Starbucks has launched a new limited time only Frappuccino Blended Beverage only available for the next few days until it runs out. This drink utilizes tropical fruit flavours and the look of Tie-Dye.
The drink is definitely eye catching with it’s vibrant colours of blue, red and yellow tie-dye swirls, and is topped with vanilla whipped cream and dusted with blue, red and yellow powder.
These colours come from red beet, turmeric and spirulina. Most people’s first thought is that it must be food colouring, but it’s not. It is sprinkled into the cup first before the blended yellow beverage is added to the cup.
We did notice that over time, the dusted powder colours sink to the bottom as the blended beverage is just yellow and nothing is mixed into it. If you want pictures, better take it fast.
Nonetheless, it’s all about taste right? It tastes like pineapple as the dominant flavour and then hints of coconut or banana. Definitely tropical as they noted. The taste wasn’t bright and vibrant as I would have imagined. At first taste, it reminded me of this medicine I used to have as a kid as it was also tropical flavour.
Would I order this again? Probably not, but I think it’s more for the aesthetic. Someone out there would want this.
Starbucks Canada has launched 3 new Teavana iced beverages – Guava White Tea, Blueberry Black Tea, and Peach Green Tea.
These TeavanaFlavoured Iced Teas are enhanced with guava, blueberry, and peach flavoured fruit juice blends. I like how they launched coffee and tea options on the menu for tea lovers.
Teavana Iced Guava White Tea
Teavana Iced white tea is mixed with guava flavoured fruit juice blend, sweetened with liquid cane sugar and hand-shaken with ice. This is very fragrant with the guava and it was quite nice paired with the white tea.
Teavana Iced Blueberry Black Tea
Teavana Iced black tea poured and then shaken together with blueberry flavoured fruit juice blend, liquid cane sugar and ice. This was my favourite for sure as I really enjoy black tea. It does have a subtle taste of blueberry.
Teavana Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade
Teavana Iced green tea is combined with peach flavoured fruit juice blend, liquid cane sugar and ice, refreshingly shaken to perfection. I got this one with lemonade to see how it tastes. The lemonade really enhances the peach flavour.
Final Thoughts
Be sure try the Teavana Flavoured Iced Teas with lemonade for an extra zest of flavour and you can always switch up the teas and flavours for a fully customized experience.
Starbucks Canada just launched two new items this Summer – Iced Honeycomb Lavender Latte and Honey Almond Bar. Iced Honeycomb Lavender Latte is exclusive to Canada only and not sold anywhere else.
Both items use real Canadian honey, so it was excited to give it a try. As today was the first day it launched, as usual, I was the only person that morning to order these new items.
Iced Honeycomb Lavender Latte
The Iced Honeycomb Lavender Latte uses real Canadian honey and smooth cold foam on top. The next layer has milk, Starbucks Blonde Espresso, and honeycomb lavender syrup.
It’s definitely sweet and milky, so I would cut down on the syrup. The Blonde Espresso isn’t very strong as the milk and syrup take over.
As with all Starbucks beverages, the Iced Honeycomb Lavender Latte is customizable. You can get it hot, or with soy milk or even turned into a Frappuccino blended beverage. It would definitely taste better as a Frappuccino.
Honey Almond Bar
This has sliced almonds drenched in a Canadian honey glaze on shortbread crust. I loved this and I devoured this so quickly. The texture of the sliced almonds and shortbread crust were really nice. It isn’t too sweet either.
I would definitely get this again.
Final Thoughts
I had high hopes for the Iced Honeycomb Lavender Latte but sadly it was too sweet and milky for me that it masked the espresso. I did enjoy Honey Almond Bar a lot.
Eclettico is an interesting new coffee shop with an art gallery and an ongoing art installation. The atmosphere is a departure from other coffee shops because it invites you to slow down, savour your drink and take your time to peruse the artwork on its walls.
Interior
Inspired by coffee shops in Europe, Eclettico aspires to be a gathering place for people to enjoy coffee and have inspired conversations. Past the bar is the gallery, where art from local artists are featured and available for purchase.
The space is warm and welcoming. Customers can peruse the art along its walls, bond over board games available and listen to live piano music on the weekends.
Behind the bar is an ongoing steampunk inspired art installation. A new piece is added every few days, so it’ll be different with each visit.
I know you want a closer look at that cat painting, so here it is:
Coffee and Food
Eclettico was very selective in the type of coffee beans they chose for their espresso. They selected beans with low acidity, as preferred in the northern region of Italy.
Their espresso differs from other coffee shops because it’s prepared with an Italian Victoria Arduino lever press, which uses manually adjusted pressure and lower water temperature to extract the flavour. In other words, the coffee will never taste burnt. It was also interesting to watch the barista manually control the espresso pull instead of just pressing a button.
Eclettico partnered with a local Italian baker to offer fresh baked pastries every day. We tried their espresso, monthly drink special and a latte. Their selective approach to choosing the coffee bean and espresso machine makes a difference. I typically shy from straight espresso because of the acidity, but theirs was smooth and nicely complemented their pastries.
They also offer lunch options, as well as a savoury Aperitivo menu from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. We’ll have to come back to try them out!
Final thoughts
I was excited to visit because their logo has a gear shaped like a cat wearing a bowler hat and a monocle.
It was a pleasure speaking to the owners to witness their passion talking about the concept they’ve envisioned for Eclettico. It would be interesting to visit every few months just to see the progress on their ongoing wall art!
Sweet Obsession in Kitsilano offers fine desserts and delicious cakes since 1993. Their passion for quality ingredients ensures their regulars keep coming back for all their special occasions and when a day calls to treat yo’ self. After my first visit, I can confidently say that I loved all of the cakes I tried and they’re definitely worth a visit.
When I asked what makes Sweet Obsessions
different from other dessert shops, the manager beamed and said, “A woman
picked up a cake for her daughter’s wedding yesterday. She said it’s the same
cake she got from us for her wedding more than two decades ago.” In other
words, Sweet Obsessions has become part of some family’s traditions.
Interior
Most of the interior space is occupied by cakes,
baked snack packs and the coffee bar. There are a few tables available but they
were filled-up for the duration of our visit. Luckily, there were a few tables
outside and it was warm enough to eat on their patio.
Menu
The menu offer options for any time of the day.
While most of their guests are from foot traffic, many of their regulars make a
habit of visiting them as a weekly routine or for their special occasions.
Their cakes are all made in-house and most take
nearly 24-hours to prepare. They are busiest on Valentine’s Day and on Mother’s
Day. If you’re planning to order a cake, make sure to pre-order…or there may
not be any left.
Here’s what we tried:
St. Honore
This cake’s description reads like a list of
things I love: puff pastry, choux balls filled with vanilla pastry cream &
chocolate mousse, drizzled with dark chocolate. It’s impressive to look at and
it’s delicious in every way!
Triple
Chocolate Mousse
This is one of their most popular cakes. It has
layers of dark, mocha and white chocolate mousse. Even though it’s a mousse
cake, each layer is rich in flavour and very decadent.
Fruit Tart
Chocolate brushed pastry, filled with chocolate
mousse, custard cream & topped with fresh fruit. The custard cream is
perfect, but pastry shell is my favourite part of this dessert.
Passion
Fruit Flan
Featuring passion fruit custard in a pastry
shell. It’s light and fruity, better yet the candied citrus peel is made in-house!
Beverages:
Mango smoothie and Matcha tea
I really love mango and I really love matcha, so
I chose both.
The matcha tea wasn’t too sweet and was a
delightful pairing while eating cakes.
Smoothies come in four flavours: raspberry,
mango, strawberry, blueberry. It was a refreshing drink after eating the
decadent desserts.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve read this far, I’ll share their secret.
I loved the various crusts in all their cakes; each were slightly different but
all had the perfect texture and taste. I asked what makes it delicious and the
answer is, unsurprisingly, butter. Knowing it’s much more than that, I pressed
for more information. I learned that in addition to the quantity they use, not
all butter is created equal. Sweet Obsession uses New Zealand butter which
boasts higher butterfat content than those readily available in Canada.
Sweet Obsession is a destination spot–it’s not
located on a shopping street or on a major intersection–but they’ve been open
for over 26 years. There are two owners: one is a passionate baker and one is a
stickler for good customer service. In speaking to the manager, I also learned
that most of their kitchen crew have been together for nearly two decades! The
result is a shop that prides itself in the quality of its food and keeps their
guests craving for their cakes again and again.
Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino returns this Summer for a limited time only. This starts Tuesday, April 30 at Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada while supplies lasts.
The Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino is made of buttery caramel syrup blended with coffee, milk and ice, then topped with a layer of dark caramel sauce, whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and crunchy caramel sugar topping.
When we drank this, there is a strong taste of caramel in this drink and it is overly sweet. We even stirred it several times to incorporate all the ingredients, but it was way too sweet.
There are 2 more fan-favourite Frappuccino blended beverages coming back on the menu as well – S’mores Frappuccino and Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino.
The Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino was our least favourite.
Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino returns this Summer for a limited time only. This starts Tuesday, April 30 at Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada while supplies lasts.
The Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino is made of a rich mocha sauce, vanilla syrup and Frappuccino chips are blended with coffee, milk and ice, and finished off with whipped cream and cookie crumbles.
This was actually really good. You get the taste of the mocha right away and it compliments with the texture of the cookie crumbs. This would definitely be my Summer go-to Frappuccino. At full sweetness, it wasn’t unbearably sweet like some of their other drinks. If you want it less sweet, you can always customize your drink with less pumps of syrup.
There are 2 more fan-favourite Frappuccino blended beverages coming back on the menu as well – S’mores Frappuccino and Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino.
Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino was my favourite out of the 3 returning Frappuccinos.
Starbucks S’mores Frappuccino returns this Summer for a limited time only. This starts Tuesday, April 30 at Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada while supplies lasts.
If you don’t know what a S’mores Frappuccino is, it has marshmallow-infused whipped cream and milk chocolate sauce along with a creamy blend of coffee, milk and ice. It’s finished off with more marshmallow whipped cream and a graham cracker crumble on top.
I personally haven’t had a S’mores Frappuccino yet, so it was good to finally get a taste as it hasn’t been back on the menu in years. The drink is perfect for the Summer as it reminds you of roasting s’mores on an open fire. It is a bit sweet, so you can get it less sweet to counter balance all the marshmallow flavourings. I love the graham cracker crumble!
There are 2 more fan-favourite Frappuccino blended beverages coming back on the menu as well – Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino and Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino.
The long awaited opening of Matcha Cafe Maiko in Metro Vancouver, specifically Richmond is just days away with a Grand Opening of May 2, 2019. Matcha Cafe Maiko is a popular matcha cafe in Hawaii known of their fun and delicious matcha treats. Since opening in Hawaii, they have opened more locations across North America. Last year, we went to their San Francisco location in Japan Town and enjoyed their soft serve mix and Maiko Special Sundae.
This location in Richmond will be the first in Canada to open.
We were invited for a sneak peek of their Richmond location to try a few of their signature items. If you’re looking for parking, there is paid street parking right outside.
Interior
The interior is small with only 2 tables to seat 4 people. It is mostly a place for take out or enjoyed outside. There is a park close by, so during hot days, it’s best to eat it outside anyways as you enjoy the weather.
If you insist on being inside, there are some benches for you to sit down.
Menu
Maiko Special
I like ordering this as it has a bit of everything. We got this with the mixture of the matcha and vanilla cream. It also has matcha chiffon, corn flakes, red bean, kotuko jelly, chestnuts, and shiratama mochi. I really enjoyed the shiratama mochi with the mix soft serve. My personal favourite item to order but it is just over $10.
Hojicha Tea
There is hojicha tea on the menu served cold on ice. It has a strong roasted flavour and will give you a nice tea buzz.
Kokuto Matcha Latte
This is their matcha latte with kokuto jelly (brown sugar jelly). It gives the drink a bit of texture and the brown sugar jelly gives extra sweetness to balance out the matcha.
Hojicha Latte Float
This has the hojicha latte tea on the bottom with the matcha and vanilla soft serve mix. It’s a good option to order if you want to try the taste of the Hojicha latte and their soft serve without getting 2 separate items. It comes in 2 sizes, so we recommend getting the larger size so you get more of the latte drink on the bottom.
We didn’t mix these together and just enjoyed with a spoon and straw to enjoy both parts.
Soft-serve Ice Cream
Their soft serve ice cream comes in vanilla, matcha, or a mix of both flavours. It comes in a house made waffle cone and you can add toppings to it for an additional charge. I added Kinako and Shiratama mochi balls to it.
If you want to be even more extra, they have a version of this with the gold leaf foil.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s good to have more matcha options in Metro Vancouver and Matcha Cafe Maiko has been a popular chain that customers wanted. I enjoyed their Maiko Special Parfait as well as the hojicha items.
Ubuntu Canteen is an organic restaurant, bakery and community space on Fraser Street. It’s a really great concept and I love how they are engrained in the community and giving their customers a fantastic gathering space.
We were invited for brunch during the weekday to see what delicious dishes they have pumping out of their kitchen.
Interior
The space is very open and there is lots of space to roam around. Great for small to large groups. As a new mom, I appreciate the layout and how it’s so accommodating to strollers and families. Love, love, love it!
Menu
Pastries and Baked Goods
There is a good selection of pastries and baked goods at the counter. You can’t go wrong with any of them as they pair well with their coffee.
Chocolate Croissant
A standard chocolate croissant that is buttery and flakey with sticks of chocolate inside.
Raisin Swirl
A sweet flakey swirl with raisins was surprisingly good. Not too sweet and works well when sipping on a cup of coffee.
Coffee Brioche Bun
This was pretty delicious with the coffee cream hiding inside the brioche bun. The flavours inside do change up occasionally, so next time they might have a different flavour.
Croissant
A solid croissant that is buttery and full of layers.
Cortado
Cortado is an espresso cut with a small amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. More popular in Europe than it is in North America, but it can be found on some menus in Vancouver. They use the beans from Bows x Arrows, which actually used to occupy this space.
Ham and cheese croissant
This crispy croissant is stuffed with cheese, then topped with ham and scrambled eggs. It looks amazing and tastes equally as delicious. Everything should be topped with scrambled eggs all the time.
Bavarian sausage
There are 2 pieces of Bavarian sausage, freshly baked pretzel, mustard and kraut. If you’re looking for something simply German, this is it. The pretzel is really delicious.
Chicken Broth
Who knew chicken broth could taste so good. It is topped with green onions and sesame. It reminded us of a really clean and nutritious pho broth but with chicken. We wouldn’t have ever thought about ordering this, but we were glad they insisted on it.
Red Fife Risotto
This isn’t your typical risotto. It also has Nettle Pesto, ricotta, and a poached egg. The grains have a nice bite and texture to it.
Roasted mushroom Tartine
A slice of artisan bread is topped with hummus, assorted mushrooms, preserved lemon and greens. This is great for any mushroom lover and it comes with a side salad too.
The side salad is nothing special, but it was a nice addition to the tartine to get more greens into the diet.
Lamb Bolognese
You can’t go wrong with Henry corn polenta topped with lamb bolognese and a beautiful sunny side up egg. The lamb bolognese is very flavourful and kept us wanting more.
Rotisserie
This items is available after 11am. You can have this as a quarter bird, half bird, or full bird. We ended getting half a bird for our order. The chicken comes accompanied with mushrooms, grains, sour cream, radish and spinach.
The chicken was juicy and flavourful. The skin isn’t overly spiced, so the natural flavours of the chicken do shine through.
Final Thoughts
The food here is fantastic along with their coffee that they serve. They are very proud to be working with so many local producers to offer the best food possible. Along with the focus of having a community space, its one that I will definitely be returning to.
They also have a lot of fun activities happening here like a book club, wine club, Sunday supper series, film night, and more. Check their website or their social media for the latest events.
Hiel Cafe in Burnaby is a hidden gem that serves up coffee, sandwiches, poké, brunch, and soufflé pancakes. Located right at a very busy intersection, where most people pass by and don’t give this cafe a visit. I saw online that they have soufflé pancakes, so I had to come with my friend to give it a try.
Interior
The interior is very spacious and has lots of space especially if you have kids and strollers. Very family friendly, which is always appreciated. I usually lug around a stroller, so very happy to see a lot of space.
They also have a small area for meetings or large groups in this enclosed room, which is a nice touch.
If you have kids, I think you’ll appreciate this adorable tiny picnic table.
Menu
Einspänner
This is a Viennese coffee with 2 shots of espresso and a thick sweet cream on top. It’s actually really hard to find this in Vancouver since barely any cafe makes this nor does anyone really know about this. I really enjoyed it as it brought me back to the days in Vienna.
Latte
They also have another espresso based drinks like lattes. This is what my friend ordered. Very cute latte art on top.
Salmon Poké
I’m surprised they serve up poké. This has rice, seaweed, salad, tomato, cucumber, ginger, vinegar cured onions, sweet peas, corn, sesame oil, avocado, soy sauce, lettuce, and the raw salmon mixed with a house sweet mayo. There were large chunks of salmon but I wish it was wild salmon instead of this kind. I didn’t like the house sweet mayo either, but my personal preference would be more of the marinated salmon like other places.
Brunch Waffle
This comes with egg, smoked sausage, avocado, maple syrup, and butter with the pieces of waffle. A good hearty brunch.
Original Soufflé Pancake
This is a stack of 2 fluffy soufflé pancakes, sweet cream and berries. The pancakes are very airy and fluffy. Ones of the best I’ve had in Vancouver so far. Highly recommend it. If you had to go to one place in Vancouver, this would be the place.
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare, but its so worth it. They take a lot of care and effort to make this and it shows.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m very impressed by Hiel Cafe. I would skip the poké, but their other items are solid like the coffee, brunch and soufflé pancakes. It’s very family friendly and you don’t have to worry about cramped tables or it being too loud and busy. The parking is limited in the area as it’s a busy complex. You may need to make a few blocks over during busy times.
iTofu is a new tofu shop that has opened up in Richmond and got their start at the Richmond Night Market years ago. They serve up a variety of items from sweet to savoury. They recently won best tofu dessert at the Chinese Restaurant Awards.
There are some reserved parking stalls out front, but most of the parking is reserved for other businesses, so parking can be tricky. Also note, they only accept cash and debit, so no credit cards.
Interior
The space is a decent size and they have a few tables of 4 in the space. We went on a weekday afternoon and it wasn’t busy at all. It’s probably more busy on weekends and weekday evenings.
Menu
Sugar and Syrups
There are 3 types of sugar available to add onto your tofu pudding – ginger syrup, simple syrup, and cane sugar. All great items to add, so personally I add a bit of each.
Cold Tofu Pudding with Taro Balls
This is a popular item to order from the menu. It has the base of tofu pudding and topped with their colourful taro balls. Add a bit of sugar into it and it’s simply delicious. The tofu is smooth and silky, plus the taro balls have a good chew to them. Highly recommended.
With their tofu puddings, you can customize it with whatever toppings you want on top. Depending on what kind, it can be $1 or $2 extra.
Tofu Parfait
You get layers of tofu pudding and 3 topping options or $8.50. A pretty good price since it is a big size. If you want to premium toppings added, it’s only a $1 extra instead of $2 as this parfait comes with toppings.
We got ours with black glutinous rice, black sesame, and taro balls.
Tofu Drink
Their tofu drinks come with 2 toppings, so it’s not a regular plain tofu drink. I got mine with coconut jelly and grass jelly. I really enjoyed it as I got the mouthful of soy milk, tofu pudding, coconut jelly and grass jelly.
Final Thoughts
I love love love tofu pudding, so it is good to see another place open up in Metro Vancouver that specializes in it. The menu has a great selection that is more innovative than just the usual tofu pudding. Highly recommend this place but make sure you have cash or debit.
Handworks Coffee Studio is hidden away on the border of Burnaby and New Westminster serving up coffee, tea, and treats in an ornate space filled with antiques reminiscent of childhood. They opened up this shop on May 2017 after a stint at Basho Cafe.
I’ve wanted to come to this coffee shop for some time but as they finally open on Sundays now, I came here for a visit with a friend.
Interior
The space is small and it’s very very unique. It reminds me of an antique store or being transported back in time to the 80s and 90s…or perhaps even earlier than that.
There are a few seats inside for small groups but come early to snag seats if you have a slightly larger group. Best for groups of 2s and 4s, but nothing too large.
There are so many things to see on the walls and tables. Plus, little knickknacks for sale.
You have to look closely or else you’ll miss seeing something.
Menu
Pastries
At the counter, there is a small selection of pastries for the day from cookies, banana loaves, to mochi muffins. A good little snack to go with the coffee and teas on the menu.
I went with the Belgian Chocolate Espresso Brownie, vanilla mochi muffin, and matcha mochi muffin. Of the 3 items, the brownie was my favourite by far, it has a good rich texture and balance between the chocolate and espresso. The mochi muffins were more cakey than mochi.
Matcha Latte
The matcha latte has beautiful latte art on top and the matcha is nice and vibrant. It tastes delicious and not sweet just the way I like it. If you want it sweet, you can add some sweetener to it to adjust the taste to your liking.
Final Thoughts
Overall, a cute place in Burnaby/New Westminster for coffee and catch up with friends. It’ll give you nostalgia as you look around the cozy space. If you’re in the area, definitely give them a visit.
A new bubble tea shop is in town and it’s The Ooleaf Tea Lounge located right beside Aberdeen Skytrain Station. They are currently in their soft opening phase and are working out any kinks before their grand opening. They specialize in handmade oolong based tea beverages
Currently, their promotion is 50% off select drinks on their menu. When we went, there was only 1 drink on that menu and it was the black milk tea.
Interior
The space isn’t too large but there are a few small and large tables for different sizes of groups. I can imagine more people doing take out than actually sitting here, but who knows.
Menu
Brown Sugar Matcha
You can see the different layers of ingredients in here, but you should stir it up before you drink it. I usually don’t like brown sugar drinks but this was the right about of brown sugar where it isn’t too sweet or overpowering. Make sure to stir ip up really well before drinking.
Black Milk Tea
This was the special of the day with pearls, milk and the oolong tea. Make sure to stir it around since some of the sugar tends to settle on the bottom. We really enjoyed it and the pearls as well. Bold oolong tea and it was just a solid milk tea.
Bitter Melon Pineapple Fruit Tea
My friend got this because she was so curious what bitter melon pineapple fruit tea would taste like. It could be either really good or really bad. The bitter melon juice is obviously really bitter but there is a good amount of pineapple paired with it to attempt to offset the bitterness. For us, that still didn’t work, but we did still appreciate this drink and how some other people might like it.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really liked the strong oolong tea in the drinks. Their menu is different and innovative especially with the bitter melon pineapple fruit tea…even though we didn’t personally like it, it’s very unique.
I would definitely come back for their other drinks for sure. Good balance of tea, milk and sweetness.
Usagi Sweets is a small shop with Japanese pastries like mochi mochi, brownies, cookies, and other sweet treats. It is run by the daughter of the owners of the now defunct Basho Cafe, which has now become Yama Cafe after switching ownership.
I had to make a stop here with my friend to chat over mom life. Sometimes it’s just nice to relax and take a break from our babies.
Interior
The space is small and only has 3 tables, so its hard to fit large groups. It’s a good space for a coffee chat over drinks and treats.
Onigiri Lunch Set
The only savoury item on the menu is their onigiri lunch set with 2 onigiri rice balls, pickled veggies, egg, black sesame green beans, broccoli, and pumpkin. We decided to split this and it was a nice item to just munch on and pick at the items on the plate. Very nice clean flavours that won’t weigh you down. All this for $11.
Usucha
This is a traditional matcha tea with a bright green vibrant colour but it is unsweetened.
Houjicha
This is their pot of roasted green tea that has a brown colour to it.
Assorted Sweets
We ordered a lot of sweets to share – matcha mochi, cream cheese mochi, matcha espresso cookie, goma miso brownie, matcha alfajores, houjicha cookie, and black sesame mochi. It’s always good to get an assortment of treats.
Final Thoughts
The space is really cute and great little spot to catch up with friends. It is busier on the weekends but during weekdays it’s not too bad and we were able to get a table. A lot of people come here to get the sweets to-go but its nice to be able to sit here if you have the time.
Starbucks in Canada and US just launched their new Cloud Macchiato beverages featuring whipped cold foam made by combining 2% milk with Cloud Powder and a hint of flavour. In a blender, they whipped this up to a light foam consistency. Alternatively, you can have this with a milk alternative like soy if you’re lactose intolerant.
The whipped cold foam is then topped with espresso and finished with Starbucks signature caramel drizzle cross-hatch. Macchiato means “marked” in Italian, and the espresso shots “mark” the whipped cold foam. The name Cloud refers to the texture of the finished product.
This comes in 2 types – Caramel Cloud Macchiato or Cinnamon Cloud Macchiato in iced or hot versions. I went with the caramel since it sounded more delicious to me.
The caramel cloud macchiato was 75% whipped cold foam and then 25% espresso with a bit of sweetener at the bottom. The cold foam is very airy, so the whole drink is very light overall. It comes with a sippable lid, so when you take a sip, you get a bit of foam and the espresso. It’s not too bad but I would get it half sweet so there is a better balance between the foam and espresso. I like my drinks a bit more on the bold side.
Vancouver’s First Pop Up Vietnamese Coffee Bar – Ca Phe Vietnamese Coffee House just opened up inside Chinatown House. I love Vietnamese Coffee, so when I heard they were opening, I had to drag some friends to check it the coffee and pastries. This pop-up is set to be around until mid-May.
Ordering
They take orders via Instagram if you don’t want to wait in line. Sometimes the line does get long, so having it ready when you arrive is amazing! Just send them a direct message with what you want and when, they will get it ready for your arrival.
Interior
There are 16 seats inside but it’s nothing fancy. Most people get their coffee’s to go but some people just find a seat and chat. That’s what I did as I was meeting up with a friend. The tables are in configurations of 4 but usually the line up builds for getting the coffee is long and not too many people sitting down.
Menu
Really Strong Vietnamese Coffee
The classic Vietnamese Coffee with condensed milk. It’s like a Vietnamese Americano with the sweetened milk. Good if you like your coffee hot.
Really Strong Iced Coffee
This is similar to the one prior but with ice. I actually prefer it with ice as it brings the strong Vietnamese coffee and condensed milk together. Plus, it’s the way I have it at restaurants. Highly recommend this coffee.
Avocado Coffee
This is Vietnamese Coffee with Avocado. You really get a strong taste of avocado when you drink it. It’s an interesting combination that I have never had before. It’s a good way to get avocado into your diet for the day, but the combination wasn’t for me.
Brown Butter Matcha and Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies with Black Sesame Caramel
This was an interesting combination but there was a lot going on with this blondie and the matcha didn’t stand out as much. The more prominent flavours were the brown butter and black sesame.
Black Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookie
Watch out of the black sesame crumbs that may lurk on your clothing as your devour this cookie as a few pieces of the black sesame tends to fall off. The black sesame taste is strong in this cookie with the amount of it coating the cookie.
Spiced Chocolate Hoisin Swirl Brownies with Vietnamese Coffee Salted Caramel
This was our favourite out of the 3 options. It has a good depth of flavour of the spiced chocolate, hoisin swirl and the salted caramel. It worked well together.
Final Thoughts
It’s great to finally have a place dedicated to Vietnamese Coffee in Vancouver even if it’s temporary. The pop-up is meant for a quick to-go Vietnamese coffee, so you won’t have the full restaurant experience with the glass cups and Vietnamese coffee dripper. It helps bring customers unique options like the avocado coffee and egg coffee to show there is more to Vietnamese Coffee than just the standard hot and cold option.
Starbucks Canada has added a new tea latte beverage to their existing Teavana tea latte line-up – and it’s only available in Canada starting today. The new Teavana Black Sesame Tea Latte just launched today. This is the first new addition to the existing Teavana Tea Latte line-up which has Black Tea Latte, Matcha Tea Latte, Rooibos Tea Latte, and Blossoming Rose Tea Latte.
Of the original line-up, I really loved the black tea latte and when I was pregnant, I would get it quite often…probably several times a week as I could tame down the sweetness and it would still taste great like a milk tea.
Teavana Black Sesame Tea Latte
The Teavana Black Sesame Tea Latte has bold black tea steamed with milk and a rich, black sesame sauce topped with a tasty black sesame brittle.
It essentially tastes like their original black tea latte with the subtle hint of black sesame. It’s not until the bottom of the cup that you can taste more of the sweet black sesame. A grande has 4 pumps of black sesame sauce, so you can tone that down a bit to 2 pumps if you don’t want your drink as sweet.
If you want a dairy alternative, they recommend getting it way soy. You can get this drink iced as well.
