I came to know of Old Hand Coffee after coming across some beautiful posts about them on Instagram. Before we visited the Abbostford Tullip Festival yesterday, I made it a point to stop by this cute family-owned coffee shop.
Couple-owned and Operated
Old Hand Coffee is owned and operated by a couple, Kristina and Johannes van Bommel van Vloten, who had previously worked as managers at cafes in Vancouver. Now, they returned to their hometown, Abbotsford, to pusue their dream of opening their own cafe. They felt it was time to “entice a new generation of coffee connoisseurs.”
Bright, minimalistic, and cozy space
First of all, I absolutely love the cozy and vintage vibes of their minimalist interior. Bright inside with lots of natural light coming in. The interior was well-maintained and clean. Old Hand Coffee is just off South Fraser Way and Clearbrook Road which is a busy intersection. The relaxing atmosphere is such a welcome contrast to the traffic outside.
Old Hand Coffee seems like a coffee shop you could find in the Mount Pleasant area of Vancouver. However, in Abbotsford, there aren’t really many coffee shops offering the same kind of atmospere as they do.
On the wall are vintage photos of the owners’ European family members who are their inspirations for their work.
What We Tried
Their coffee is from Bow and Arrows which are roasted in Victoria. We ordered a regular latte ($4), a chai latte ($4), an Earl Grey snickerdoodle ($2.25), and a housemade sandwich with brie, apple slices, walnut spread on focaccia bread ($7).
My husband enjoyed the regular latte which he found to be very smooth. My chai latte was aromatic and tasted as good as it smelled. Spicy, sweet, comforting. My son enjoyed the Earl Grey snickerdoodle. The Earl Grey flavour was on point with the crispy edges and chewy centre. The housemade sandwich was okay in my opinion: the sweetness of the apple slices balanced out saltiness from cheese and the walnuts add a crunchy texture.
Overall Impression of Old Hand Coffee
I love the cozy and quaint atmosphere of Old Hand Coffee. I certainly enjoyed their tasty lattes using Bow and Arrow Coffee. Rating: 4/5