May. 26, 2010 - Issue #762: Timeland
Profile
New wave
Transcend part of the maturation of Edmonton's coffee scene
Bean there » Done that / Bryan Birtles
Mark, the founder and president of Transcend Coffee, is a patient man. The original Transcend on 99 Street is a bastion of smooth aftertaste and robust scent, but is less accessible to customers on foot.
Mark's many months of daydreaming, planning and pondering the right location for a second Transcend were sharpened by rumours of Pharos' retirement. He endeavoured to preserve the building's aura of history, opting for interior décor that evokes the art deco style of the 1940s and 1950s. Mark believes that Transcend is a good fit for the University-Garneau area, noting that the community is overwhelmingly supportive of his independent business.
To the untrained eye, the University-Garneau region is already rife with coffee shops. Mark is unconcerned. "What we do is unique in terms of preparation. We're not a traditional Italian espresso bar like others in this area and we are not a coffee shop that serves elaborate food." Instead, he explains, Transcend is solely focused on coffee, not food, tea or alcoholic beverages. Indeed, it comprises a "third wave" approach to coffee itself.
The industrialization, broad-scale production and distribution of coffee were the beverage's first wave, whereas the second wave included the introduction of espresso to North America and what Mark terms "the Starbucks effect." North American society is effectively inundated with innumerable concoctions of readily available coffee-based drinks. However, the original essence of coffee may be lost in this death spiral of frappés and mochaccino. A re-simplification of coffee entails a return to single-source, fair trade and responsibly produced beans. Transcend's coffee preparation follows the "single serve" model, where coffee is prepared one cup at a time and each bean may be traced to a single origin. This is the third wave; it is an inextricable part of Transcend's philosophy and of coffee culture.
A culture surrounds the growing, preparation and consumption of coffee. Mark draws comparisons to the culture of wine growing and tasting. Both coffee and wine share a similar approach to perceiving and describing the liquids' scents and tastes. Coffee, however, contains more than 800 compounds while wine is comprised of 300. Mark remarks that this myriad of compounds in coffee often defy description, and that the flowery verbiage that accompanies some varieties baffles customers. Herein lies a challenge to coffee culture¬—improving the beverage's approachability from a descriptive standpoint. Consequently, Transcend offers evenings of coffee-tasting. Notably, these sell out six months in advance.
Mark recalls his best cup of coffee in vivid detail. On his first excursion to Panama in 2008, he sampled a varietal of Hacienda La Esmeralda dubbed "Geisha." Poul reminisces that "It has unique aroma and flavour, and could be described as having a floral, citrus-like acidity like grapefruit and jasmine." Hacienda La Esmeralda is grown only in Panama, and Mark surmises that his inaugural visit to that plantation elevated the experience of that singular cup of coffee to unequivocal glory.
Mark hopes that customers will have a similarly remarkable experience at Transcend. "It's a blast to get up every day and do what I love, and to work with a great team of people. I hope we can educate customers so that they may view coffee differently." Differently in that each cup is individually prepared, and not sloshed from a carafe in haste. Moreover, each cup bears a story of unique plantations, sublime nuance and superlative attention to detail. The space left by Pharos set a considerable precedent, for it amassed a city-wide, trans-generational following. Transcend is poised to do the same, and sets a new precedent of coffee, its culture and consumption. The fourth wave of coffee begins. V
Transcend Coffee
Poul Mark
8708 - 109, 780.756.8882
More info about Transcend (80th Avenue) →
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