Feature: Vancouver with coffee aroma

Residents of Vancouver are used to finding their city on such lists as the world's most beautiful cities, or perhaps the world's most expensive cities. But now, coffee seems to be emerging as another charming culture in the city.

This month, the popular Matador travel network named Vancouver as having the third-best coffee culture in the world, beating out other well-known cities such as Paris, Rome and Seattle. Only Sacramento and Manila were ranked higher.

Many people could not understand this unless they take a walk in downtown Vancouver. Not only is there a coffee shop on nearly every corner in most parts of Vancouver, but there is also a boutique coffee culture with deep roots in the city with customers who demand variety, quality and unique flavors.

Lindsay William-Ross, a Vancouver food journalist who often writes about food and coffee, told Xinhua that here are a lot of places that are doing their own roasting and emphasizing the ingredient.

"So where the coffee is coming from; how it was grown; who grew it, and then bringing it to the city, roasting it and creating the different flavors for the cup of coffee to have a very genuine experience. It is a coffee drinker's experience," she added.

In a coffee shop in Vancouver, Kyle Straw, a national barista champion, talked about how to make a good espresso.

Vancouverites appreciate distinct flavors and customers are picky, he said. The owners of coffee shops and roasters have to spend a lot of time traveling the world in search of high-quality coffee beans and cementing ties with coffee bean farmers.

"I guess, part of having that really great product is to be transparent about it, so we're willing to sort of show, hey, these are the farmers that we work with, in the last year. This is where the coffee comes from; this is the elevation it's grown at. This is the variety," he said.

He said the process of brewing a championship espresso requires the right tools, high quality beans, and attention to detail.

"For me a great espresso has to be balanced. So there has to be a balance between sweetness, acidity, and bitterness, which are the three fundamental flavors. I think beyond that, a great espresso has to be interesting," he said.

He also noted no cream or sugar is needed when one is drinking the right kind of coffee.

"You will have a real taste of the coffee and enjoy it from your heart," he said. Endi