever.