Cold brew for later? In Clark County, cafes can (and bottle)

Kafiex first introduced its original cold brew, a smooth, chocolatey drink that won the People’s Choice award at Cold Brew Fest in 2018. Kafiex is also releasing an Ethiopia cold brew (which won the Judge’s Choice award at Cold Brew Fest last year) and an oat-milk latte.

Thatcher’s Coffee and Relevant Coffee have also joined the canned cold brew game. Thatcher’s has cold brew cans along with a variety of pre-made caffeinated beverages like their super popular honey vanilla latte, chai latte, and Earl Grey tea latte. The lattes come with choice of milk or Oatly oat milk. Thatcher’s cold brew is made with Thatcher’s Blend from Roseline Coffee. The cherry, almond and cocoa notes typical of this blend really shine when cold brewed.

Relevant Coffee has a variety of cold-brew coffees in cans, as well as a couple of latte choices. It isn’t just coincidence that Thatcher’s and Relevant offered can drinks around the same time. Relevant owner Mitch Montgomery talked about canning cold brew with Jamie Erdman of Thatcher’s, and they both rented their canning equipment from Bader Beer & Wine Supply. Relevant offers a few different types of cold brew for various moods and palates.

The Main Street is Relevant’s staple blend. It tastes of chocolate and caramel with just a bit of acidity to contrast with the other flavors. There are also two single origin cold brews: Mexico and Ethiopia. The Mexico also has notes of chocolate, but lacks the bit of acidity found in the Main Street.

“When I think of cold brew, this fits the bill of mild and not too crazy,” Montgomery said. The Ethiopia cold brew is for someone seeking a variety of flavors not normally associated with cold brew like floral, citrus and berry. It’s perfect for coffee drinkers who like the complexity of an Ethiopian coffee or lightly roasted beans.

Relevant also has cans of Oatly lattes — plain or with their piloncillo house syrup. Piloncillo is an unrefined whole-cane sugar that adds a burnt caramel flavor to food and drinks. Montgomery uses Oatly oat milk in his to-go lattes because he feels it pairs well with coffee and has a nice heavy body.

The cold brew at Relevant sells out quickly. The best way to keep up with new releases is to follow Relevant on Instagram and Facebook. If you miss out on the next release, cans of Relevant cold brew are available at Little Conejo and Vinnie’s Pizza.

Paper Tiger has also jumped into the canned cold-brew fray. The coffee shop uses an Ethiopian Sidamo bean, steeps it in water for 24 hours and then triple filters it to create a smooth coffee with full flavor.

The result is a light-bodied cold brew with crisp berry and citrus flavors balanced out with a touch of chocolate flavor.

It’s impossible to guess what coffee shop culture in Vancouver will look like in the near future. Hopefully, we’ll return to airy coffee shops to sip our lattes and daydream while surrounded by the chatter of others. For now, there are a lot of great canned options for a well-crafted caffeinated beverage at home.