Even though it was years ago in Bali, Marke McNichol remembers the first truly good cup of coffee he ever had.
“It was an epiphany,” he recalls. “I remember that cup to this day. It was like putting on a Versace suit for the first time, or driving a Ferrari. It's an experience that we normally don't have, and when you get the opportunity to experience it for the first time, you go: 'Wow!'”
Today, Marke is sharing that epiphany with others as the owner of Platform 7 Brew Bar, a shop that has quickly risen to take its place amongst the city's coffee elite. Opened in late September of 2013, Platform 7 features all the standard coffee-shop fare, including espresso, French press coffee, pour-overs, and cold brew. But even a quick glimpse around the place demonstrates that Marke and his crew's commitment to coffee is anything but standard. Other menu items include “martini-style” iced coffee, where flavours are enhanced by added fruit and shaken over ice. The coffee bar itself features an Oji Water Dripper, a Japanese invention that produces a smoother, sweeter, less acidic cold-brew, but can take between 18-20 hours to complete a single batch. Even the espresso machine is top-of-the-line — a La Marzocco “Strada” hand-built in Florence, Italy.
“It's sort of the Ferrari of espresso machines,” Marke grins.” And for somebody who really loves coffee, when they come in, and they see that thing — that's a statement. They know that we take our coffee very, very seriously. It's like high art.”
Original
Nitro
Single origin
Iced pour over coffee
Cold Brew Stubbies
Stumptown Milkshake
Kombucha
Iced Tea pour over
Smoothies
Martini Stye
Black & Tonic
Shakerato
Iced Chai w Ice Cream
Pour Over
French Press
Siphon
Iced Coffee
Cold Brew
Martini Style
Shakerato
Tasting Flight
espresso
latte
caffe macchiato
cortado
teas
cappuccino
americano
hot chocolate
latte macchiato
drip
ristretto
mocha
con panna
chai latte
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Modelled after a Victorian-era London train station, this elegant coffee bar in East Van will charm you at first sight, and first sip. Cold brew coffee is serious business at Platform 7; visitors will find an array of chilled options prepared with beans from Portland’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters and served ceremoniously at the on-site brew bar. The menu includes made-in-house cold brew coffee, iced espresso-based drinks prepared on the La Marzocco Strada (imported from Florence), and handcrafted martini-style iced brew coffees. For a carbonated hit of caffeine, try an espresso mixed with bubbly tonic water.
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