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Read all of Brian Martell's 2005 Coffee Articles:
East Meets West (We Hope!)by Brian Martell Mark Twain once wrote “East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet!” to describe the divergence of political opinions during and after the American Civil War. A hundred and fifty years hence and the expression still has impact to denote that some things cannot be reconciled. Indeed, the maxim could have easily been penned by a Canadian political bard of the 21st century what with Newfoundland bringing down the Maple Leaf, Alberta’s premier dissing Ottawa, not to mention a pre- Jean Charest Québec! But with all our tensions, Canada has a lot of regional cultural gems that the other parts of the country would do well to emulate. Take, for example, the world renowned hospitality of Atlantic Canadians in general and Newfoundlanders in specific. When they found themselves overwhelmed with unexpected guests from all over the world on September 11, 2001, they didn’t just roll out the red carpet, they wrapped it up and gave it away to their departing new friends! Alberta is renowned for its no nonsense attitude, proud independence and pragmatism (they have the least government out of all provinces), and Ontario is known for its incredible economic force within the Dominion. And if Québec could bottle its joie de vivre, they’d single handedly be able to eliminate the debt and the GST in one fell swoop. While the West, particularly BC, has many things to offer Canadians from Sea to Sea to Sea (not the least of which being breathtaking scenery), one thing that I hope the East can pick up on is BC’s coffee culture. It seams the East is lagging behind in the appeal of coffee houses in comparison to Beautiful British Columbia. True, Tim Horton’s (the chain) was born in Hamilton 40 years ago and there are many Easterners who frequent the higher end coffee shops, but by and large, your average Vancouverite seems to have a greater appreciation for good coffee than your average Torontonian or Montréalais (forgive me guys, but it’s the truth). You see, the bar on the West Coast has not only risen, but it sells great coffee too! Essentially, West Coasters have arrived at the same point as the French in their ability to tell you what a good cheese or wine is, except with coffee. Like the French, the reason for this phenomenon is exposure; exposure to quality and quantity. Amazingly, there seem to be more upscale coffee shops per capita in Vancouver than any other city in North America. In downtown Vancouver, Kitsilano, North Van, or any of the ’burbs, you will often see several major chains on the same block, duke-ing it out with fierce independents trying to establish a name for themselves. The quantity has meant that if you are going to compete against the big boys, you better have something good to offer (and not just price!). Now I don’t want to draw any unscientific conclusions here, but isn’t it odd that the longest living Canadians (Lower Mainland BC) also happens to be the greatest consumers of coffee in the country? It could be just a coincidence, or it could be those savvy BCers yet again recognizing the beneficial health effects of coffee... and coupling that with their Tai Chi classes. Whatever the case, the net effect of the BC coffee culture has been the improved standing of the coffee industry in general. By making the average consumers more astute coffee drinkers, the net effect has been to raise the level of quality to the benefit of all consumers. In conclusion, I hope that East meets West in a coffee house and say “I do!” Questions or comments? Reach Brian at Brian@heritage-coffee.com © 2005 Brian Martell
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