Toronto Coffee: September 2013

Monday, September 23, 2013

Starbucks Canada Celebrates a Nation of Coffee Experts with New Coffee Choices and More Than 3,000 Coffee Tasting Events

Starbucks is celebrating Canada's love affair with coffee this month by introducing more coffee options and a way for more Canadians to try different kinds of coffee. This week, more than 1,000 Starbucks® stores in Canada will host the largest series of coffee tasting events held in the company's Canadian history, featuring Canadian-named, Starbucks True North Blend^TM/Mélange Nordique^MC, as well as two brand new coffees in Canada: Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend^TM/^MC and ® Ethiopia, which makes its Canadian debut today.
"If there is one thing specialty cafes, independent coffee shops and quick service restaurants can all agree on, it's that Canadians love coffee," says Richard Burjaw, vice-president of marketing, Starbucks Coffee Canada. "Canadians have become coffee experts, looking for more variety and choices when it comes to their daily brews in-store and at home. Our coffee portfolio continues to grow as we introduce new coffee to match Canadians evolving tastes."
Brewed coffee reigns supreme in Canada and remains the country's most popular hot beverage, followed by hot specialty coffee including lattes and cappuccinos. In the year ending May 2013, Canadians consumed more than 1.3 billion servings of brewed coffee, the equivalent 12 cups of coffee per week according to The NPD Group's CREST® foodservice market research.
Starbucks customers have more than 90,000 ways to customize coffee beverages in stores and dozens of packaged coffees to choose from this year. This month, Starbucks has added two brand new coffees for customers to enjoy at home, available for the first time in Canada. Our first whole bean packaged coffee available since the introduction of Starbucks® Blonde Roast two years ago, new Ethiopia coffee celebrates Ethiopia's rich coffee tradition and delivers a taste in cup unlike any other coffee offered in Starbucks 42-year history. This new coffee joins Starbucks selection of 18 core whole bean coffees offered at Canadian Starbucks stores. New Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend^TM/^MC, available in Canada for the first time, joins 10 other Starbucks traditional and seasonal whole bean coffees.
A perfect cup of coffee begins with finding a coffee you love, which is why Starbucks is giving Canadians an opportunity to try its three different roasts during a three-day national coffee tasting experience. On September 25, 26 and 27 at 2PM local time, Starbucks is inviting Canadians to visit their local participating Starbucks® store for guided coffee tastings led by baristas. Each day will feature a different roast profile - Starbucks® Blonde, Medium and Dark. During tasting sessions, customers will learn the four steps of coffee tasting and how to identify key characteristics of coffee including aroma, acidity, body and flavour. Space is limited and customers can sign up in stores for the following coffee tastings:

September 25 - Starbucks® True North Blend^TM/Mélange Nordique^MC - lighter-bodied, mellow, subtle and soft flavours
September 26 - New Ethiopia coffee - medium-bodied with balanced, rich and smooth flavours, Ethiopia coffee is launching in Canada today
September 27 - New Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend^TM/^MC - fuller-bodied and robust, bold flavours, available for the first time in Canada this fall

"More than 14,000 partners wear the green apron in Canada, which is a symbol of their love of coffee," says Burjaw. "Together we are proud and excited to share Starbucks passion for coffee in a fun, interactive way with coffee lovers across Canada and give our customers the opportunity to try different roasts so they can find their perfect cup."
Making Good Coffee Great
This year, National Coffee Day falls on Sunday, September 29^thand Starbucks offers some simple tips to help Canadians turn a good cup of coffee into a great cup of coffee at home.
Starbucks Four Fundamentals for Brewing Great Coffee Ensure Great Coffee at Home
Proportion: 2Tbsp of coffee per 6fl oz. 0f water is the standard recipe for perfect coffee
Grind: From fine to coarse, there are different grind textures for different brewing methods.

Espresso grind: for all automatic espresso machines
Extra Fine grind: paper and gold cone-shaped filters
Fine grind: great for stovetop espresso machines
Medium: perfect for all brewers that use paper or gold flat-bottomed filters
Coarse: ideal for coffee presses and percolators

Water: A common mistake many people make is using too little or too much water to achieve a lighter or bolder cup. If a lighter brew is your preference, opt for a milder coffee and brew using the correct proportions. Similarly, if you'd prefer a stronger flavour, try a bold roast instead. And always use clean. filtered water heated to almost boiling (195° to 205°F) for the best cup
Freshness: Like fruit, coffee is susceptible to oxidation, and can stale quickly. Whole bean coffee is best consumed within a week of opening and ground coffee should be used within 24 hours of grinding. Coffee should not be stored in the refrigerator or freezer as moisture will condense onto the coffee each time the container is opened.
New Ethiopia whole bean coffee is available at participating Starbucks® stores starting today as part of Starbucks core lineup and retails for $16.95/lb. Available for a limited time this fall, Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend^TM/^MC is available at participating Starbucks® stores and retails for a suggested retail price of$18.95/lb. Named by Canadians for Canadians, Starbucks True North Blend™/ Mélange Nordique^MC retails for $15.95/lb.

Free tasting of Ethiopian Coffee at Starbucks for National Coffee Day

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Hula Girl Espresso Boutique

Hula Girl Espresso Boutique has good coffee, a nice décor with white brick along the walls decorated with old-time slogans, and a nice overall design. It's a few blocks north of Bloor on Dundas.

2473 Dundas St W Toronto, ON M6P 1W9
(416) 535-9669

Monday, September 16, 2013

Haven Espresso Toronto

Haven is a tiny coffee pocket on Brock Street, just a streetlight west of Dufferin along Bloor. It has vegan friendly treats and good espress. Lattes are priced at $3 for smalls.

615A Brock Avenue
Toronto, Ontario

Friday, September 13, 2013

Sam James Coffee Bar

Sam James Coffee Bar has great espresso based coffee. Their head location was on Harbord Street, but have a tiny pocket in Korea Town, just east of Christie. They have nice Americanos, lattes, and cappuccinos. Their treats such as the banana chocolate chip muffin are great, and occasionally if there are some left at the end of the day at their Bloor Street location, they will give them away to customers who purchase a beverage to avoid letting them go to waste. A nice gesture to customers and to saving food from wastage.

Sam James locations and hours:

297 Harbord Street M-F. 7-6 Sat. 8-5 Sun. 9-5
688a Bloor Street M-F. 7-7 Sat+Sun 9-5
150 King Street W PATH M-F. 7-4

Sheesha Lounge and Coffee house Toronto

901 Bloor St West is the dwelling place of Sheesha Lounge and Coffee house. This place has good coffee, lattes, americanos, and espressos. There are great cheesecakes, and from time to time some savory bourekas. The pizzas are also made extremely well, and can come with aioli sauce if desired. The place is relaxing and in the back there is a very classy sectioned off sheesha area, and can have belly-dancing take place on Fridays and/or weekends.