I am truly amazed with the coffee roaster at the front of the store, and I'm in luck because they are roasting beans. The smell is intoxicating and wonderful. Unfortunately, the espresso was pretty sub par and took an eternity to get from the rude employees that don't greet the customers, nor apologize for the wait.
Double espresso:
Appearance
Looks like watery sludge, no crema, grey in colour and very oily. I don't think it was made correctly because it only seems to be one shot.
Aroma
Bitter and heavy, very slight caramel.
Taste
I don't really want to drink this, it doesn't look very nice. It has a very bitter taste, and oily texture. There are grounds in my cup too which sucks.
1/5
Not overly impressed with this place, mostly because of the terrible service. The unique-ness of having on-site bean roasting is neat though. Perhaps this is just a place to buy fresh roasted coffee and nothing more.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Quaff Cafe (668 Queen St W)
After 5 minutes in this place it's pretty clear that they have a lot of regulars and that's nice to see and is an obvious fit with the neighbourhood. The food they are making smells phenomenal and I really like the massive chalkboard menu wall. I can't help but admire the the vintage Italian Elektra espresso machine.
As usual I ordered large black americano. I don't find it has any robust flavour, tastes pretty watered down and I did order a double. Regardless, it's smooth and has a decent mild flavour. I'm left wanting full strength espresso and that's coming up next.
Double espresso:
Aroma
Very sweet brown sugar with floral accents. It's hard to ignore the freshly baked spinach pie smell that is teasing my nose.
Appearance
Very watery, tons of light and foamy crema.
Taste
Unlike the americano, the espresso packs a real quick punch to the front of my mouth/tongue. Very robust and rich flavour for a moment and then very little is left behind. I would discribe the flavour as spicy with dry very dark chocolate notes. This one is surprisingly complex with layers of flavour.
4/5
I'm very caffeinated now.
As usual I ordered large black americano. I don't find it has any robust flavour, tastes pretty watered down and I did order a double. Regardless, it's smooth and has a decent mild flavour. I'm left wanting full strength espresso and that's coming up next.
Double espresso:
Aroma
Very sweet brown sugar with floral accents. It's hard to ignore the freshly baked spinach pie smell that is teasing my nose.
Appearance
Very watery, tons of light and foamy crema.
Taste
Unlike the americano, the espresso packs a real quick punch to the front of my mouth/tongue. Very robust and rich flavour for a moment and then very little is left behind. I would discribe the flavour as spicy with dry very dark chocolate notes. This one is surprisingly complex with layers of flavour.
4/5
I'm very caffeinated now.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Green Beanery (565 Bloor St W)
Second cafe of the day. Ordered a pricey ($4.43) cafe mocha with my passport. Staff is curt and not very friendly - two thumbs down for customer service here. About half the store is dedicated to raw coffee bean sales and coffee related equipment - this is quite impressive.
The mocha is tastey - dark rich cocoa flavour, but not much coffee taste. Seemed to take a while to prepare so I guess that's reflected in the higher price. I'm not much of a mocha guy as I find them too sweet, but this is nice, I just want more espresso taste.
Double espresso:
Appearance
Very dark, watery, decent marbled crema
Aroma
Robust, and intense, roasty and slightly sweet with a hint of spiciness
Taste
Packs a strong punch at front of mouth/tongue, roasty and dry, spicy notes linger on whole palate. I pick up some brown sugar sweetness after a few sips. This is a decent shot.
3/5
The service is definitely lacking here :(
The mocha is tastey - dark rich cocoa flavour, but not much coffee taste. Seemed to take a while to prepare so I guess that's reflected in the higher price. I'm not much of a mocha guy as I find them too sweet, but this is nice, I just want more espresso taste.
Double espresso:
Appearance
Very dark, watery, decent marbled crema
Aroma
Robust, and intense, roasty and slightly sweet with a hint of spiciness
Taste
Packs a strong punch at front of mouth/tongue, roasty and dry, spicy notes linger on whole palate. I pick up some brown sugar sweetness after a few sips. This is a decent shot.
3/5
The service is definitely lacking here :(
Cafe Novo (1986 Bloor St W)
Dental surgery was on Tuesday and I am eager to get back on the cafe review wagon, so off to High Park and Cafe Novo...
The staff here are super nice and friendly. The place is very bright and airy too. They have been open 10 months and some interesting attributes that definitely set them apart from other cafes I have been too:
1. Bring your own cup and get a discount - but you can actually leave your cup at the store for repeat visits!
2. In the back of the house they have a huge chalk board where people have written quotes and messages to others about meeting up for the next board game night - like a hard copy Facebook.
3. Patio - being away from the downtown core allows them this nice luxury for the summer months.
I ordered a large latte. Nice balance of espresso to milk, very creamy so I suspect it was made with whole milk - the best. Yum. No latte art here, but who really cares eh? Served in a tall glass, not a mug - fine with me.
Double espresso (Classic Gourmet Coffee - Toronto):
Appearance
Super dark, syrupy, light caramel crema
Aroma
Light roasty, layered slightly sweet floral
Taste
Very smooth and leaves palate clean, slight robust punch at finish. I pick up a dark chocolate flavour, no bitterness to speak of. Leaves a lingering warmth of flavor back of tongue
5/5
I really enjoyed this one!
The staff here are super nice and friendly. The place is very bright and airy too. They have been open 10 months and some interesting attributes that definitely set them apart from other cafes I have been too:
1. Bring your own cup and get a discount - but you can actually leave your cup at the store for repeat visits!
2. In the back of the house they have a huge chalk board where people have written quotes and messages to others about meeting up for the next board game night - like a hard copy Facebook.
3. Patio - being away from the downtown core allows them this nice luxury for the summer months.
I ordered a large latte. Nice balance of espresso to milk, very creamy so I suspect it was made with whole milk - the best. Yum. No latte art here, but who really cares eh? Served in a tall glass, not a mug - fine with me.
Double espresso (Classic Gourmet Coffee - Toronto):
Appearance
Super dark, syrupy, light caramel crema
Aroma
Light roasty, layered slightly sweet floral
Taste
Very smooth and leaves palate clean, slight robust punch at finish. I pick up a dark chocolate flavour, no bitterness to speak of. Leaves a lingering warmth of flavor back of tongue
5/5
I really enjoyed this one!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Bisogno Espresso (61 Sherbourne St E)
Okay, didn't think I could handle more coffee, but here I am at another cafe. It was only a short walk from the last one, so I did it. This place is cool, right now I am sitting on a vintage couch that must have been rescued from another era, all the furniture is from a by gone time - pretty neat.
Ordered another americano (the shakes will start soon) - it's much darker than the last one I had only an hour ago. Very roasty flavored with a hint of caramel sweetness - this is great espresso too. This one lingers a bit on the palate - quite deep and rich.
Now for the cold walk home...
Ordered another americano (the shakes will start soon) - it's much darker than the last one I had only an hour ago. Very roasty flavored with a hint of caramel sweetness - this is great espresso too. This one lingers a bit on the palate - quite deep and rich.
Now for the cold walk home...
Cafe 260 (260 Richmond St E)
Again, trying to get more bang for my coffee passport buck I ordered a more pricey espresso drink - large americano - black. The staff are friendly and we joked around about how many cafes I have left to visit. I noticed they have an ECM Michelangelo espresso machine - must be straight from Italy.
This place is small and quaint - just a stone's throw from George Brown College, so I imagine it's frequented by students.
The americano is really good - robust and smooth, not bitter at all. Nice.
I'd like to review their espresso but at this point I have had too much coffee - shouldn't have drank that entire French press earlier today I guess lol.
This place is small and quaint - just a stone's throw from George Brown College, so I imagine it's frequented by students.
The americano is really good - robust and smooth, not bitter at all. Nice.
I'd like to review their espresso but at this point I have had too much coffee - shouldn't have drank that entire French press earlier today I guess lol.
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