D² Tea Lab started with a single question: how much tea should a milk tea actually taste of? Our answer was three parts milk to seven parts tea, the ratio in our name and on almost every cup we pour.
Lately we've been asking that question about coffee. Not everyone who comes in with a tea-loving friend wants tea, and plenty of mornings start with coffee. So we've started doing what we do with tea: testing coffee, cup by cup, until it tastes right.
Why coffee, and why now
A tea shop adding coffee can sound like a detour, but the two drinks have a lot in common. Both are brewed from a roasted or processed plant, both carry caffeine, and both change completely depending on water temperature, time and what you add to them. A good roasted oolong latte depends on controlling bitterness, keeping the aroma when milk goes in, and balancing sweetness without hiding the base. A good coffee needs the same skills.
The people who walk through our door don't all want the same thing, either. Some want something bright and fruity, others a dark, chocolatey cup that stands up to milk, and some just want a latte that doesn't taste burnt. One coffee can't do all of that, so we're tuning more than one.
What "testing" means here
When we develop a tea drink, we change one thing at a time and taste the versions side by side. We're doing the same with coffee, working through these variables:
- Roast: lighter roasts keep more of the bean's acidity and origin character; darker roasts bring body, bitterness and roasty sweetness. We're tasting several levels against each other instead of choosing one up front.
- Strength and ratio: how much coffee to how much water, or to how much milk. The same espresso can taste thin in a large latte and harsh in a small one.
- Milk: fresh milk, oat and other alternatives each change sweetness and texture. A coffee that's lovely black can go flat with oat milk, and the reverse.
- Temperature: cold dulls sweetness and sharpens bitterness, so an iced coffee needs its own adjustments beyond pouring hot coffee over ice.
- Sweetness: as with our tea, the aim is a cup that tastes good at low sugar, so sweetness is something you choose and isn't there to cover the coffee.
Why we want your palate
A recipe isn't finished just because the person who made it likes it. Tea taught us that the best feedback comes from people who don't share our assumptions: the guest who has never had oolong, the regular who always orders less sugar, the friend who "doesn't really like coffee".
So during testing we'd like to hear from you. Tell us what you usually drink, what you liked and what you didn't. Comments like "too sour," "too bitter" or "I couldn't taste the coffee through the milk" are all useful.
What happens next
A coffee goes on the menu when it tastes right black, with milk and over ice, and when guests with different tastes agree. Until then, every version is a draft.
We'll write up what we learn as we go: how roast changes flavour, how coffee and tea compare on caffeine, and the long tradition of drinks that put the two in the same cup. If you've ever wondered why your latte tastes different from one café to the next, the series should help.
Come by, tell us how you take your coffee, and watch this space.
D² Tea Lab · 6868 Royal Oak Ave, Burnaby, BC
Frequently asked questions
Does D² Tea Lab serve coffee? We're currently testing coffee drinks. Follow us on Instagram or ask at the counter for the latest.
Will coffee replace any tea drinks? No. Tea is still the centre of the menu. Coffee is being added for guests who want it.
Will there be non-dairy options? We're tasting coffee with different milks as part of testing, because each one changes how coffee tastes. Ask at the counter what's available.