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VANCOUVER, B.C. BY KENNETH R. OLSON PHOTOS BY OSLERZOO PHOTOGRAPHY A love of coffee, craft beer and local foods aren't the only characteristics the cities of the Pacific Northwest share, of course. But those things combined with a rainy day or two in the midst of June, fairly accurately sums up the interchangeable city description that could be Seattle, Portland or Vancouver, B.C., all of which form the foundation of Cascadia, a region stretching along the Pacific Rim, from the Oregon border in the south, north up to British Columbia. And while April brought a slew of coffee folks to the southernmost city in that chain, Portland, for Barista Nation and the Specialty Coffee Association of America's Conference and Expo, June took them to the northernmost: Vancouver. Huge, snowcapped peaks rise up to the east and form a ring nearly encompassing British Columbia's largest city, Vancouver, while the salt- water swirl of the Strait of Georgia, the mishmash of Gulf Islands and the rugged spine of Vancouver Island fill the horizon to the west. Magnificent natural beauty surrounds the city, and when the sun breaks out, as in so much of the Pacific Northwest, the stunning views send jaws dropping. The trick is finding that slice of sun. Just after the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, gray clouds and rain descended on Vancouver, but they brought along with them a couple of fun coffee events. Perhaps in an attempt to keep an appropriate atmosphere for the second installment of Barista Nation Canada and the first Caffeine Crawl through Vancouver, Mother Nature kept the temperatures cool and the skies overcast, occasionally showering the city in a rainy sheen, practically begging the denizens to have another cup, linger over a special coffee, and just soak in the experience. Salt Spring Coffee hosted the first Barista Nation Canada presented by the espresso machine company UNIC last September, and it was such a success, they couldn't wait for another go 'round. And just like the previous incarnation, the days' open slots for local baristas filled up fast. Presented with a wide variety of classes and education tracks, baristas 28 barista magazine were free to pick from three different sessions per time period on topics that piqued their interest. Industry experts presented classes on cupping seasonals, cold brewing methods, sustainable business practices, incorporating social media into small businesses, creating custom cold drinks, and many more. Mike Strumpf from nearby Swiss Water, for example, spoke about the decaffeination process, while Sterling Houghton from Primo Passo Coffee Co. in Santa Monica, Calif., gave a talk on modifying café menus to match seasonal ingredients. Barista Nation's structured activities wrapped up with a seasonal drink team challenge, a la Top Chef, where contestants, after being randomly divided into teams, had to create a refreshing drink that they could sell in their cafés from a range of ingredients including summer fruit, fresh herbs and tea, espresso, or iced coffees. The winning team members took home bragging rights and of course a coffee-themed gift bag made from actual coffee bags, naturally. The day ended as probably nearly every social event in B.C. is required to, with a cedar-plank salmon barbeque, a keg of local craft beer, some custom- made Okanagan Valley wines, and long tables of happy and enthusiastic baristas engaging in lively conversations. And that led directly to the next event of the two-day coffee extravaganza: Saturday's Caffeine Crawl. The Crawl actually started at the Salt Spring roastery on Friday night after the Barista Nation barbeque as the party switched, again as these things seem destined to, and morphed into a latte art throwdown and raffle with a buy-in raising money for the nonprofit organization CARE. Top prizes included a Baratza Vario grinder and a UNIC home espresso machine. Saturday morning began with a well-timed break in the early-summer downpour that closed out Friday. Temperatures rose into the mid-60s, the rain abated and a few rays of sunshine lit up the sidewalks. In short, a solid start for the first West Coast installment of Caffeine Crawl. E FIELD REPORT C B C EAST COAST BGA CAMP, VIRGINIAIRGINIA AST V OAST GA AMP, VANCOUVER, B.C.