Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House is taking part in the Taste BC Fundraiser for BC Children’s Hospital. Take a quick poll on Facebook and you could win tickets to the big event! We’re giving away two sets of two tickets worth $100 each. (One entry per person).
At Taste BC, you can experience BC wine, beer and spirits and delicious food from our best local restaurants. You’ll be entertained by live music. There are great door prizes and a silent auction that features great BC products and destination packages. It’s going to be a great night – and you could be there.
Taste BC Event Details
Four Seasons Hotel
791 Georgia Street, Vancouver
Tuesday January 24, 4:30-7:30 pm
What is Does Taste BC Support?
Taste BC is a great local event to benefit one of British Columbia’s most vital medical institutions, which treats about 700 sick and injured children every day. Taste BC has raised $186,336 for BC Children’s Hospital’s Oak Tree Clinic so far. On its busiest day, BC Children’s Hospital treats almost 1,100 individual children.
This is a great cause and as a local Vancouver company, we’re proud to take part. We’re looking forward to this special evening featuring some of the province’s most well known food and beverage companies, raising funds for an important facility.
Interested in bringing your friends to Taste BC?
Get more information about the event at the official Taste BC website. You can also purchase tickets for Taste BC from event sponsors Liberty Wine Merchants at their locations.
The holiday season is a time of good cheer, but those in Vancouver who are living on the margins still need the help of their neighbors. Trees Organic café was proud to provide cheesecake dessert and coffee for the Christmas dinner of La Bousolle (The Compass), a Vancouver-based community support and welfare center serving francophones who are poor and facing multiple barriers.
This organization is the only francophone non-profit in Vancouver serving those in need of housing, legal aid, employment, social intervention and mental health supports. Thanks again to everyone who volunteered to help make the holiday season in Vancouver a great time for everyone.
At Trees Organic, we roast our own organic fair-trade coffee beans. How do we do it? Café owner Doron Levy roasts beans right in the café on Granville Street several times a week. He shows how it’s done.
Trees Organic uses a commercial-quality Probat coffee roaster to ensure that the best beans get the treatment they deserve. After all, we work hard to source organic coffee beans from around the world that meet our customer’s standards.
First, Doron puts fresh beans into the top of the roaster in a part called the hopper. He sets the temperature he wants and when the thermometer gage says it’s ready, he drops the beans in by turning a lever.
Once the coffee beans are in the roaster drum, baffles turn the beans so that the roasting will happen evenly. This is important to ensure a uniform taste for the batch. Think of it the same way as clothes tumble in a dryer.
Doron can see the beans through the sight glass, but it’s a bit tough to really get a sense of what’s going on inside the roaster. To get a better feel for the process inside, he can pull out the tryer, which holds a few of the roasting beans. He can look at the beans, smell them and decide when the beans are perfectly roasted. Timing is really important, as even just a few seconds either way can mean the difference between too light or too dark of a roast.
When the coffee beans are ready, Doron opens the little door at the bottom and drops them into the cooling tray. He moves the stir arms to keep the beans moving and ventilated so they cool quicker, sealing in the smell and flavor of the coffee oils. Fast cooling ensures the beans do not continue roasting from the residual heat. Then the beans are collected and when the time comes, they are ground and served to our coffee-loving customers.
Have you tried our holiday-featured Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee? We love this coffee bean. It delivers an earthy aroma with just a hint of chocolate – a very pleasant coffee for the consummate café aficionado. Ask for it when you come in – and yes, the Granville café is open on Christmas day from 11 am to 5 pm. Drop by and say hello!
All fans of our coffeehouses and lovers of our award-winning cheesecake are invited to an anniversary party at Trees Organic cafes in Gastown (Vancouver) and Richmond. Our Gastown location is having its second anniversary and our Richmond café is turning lucky seven!
This Thursday, December 15, enjoy some holiday party atmosphere as our cafés will be serving up FREE slices of our classic New York cheesecake and holiday-featured Chocoloate Orange cheesecake all day long.
Yes, you read that right: Free Trees Organic cheesecake. All. Day. Long. Grab a slice and enjoy. But remember, the parties are only happening at our Gastown and Richmond locations.
Wait… Sorry? You love Trees cheesecake and coffee, but you haven’t visited our other café locations yet? Well, come on down. Don’t be shy. It’s a party.
Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House anniversary locations:
Gastown Vancouver
321 Water Street
Vancouver, BC
Richmond Library & Cultural Centre
7700 Minoru Gate
Richmond, BC
Invite your friends to the party!
Hey, we’re friendly. The more the merrier. Tweet, Facebook, email and call your friends down to enjoy some cheesecake, coffee, treats and good times at Trees Organic cafes.
This year we wanted to get you something special for Christmas. We’re excited, because we got our hands on some beautiful Sidamo coffee beans from Ethiopia, where coffee was first discovered by a 9th-century Ethiopian goat herder.
The beans came in on Tuesday and we roasted our first five-kilo batch on Wednesday in our Granville Street Roasting House Thursday we had our first coffee cupping. We fell in love. It has medium body with some subtle brightness and chocolaty tones. It’s got great balance and nice length. Our Ethiopian Sidamo beans create a cup that is hard to put down.
What does single origin coffee mean?
Coffee is like wine, origin matters. These beans are from Sidamo in Southwest Ethiopia. Of the Arabica varietal.
How did we roast the Ethiopian Sidamo coffee beans?
This batch was roasted medium dark to make sure we don’t cover up some of the beautiful fruity notes or the chocolaty notes. The beauty of small batch roasting is that we can make a slightly different roast in our next batch a few days later. Variety is the spice of live. Roasting is an art.
Why are we highlighting Ethiopia Sidamo beans for the holidays?
Christmas is a time of giving and Ethiopia sure needs some help. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. When we buy fair trade organic coffee from Ethiopia, we support local growers and their families.
Where is Sidamo?
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country. Their major political state was the ancient Kingdom of Kaffa.
How can I try some of the Sidamo coffee?
We’re selling the beans in our Granville, Richmond, Gastown and Yaletown stores. (This is a premium bean so it is a bit more expensive). One little secret. Load the Clip Mobile App on your phone and enjoy a great coupon deal. Our gift to you.
You may also see the Sidamo as one of the two coffees of the day. Keep and eye on it and give it a try.
You’re invited to the Yaletown Mini-Market at Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighborhood (1391 Richards Street, at the corner of Richards and Pacific) on special days through November and December.
Check out some unique holiday gift ideas and and support your local creative entrepreneurs, jewelry makers and other artisans.
Supporting Yaletown small businesspeople with creative products
Arbonne Skin Products with Megan. Arbonne has skin care products based on botanical principles, Its products support both inner and outer health. For more information, check out www.arbonne.com/ or email Megan.natalie@yahoo.com
Dates & Times:
Monday, Nov 28th 3pm-7pm
Monday, Dec 5th 3pm-7pm
Monday, Dec 12th 3pm-7pm
Monday, Dec 19th 3pm-7pm
Stella & Dot Jewelry with Amy. Check out this unique line of jewelry that will help you accessorize in time for the holidays. Stella and Dot’s one of a kind collections are designed by celebrated New York designers and featured in Gossip Girl, In Style and Lucky Magazine as well as on the wrists and necklines of today’s hottest celebrities.
Contact Amy a.hallcummings@gmail.com for more details
Dates & Times:
Monday, Nov28th 3pm-7pm
Monday, Dec 5th 3pm-7pm
BlueBeesNetwork with Kelsey. A Networking Group in Vancouver that focuses on teaching the Art of Manifestation and the sacred vibrations of the feminine energies. Contact Kelsey bluebeesnetwork@gmail.com or visit www.thebluebeesnetwork.wordpress.com/about
Dates & Times:
Saturday, Dec 3rd 1pm-4pm
Sunday, Dec 11th 1pm-4pm
Saturday, Dec 17th 1pm-4pm
Want to display your wares at the Yaletown Mini-Market at Trees Organic?
Are you a customer of Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House in Vancouver? Do you have a home-based business and need a venue to build your business?
Contact Trees Organic’s Yaletown store manager Adam for details at (604)689-1020 or email agiesbrecht@treescoffee.com
Already thinking about gifts for the holiday season? If you’ve got a Christmas, Chanukah, or New Year’s bash coming up (and that pretty much covers all of us, unless you’re not planning on entering 2012) and want to give back to your friends and family, we’ve got some coffee-bean scented holiday gift ideas:
Trees Organic Coffee House gift cards
Come and enjoy our coffee, award-winning cheesecake, hot apple cider, sandwiches, soups – anything you see in our café, with the convenience of a swipe card. Purchase or reload your card at any of our café locations in Vancouver and Richmond and easily check your balance at the till or online. Perfect for the coffee lover, tea drinker or café dweller in your family – and a lot more thoughtful than handing over wad of crumpled bills. Reload, reuse, rejoice!
Cheesecake for dessert!
The whole family has come over for the holidays and they’re hungry. Spoil them with Vancouver’s best cheesecake. Everybody loves cheesecake – even little Timmy, who can’t be bothered to finish his yams. We serve it up in seven flavors, including the Sin (Belgian chocolate and sour cherries), blueberry, mocha, key lime, the classic New York style, plus the flavor of the season: Chocolate Orange!
Gift bags of coffee beans!
On a winter morning the day after the big party, wake yourself up with some organic fair trade coffee beans from the best coffee-growing regions on the planet. We’ve got beans from Peru, Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Sumatra and more. Ask our café baristas to recommend the perfect beans for your special someone, whether they prefer something with full flavor, spice, smokiness or hints of flavor like chocolate.
Catered soups, sandwiches, desserts and more for your office New Year’s party!
French press is a popular and gourmet-style way to make coffee. Fans of the French press will swear by the boldness and flavor it brings out of coffee beans. While it’s seen by some coffee aficionados as a fancy cup of coffee, making it is actually a pretty straightforward process!
Here’s how you make French Press coffee:
Preparing for a French Press Coffee Brew. Using a French Press (Press Pot) is one of the easiest and best ways to get truly excellent coffee at home.The keys to getting good results are: using high quality fresh beans, grinding the coffee correctly for the brewing method, and timing the process.
You’ll need a Press Pot, coffee, a grinder, a spoon, a timer, cups, and thermal carafe if you make more than one cup if your press isn’t insulated.
Grind the Coffee. It is important that the coffee be ground coarse. Ideally use a quality burr grinder because it will provide an even grind. A blade grinder produces a somewhat inconsistent grind, so if you’re serious about coffee, start saving.By grinding the coffee coarse, you’re allowing for a slower and more even extraction, which results in a fuller bodied and more nuanced cup.
Blade grinders chop the coffee rather than grinding it, resulting in uneven and unpredictable particle size. This leads to an uneven extraction, creating increased bitterness. In addition, the lack of consistency in particle size results in inconsistent and unpredictable results from pot to pot.
Add Coffee to the Pot. You’ll need one tablespoon (7 grams) of coffee for every 4 oz of water.
Feel free to adjust this amount based on your own personal tastes. Make sure the pot is clean and dry.
Boil water and add it to the pot. Bring the water just to a boil. Pour it aggressively into the pot so that it saturates the grounds. The key is to saturate all the grounds evenly. Move the stream around as you pour to facilitate this. Do not fill the pot entirely.With many fresh coffees you will see significant expansion of the coffee in a sort of foam at the top of the liquid once you add water. This is known as bloom and is the result of the off-gassing of CO2 from the coffee.
Set the timer to count down 4 minutes. Using this standard steeping time is essential to getting consistent quality coffee.
After 1 minute stir the Pot. Add water to fill the pot.
Stirring the pot guarantees even and optimal extraction of the coffee. It also breaks down the bloom and allows you to add water without spilling.
Put Press-Top on Pot. Make sure you line up the spout and the corresponding opening in the lid. Wait till the timer goes.
Press the Pot At exactly 4 minutes. Push the press (slowly) into the pot to force all grounds to the bottom.
Pour the Coffee. Do this as soon as you’ve pressed the pot. If you’re making more coffee than you can fit into a cup and want to hold some for later, pour the coffee into a thermal carafe. Do not leave the coffee in the Press Pot.
We hope these tips help you enjoy great coffee!
Maybe you have some tips for us. We’d love to hear from you! Drop by any of our Vancouver or Richmond locations and pick up some coffee beans for your French Press.
Trees Organic barista Irene took a few moments out of her busy day so she could tell us what it’s like working in the heart of Vancouver’s café culture. Thanks, Irene!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am quarter Japanese and three-quarters Korean. I moved to Vancouver in 2005. I love to sit in cafes and write letters. I like to ride my bike with my friends to Commercial Drive and explore neat cafes, pubs and restaurants. My hobby is collecting vintage Cameras and Playmobiles. And I am crazy about the band Metronomy, but nowadays I like to listen to Melody Gardot.
What’s so special about organic coffee beans?
Organic Coffee beans are good for you. They are chemical free, environmentally friendly and bird friendly. And we get our beans from fair trade farmers.
What do you like most about working at a cafe?
I love the atmosphere. The staff I work with are amazing and friendly. It’s warm and cozy. The Gastown location has two big windows with benches and pillows which make it a nice and comfortable place to relax, read a book, or hang out with a friend.
What is your favorite Trees beverage to drink and why?
During the summer I love to drink iced Lady Hannah tea. In the autumn, I like to have London Fogs. Our lovely Earl Grey tea has lavender in it which makes it something special. During the winter, I switch over to Soy Mocha. Chocolate makes me happy.
What’s your favorite cheesecake flavor?
That is a very hard question, I am not joking when I say they are all my favorites.
However, if I had to pick one, it would have to be the classic New York with strawberry sauce. During October I do really enjoy our feature of the month which is our Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake. It is so yummy!
Which sandwich would you recommend for lunch?
My favorite Sandwich is Turkey and Brie. The brie is mouth- watering. The crunchy lettuce on the baguette, and the combination of turkey and cranberries is to die for.
Tell us about your favorite customer.
My favorite customer is a girl by the name of Willow who comes in and orders a caramel latte and a scone. She always gets a small table and works on her school work. Also, there’s a gentleman who comes in almost every evening and grabs a skim milk Latte. He seems really humble, polite and genuine.
You’ll always be welcomed at Trees Organic by friendly service with a smile. Our October’s cheesecake flavor is Pumpkin Spice and our featured drink is a Pumpkin Pie Latte. Come into the cafe and enjoy some seasonal good cheer.
Trees Organic serves up coffee with beans from all around the world, from Latin America to the far reaches of Asia. The flavor you get in your cup depends on where it was grown and under what conditions. Just as wine comes in all kinds of vintages for you to compare, you can taste different kinds of coffee and enjoy a wide range of subtle differences.
Coffee Beans. A Matter of Taste
There are hundreds of different kinds of coffees available, but most coffee comes from just three main species: Arabica, Robusta and Liberica. The specialty coffees we tend to drink in cafes are typically Arabica, since this type of bean has the most delicate and popular flavors.
Although Latin America was the last region of the world to start producing coffee, it has also become one of the most popular coffee-growing regions due to its good quality. Sometimes beans from different regions are blended to produce distinct flavors.
Keep in mind that the flavor of the coffee you get in your cup is determined by more than which bean you use. For instance, a dark roast tends to produce a more bitter flavor. Even the way you grind the beans can affect how it tastes. A finer grind delivers a more intense flavor, since hot water touches more surface area of the beans while it brews.
Where Trees’ Coffee Comes From
Peru. The perfect medium coffee with full flavor, great body and aroma.
Guatemala. An exquisite balance of acidity and body with a spicy, smoky flavor.
Colombia. Considered one of the world’s finest with a full body, rich flavor and great acidity.
Mexico. A dark to medium body with a unique dry chocolate flavor. This is what we use for our espresso.
Sumatra. Famous for its intensity with a rich, bold and robust flavor.
Costa Rica. Rich and hearty with a well developed taste.
Our coffee is organic, fair trade, and roasted at our own Granville Street Roasting House.
You can also enjoy Trees Organic coffees at the home or in the office. All of our coffees are available in 200 and 400 gram bags as whole beans or ground to your specifications. Try some today!
Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House is taking part in the Taste BC Fundraiser for BC Children’s Hospital. Take a quick poll on Facebook and you could win tickets to the big event! We’re giving away two sets of two tickets worth $100 each. (One entry per person).
The holiday season is a time of good cheer, but those in Vancouver who are living on the margins still need the help of their neighbors. Trees Organic café was proud to provide cheesecake dessert and coffee for the Christmas dinner of 
At Trees Organic, we roast our own organic fair-trade coffee beans. How do we do it? Café owner Doron Levy roasts beans right in the café on Granville Street several times a week. He shows how it’s done.
All fans of our coffeehouses and lovers of our award-winning cheesecake are invited to an anniversary party at Trees Organic cafes in Gastown (Vancouver) and Richmond. Our Gastown location is having its second anniversary and our Richmond café is turning lucky seven!
This year we wanted to get you something special for Christmas. We’re excited, because we got our hands on some beautiful Sidamo coffee beans from Ethiopia, where coffee was first discovered by a 9th-century Ethiopian goat herder.
You’re invited to the Yaletown Mini-Market at Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighborhood (1391 Richards Street, at the corner of Richards and Pacific) on special days through November and December.
Already thinking about gifts for the holiday season? If you’ve got a Christmas, Chanukah, or New Year’s bash coming up (and that pretty much covers all of us, unless you’re not planning on entering 2012) and want to give back to your friends and family, we’ve got some coffee-bean scented holiday gift ideas:
Cheesecake for dessert!
Trees Organic barista Irene took a few moments out of her busy day so she could tell us what it’s like working in the heart of Vancouver’s café culture. Thanks, Irene!
Trees Organic serves up coffee with beans from all around the world, from Latin America to the far reaches of Asia. The flavor you get in your cup depends on where it was grown and under what conditions. Just as wine comes in all kinds of vintages for you to compare, you can taste different kinds of coffee and enjoy a wide range of subtle differences.
