Balzac's (Distillery Historic District)

I always mistake this place as being the original location then I remember that that it's in Stratford. The Distillery shop has so much character that it's easy to come to this conclusion and think it's been there forever.

I'm back to a double espresso and because I'm here at Balzac's I must order an irresistible 'magic bar' - these are crack cocaine to me! It's a combo of chocolate, coconut, marshmallows, salty, caramel-nuttiness and I don't know what else - but it's pure heaven.

The espresso here is very good. Extra dark and roasty. I appreciate the quality that goes into roasting these beans in house. Superb.

Now, let me be alone with this tasty magic bar, it's soooo damn good.

Marché (181 Bay Street - Brookfield Place)

Marche (Movenpick) has always been known for their exciting and unique live market approach to food. After a stint being under the Richtree brand, the location at Brookfield Place has re-opened and in my opinion is better than ever in terms of amazing atmosphere. They've went overboard improving the whole space - it's really something to see and experience.

I used to go to their location at College Park (now a Richtree) for my morning coffee and berry muffin (fresh baked in store from scratch), so I thought I'd grab an espresso at the new flagship location.

Though a bit pricey ($3.29+ tx) for a double, the coffee was pretty tasty. I know that they are obsessive about their quality here, so they only use fair trade Arabica beans. The mini espresso cup was pretty unique too!

Since they have an in-house bakery directly across from the cafe this makes for a great visit as you can pick up a freshly made treat to go with your coffee. There are just too many delicious things to choose from!

Next time I'm going back for the food first :)

Crème (705 College St West - Little Italy)

Besides coffee, the second thing that I think Italians are known for is amazing gelato. Well, at Crème you can have both.

Naturally, they brew only Illy coffee here - the essential Italian quality brew that is known the world over for its wonderful flavour and chic reusable coffee tins. I really enjoy this coffee and I ordered a double espresso as usual :)

For the gelato, they have a diverse selection and I went with the Fiero Rocher flavour, which was really decadent and full of dark chocolate goodness - a great match for fine espresso. They have many favourites such as pistachio and lemon, along with many unique others - 20 flavours in all.

This is a great summer time place with a nice patio in the heart of Little Italy!
  

Aroma Expresso Bar (500 Bloor St W)

I have been coming to Aroma since I moved to Toronto in 2007 - pretty much when I first discovered the Annex. To say this place is unique is an understatement - it's a really is a cool hang out that feels refreshing and perfectly incorporated into the neighborhood.

All coffee beans here are roasted in-house using the Torrefazione Artsian method, I'm not sure exactly what this entails, but apparently it is done by hand. So, attention to detail is pinnacle in this slow and traditional process.

The double espresso is really nice, full bodied and really balanced. Although all hot beverages are served with a milk chocolate rectangle, I paired my espresso with an alfajore sandwich cookie. It's basically date filling dusted with coconut flakes that's sandwiched between two soft short bread wafers - delish!

Believe it or not Aroma is not a Toronto upstart. A little research told me that they are in fact a major chain of cafes from Israel, they also have locations in Thornhill and Vaughan.

4.5/5

Java Jive (585 Church St)

There's something unique about this small coffee shop, it's not pretentious at all, and although they have an espresso machine, the popular drink seems to be the brewed coffee.

The staff here always greet me with a friendly smile - this is really nice and appreciated. The Customer is number one here.

The coffee is decent (not too strong) and they have 7 different kinds on tap - from decaf to a number of flavours. Oh and the patio is great for people watching ;)


I hope they continue to have a loyal following of locals because I heard that a new Tim Hortons is going to open up just south of Church and Wellesley Streets.

Definitely worth a visit, the place really has a warm/welcoming local atmosphere!

Some Indie Cafe reviews to consider

Some of these I have visited and others are still on my list. Although the columists didn't review the brewed espresso at these cafes, the reviews are pretty thorough and offer some insight on exactly what makes these places truly unique and worth visiting.

Definitely worth a read...

Article: Espresso yourself: find your perfect cafe

Indie Coffee Passport - Complete :)

In conclusion, I don't recommend anyone consume 14 espresso shots in one day because as a result last night was pretty rough and I spent the night detoxing. My motivation for covering all the remaining cafes was that I had purchased a TTC day pass and I wanted to get my full money's worth... it just came at the expense of possible heart palpitations. Ah well, only live one eh.

On the bright side, I completed the coffee tour 2 days early. Every cup is marked off as you can see from the completed passport in the picture above. Each shop had their own fun way of stamping my card. I particularly liked The One in the Only Cafe's seal of completion - just a big random scribble all over that little cup - nice.

In all honesty, the tour was really fun and I learned a lot. It gave me an excuse to get out and explore many areas of the city that I hadn't been to before. As I went around I realized there are many more cafes that aren't on the passport that are worthy of a visit too. I think it would be a great idea if more of them participated in the tour next year. My appreciation for coffee has grown as a result and I have hopefully become a bit of a better blogger. Talking to people along the way enforced the fact that our cafes are local hang outs where people enjoy conversing and share thoughts in a comfortable setting, to me these places are the present day versions of the Tim Hortons/Country Styles/coffee pot diners of generations past.  

Stay tuned, new reviews coming soon...