Tangram Creamery
It feels like it was only the other day that I was drinking Whiskey and eating smoked cheese and I thought “damn, I wish someone smushed these together into a paste and froze them”. Oh, wait, no I didn’t think that… I’ve never thought that… because it’s weird.
But I tell you what, I’m glad someone did because it’s actually pretty tasty.
Allow me to introduce you to the mad scientist minds of Tangram Creamery; amazing coffee roasters and creators of some of the best ice creams and sorbets I’ve ever had in my entire life.
Coffee
Tangram Creamery roast their own coffee on site. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to watch them at work, as the roaster is front and centre in the store!
Pour Over – 12oz – $4
Bean – Tangram Creamery Ethiopian
Made in a v60, this coffee had great subtle fruit flavours when hot and was an overall great example of Ethiopian coffee that I could drink all day. However, this really shone when it cooled down. An absolute peach bomb – the stone fruit flavours exploded out of this once it got lukewarm. A fantastic coffee.
Latte – 12oz – $4.50
Bean – Tangram Creamery Espresso Blend
Amazingly well balanced, with perfectly steamed milk and a mild kick from the espresso.
Cappucino – 6oz – $3.5
Bean – Tangram Creamery SWP Decaff Blend
Another amazingly well-balanced cup, however, this one was without caffeine. Honestly, you’d never be able to tell this was decaf.
Aside from the above, they have Nitro Cold Brew, assorted teas and kombucha.
Food
Ice Cream Cone – Single – $5 (double $7, triple $9)
Holy bloody ice cream deliciousness batman, these things are INCREDIBLE. I tried 9 of them so I’m not going to go over each one, but here are some highlights:
Tahitian Vanilla – one of the best vanillas I’ve ever had in my life.
Sakura – light and floral, really interesting flavour I’ve never had before
Lychee Sorbet – THE BEST SORBET I’VE EVER PUT INTO MY FACE.
Smoked Cheese and Whiskey – super rich, but really enjoyable.
Almond Cream Croissant
Buttery, flaky and with a delicious custard filling, this croissant is an intense showcase of how well Tangram Creamery bakes their pastries. I could eat these every day.
They also have a range of other pastries, waffles and other treats.
Staff
The staff at Tangram Creamery are welcoming, knowledgeable and more importantly enthusiastic about their products. They’re always keen to tell you about a new ice cream flavour they’re working on, a new type of coffee or even a new contraption they’re working on for brewing coffee. Which brings me to…
Venue
The venue is compact but they’ve made great use of the space, with a communal table and small bench in the window for people to perch in, as well as a bench outside. The most fun part of it all, though, is finding all the small additions they’ve made with steel pipes and wood. Everything seems to be custom made, from the shelves, the portable pour over station, the cabinets and even the til system. It’s all made by the owners and it looks great!
Location
Tangram Creamery is in a busy location on Arbutus, just off Broadway. As such it can be a bit of a pain to park for free around here. There’s lots of meter parking around the area though, as well as a bus stop on Broadway.
Bathrooms
Immaculate and incredibly #wellappointed (this seems to be my catchphrase for loos). The single bathroom is clean, spacious and even has two different choices of how to dry your hands. I chose both because I’m fancy like that.
Conclusion
Tangram Creamery is the best ice cream shop I’ve been to in Vancouver and probably one of the best I’ve ever been to in the world. But don’t just get excited by the grub, get excited by the phenomenal coffee. I honestly think that they’re up there with some of the best micro-roasters in the city. Any serious coffee snob should have a visit to these guys under their belt asap.
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