Espresso Adventures

2014 - Year in Review

2015-01-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Readers.

I've been dormant and just lazy to write on the Blog.
As mentioned I'm active on Instagram or Twitter.

Here are my top picks for Toronto cafe (in no particular order)

EAST END
Mercury Espresso
Te Aro
Bud's Espresso

CENTRAL / Queen West
SJCB (Harbord Location)
Manic *Best Muffins ever*
Early Bird
Dark Horse (Queen West)

CENTRAL - UPTOWN *North of Bloor*
Boxcar Social
De Mello

WEST END
Propeller (Roastery and Cafe)
Capital Espresso
Lit (Roncy)
Good Neighbour

______________________________________________________________

What else happened in 2014?

Tried coffee from over 40 different roasteries
(Most memorable outside of GTA: Koppi, George Howell, Tim Wendelboe, Sightglass and Transcend)
(Memorable Toronto roaster: Propeller - YirgZ, Pilot (Mercedes Geisha). Cut Coffee (Kenyan)

Current GO-TO brew device: Aeropress

Worked on my own interpretation of Blue Bottle NOLA-Style Cold Brew Coffee for CityGourmet.ca

Reached 1k followers on Instagram, then quickly lost it.

Didn't buy any new brewing equipment, which surprised me... but 2015 looks to be exciting
______________________________________________________________

I'll try and write more, but let's see how my schedule plays out.
Thanks for continuing to follow my journey thru coffee.
Hopefully I'll put more energy into revamping the site (REAL SOON).

xo
Espresso Adventures

A Honest letter - why I haven't been writing

2014-03-30T12:23:00.003-04:00

Dear Readers,

This is an honest letter as to why I haven't been writing for the past year:

At first it was the excuse of "I'm busy" or that the idea of creating a great post turned into writers block. Then it turned into excuses after excuses. The best one I used was - "Oh man, this is so stale, I can't use it! Now my draft box sits at 228, never to be published, and counting. Some will never make it here, some will.

Second, I found that Social media pages like FB, Twitter and Instagram was easier - and I didn't think to put into place a system to auto post to all pages -- this is the limitations of Blogger, I fully accept this.

Third - I finally merged over to Wordpress, only to have my site hacked .... Fun Times. With a capable webmaster that thought they could fix it -- 1-2 months of work, disappeared -- back to drawing board.

Lastly, life events, travel and non coffee related projects have taken a majority of my time. Starting a business and devoting time, energy and resources has been draining. It's been good though. Not complaining.

So to all, I apologize, but I'm still here, still drinking coffee, still sharing my experience with those that I encounter.

Recap
Through social media I was able to meet up in REAL LIFE with some pretty cool people in NYC, Chicago, Calgary, Edmonton, Boston and LA. Keeping up with the scene over in AUS, HK, London, and aboard is much easier these days. I'm thankful for this community!

Toronto has seen a boom in cafe/ coffee shops over the past 15 months. Some that will survive and some that will not. There has been an increase in coffee shop owners turned coffee roasters and to that I am excited about creating conversation for this site.

As always Espresso Adventures would like to continue to bring coffee to your screens, with an immediate focus of the Toronto scene. I haven't always done my best to keep you updated, but I trust that you will continue this journey with me. I will start posting more, more about the shops, and more about the coffee that the great city of Toronto has to offer. Keep drinking coffee, this is my #cupUP.

As always, follow me on Twitter, Instagram or FB page.

Signed,
~CP

Costa Rica - El Quizarra (Pilot)

2014-01-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

Costa Rica El Quizarra (Single-Origin)
Producer: Carole Zbinden
Composition: Single-Origin
Varietal: Caturra and Catuai (1370m / 4500 ft)
Roasters: Pilot Coffee Roasters (website)
Located: Toronto, ON
*Direct-Trade*

Preferred Method: V60 (Pour-over)

Thoughts: clean mouth-feel and smooth finish (similar to green tea), with a mouth watering feeling (cf. juicy grapes and dragonfruit.) Pick-up this bag if you want a single-origin coffee to discover, but enjoy typical coffee blends.

Happy New Year; Fresh starts, new beginnings

2014-01-03T12:41:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone rang in the 2014 in Wrecking Ball style, I'm talking about coffee not the singer.

This year, I decided against a top 10, I might have different feelings in the upcoming weeks, but here are my best bets.

Mercury Espresso
Te Aro
Dark Horse
Crema
Sam James Coffee Bar
Manic Coffee
Rooster
Fahrenheit
Lit
Capital Espresso
Good Neighbour
Early Bird
Bandit

A good representation of Toronto, I must admit I am partial to the East End, and will tend to frequent cafes in my neighbourhood of Leslieville.

This year I was able to travel around the world, and met many fellow writers, drinkers, and appreciators of coffee. I reached out and did my best to meet up with those that challenge my concepts, in as many cities as possible. It's been a great year offline, and I wish I had published more on the site, but my other projects pulled me in a different direction for 2013, as such many stories landed on the cutting floor, or were never revived.

I had some great coffee from amazing roasters, few of the memorable ones:
Phil & Seb (Costa Rican)
Transcend (Guatemalan)
Bows & Arrows (Kenyan)
Ritual (Kenyan)
George Howell (Rwandan)
Pilot (Ethiopian)
Tim Wendleboe (Ethiopian)

2014 you will definitely some more writing, more photos, and more Espresso Adventures.

Cdn National Barista Competition

2013-10-24T10:10:00.004-04:00

The Canadian Barista Champsionship happened over the weekend in Vancouver.

16 Regional finalists gathered for the chance to head to Italy.

(Competitor list)
1 Alix Osinchuk Transcend Coffee
2 Jerome Grenier-Desbiens Humble Lion
3 Brett Johnston Pilot Coffee Roasters
4 Georgia Henry Dark Horse Espresso Bar
5 Keaton Ritchie Café Myriade
6 Benjamin Put Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters
7 Geoff Woodley Detour Coffee Roasters
8 Kelsey Hemphill Habit Coffee
9 Morgan Allen Caffe Artigiano
10 Megan Feniak Phil & Sebastian
11 Stephane Laurence-Pressault Bridgehead
12 Cole Torode Rosso Coffee
13 William Wang Prado Cafe
14 Momiji Kishi Detour Coffee Roasters
15 Tristan Mapstone Fernwood Coffee Co
16 Clifford Hansen Bridgehead

I must admit, I was not able to watch the live feed this year, but definitely followed via twitter.

Heavy hitters this year, but it was the pose of Benjamin Put that took the crown.
As the runner-up for the past 2 years, it was a satisfying feeling having Ben represent Canada in May.

(photo courtesy of: M.Kishi)

(Finalist: Ben Put, Morgan Allen, Keaton Ritchie, Megan Feniak, Cole Torode, Tristan Mapstone)
** Heavy representation from AB and the West**

National Coffee Day - Sept 29th

2013-09-26T14:56:00.002-04:00

How are you celebrating National Coffee Day this Sunday?

I've also been dormant on the site, and I apologize, I have many photos and post to share. I will get some up by Sunday

Best of Iced Coffee (Toronto Life edition)

2013-08-27T14:00:00.001-04:00

A little late in the summer months but Toronto Life has published their top choices for Iced Coffee (here)

Recap:
1) Te Aro
2) Rooster
3) Ezra's Pound
Notable Mention: Early Bird.

I'm excited that Pilot is gaining traction; with 3 out of the 4 mentioned above.... but am puzzled as to why a couple of notables weren't mentioned.

Dark Horse or Mercury.

Handpresso (Equipment)

2013-08-21T12:22:00.001-04:00

Hello Lovely readers,

I apologize for my hiatus, I've been working on a few non-coffee projects as well as had a little summer time off and went to LA for a bit.

Sometimes I get caught up, and dont remember to post to the blog/site, but feel free to follow me on Instragram or Twitter or Facebook

This morning I stumbled upon this device:

Handpresso Auto
Portable car-powered espresso maker, with 16 bars of pressure.

My question is:

What about the mess?

Results; CCBC 2013

2013-07-18T00:14:00.003-04:00

Canadian Barista Competition Cycle begins:

The 2013 competition cycle is in full swing with the Central Region Barista Competition concluding over a two-day affair at Hart House in Toronto.

A list of 18 competitors competed to dethrone Detours Geoff Woodley, and boy was the competition stiff. With many familiar competitors and a slew of new faces, it would be difficult to predict who'd take the crown.

The results are in;
1. Momiji Kishi from Detour Coffee (formerly Dark Horse) - 632
2. Georgina Henry, Dark Horse - 575
3. Brett Johnston, Crafted Coffee (Te Aro) -567.50
4. Geoff Woodley, Detour Coffee - 542

Momiji pure elation on her face is priceless.

Congratulations all competitors and to the organizing committee.

[photo courtsey of CCBC; (l-r: Geoff Woodley, Brett Johnston, Momiji Kishi, Georgia Henry)]

Catch Momiji performance here; starting at 5:15.
The sound is not super crisp, but you can make out a majority of her rountine.

Canadian central barista competition

2013-07-12T20:48:00.001-04:00

Competitors announced.

Mr. Woodley will be defending his title, with many familiar competitors such as Sameer from Fahrenheit, Laurence from Crema and the comeback of Momiji representing Detour this year.

It'll be exciting to see the first competitor of the day: Chris from Pilot, I'm going out on a limb, but expecting to see his copper designed kettles (Monarch Methods).

Competition starts Tueaday July 16th at Hart House, runs two days.

Cold brewing; Status of Toronto (pending)

2013-07-11T10:23:00.002-04:00

Cold brew is not new, but over the course of the hot months, I'm going to be showcasing the best the city has.....

While you wait, check out what Kyle Wilson of beanlink, and manager of Rooster King St. East says. (article)

NOW Magazine searches for Toronto's Best of....

2013-06-24T10:53:00.001-04:00

Now Magazine, a free local magazine, is searching for the Best of.

Based on reader's vote, this year survey has expanded with new categories.

Here are some things to vote for:

Best Barrista I wasn't aware that they are now called Barrista (I thought it was Barista)
(some known names, and fresh faces... Definitely missing a handful of my favourites)
I think it should read Matt Taylor of Manual Labour Coffee..... imho

Best Cappuccino (heavy on the EAST side)

Best Coffeehouse (notable ones missing: SJCB, Manic, Capital, Fahrenheit, Crema)

Best Espresso (huh......)

Best Latte

Best Beans (coffee wise) --> I'm not too sure about the readers suggestions

I'll keep my opinions to myself, but I'm happy that the coffee scene is growing.

Great news for Pilot Coffee

2013-06-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

Finally offically announced:

Pilot Coffee (sharing space within their Te Aro Coffee location) have secured their own space around the corner.

Kudos on the amazing developments.

What does this mean for the new open space?
- More seating?
-More kitchen space
-More retail
-Sensory lab?

Skies the limit.

Congratulations Pilot Cofee

Reunion lends a hand

2013-06-13T15:37:00.002-04:00

Nice shot of Reunion Island at last weekends Toronto Taste, a charity event organized by Second Harvest

Photo courtesy of Toronto Life

PIG Iron Coffee Roasters in the NEWS!

2013-06-05T11:18:00.000-04:00

PIG Iron Coffee Roasters are highlighted in the G+M (Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/the-challenge/when-it-comes-to-sales-coffee-roaster-feels-the-heat/article12337037/#dashboard/follows/

MICE 2013

2013-06-05T08:06:00.001-04:00

The world barista championship and world brewers cup happened two weeks ago. Congratulations team USA for taking the sweep in both categories. Pete Licata, and Erin McCarthy.

Lots of competition this year, ESP from the Aussies, and fan favorites.

See you all in Italy 2014!

SCAA Seattle 2014!

Off to compare notes,notes, notes.

Joe + Grinder (Hario)

2013-05-15T11:04:00.001-04:00

Going to be good friends.

Full report later this week.

Spring time

2013-05-08T15:40:00.001-04:00

Having just had a great 2 week open road trip - I'm revitalized from the in-person meetings and can start to focus on discovering more geeky things.

I'll be back with my finds - just in the lab right now.

Childhood memories

2013-04-29T18:27:00.001-04:00

What's your first memories of coffee?

Mine was distinctively the aroma of a fresh brew of coffee being made. My parents owned and operates a restaurant for 15 years of my childhood, during that time I would come and visit after school and there would always be a pot brewing. I don't recollect the taste, as I wasn't an avid coffee drinker, but having those early memories always transports me back I to time.

What's your childhood memory?
Care to share?

US Aeropress champ

2013-04-19T12:04:00.004-04:00

Thanks Sprudge for this new method of brewing:

What's the rationale behind this...

I'm going to experiment this weekend

Local: Best of ..... (NOW magazine)

2013-04-18T21:19:00.002-04:00

Although I haven't been an avid read of the weekly free mag (NOW) in Toronto...

It doesn't stop me from sharing the survey to vote on your favourite local spot:

For the coffee in me, here are the categories to vote:
Best Cappuccino
Best Coffeehouse
Best Espresso
(Interesting...)
Best Latte
Best Coffee Beans
*Te Aro is now Pilot Coffee*

.... and Best Barrista (wasn't here that Barista had 2 r's..)
*Matt Taylor is now with Manual Labour Coffee.........*
(PS: some heavy hitters here.... but definitely some missed names)

Kickstarter campaign: espro press

2013-04-17T14:16:00.003-04:00

9 Days left:

(direct link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bruceconstantine/the-medium-espro-press)

Thoughts go out to Boston

2013-04-17T09:59:00.002-04:00

As the SCAA 25th annual event wrapped up and the iconic Boston Marathon was well underway, two bombs exploded near the finishing line. (link)

My thoughts go out to the 3 confirmed deaths and the many injured in this tragic event.

As an avid runner and a lover of Boston, my thoughts are with you.
Let's help out where we can.

(photo credit: John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe/ AP)

SCAA // USBC events this weekend

2013-04-10T14:44:00.003-04:00

Everyone is descending into BOSTON this weekend for the 25th SCAA.

I know I'll be following smdlr and her live tweeting feed!

Local news:
RI Coffee sharing their new space in the Grove? found here: http://instagram.com/p/X5nnXhu3by/

Visuals for a coffee menu: East London (UK)

2013-04-02T13:47:00.000-04:00

Looks like there is an uproar happening from the comment box.
Alienation and being "over-exclusive"....
but I quite like the visuals and even "easier" self-explanation of ingredients making up their drinks:

Here is how I interpret the menu.
(The prices shown are in GBP)

1. Double shot of espresso (£1.50)
2. Long Black (£1.50)
3. Cappuccino (£2)
4. Latte (£2)
5. Moccaccino (£2)
6. Mocha (£2)
7. Tea (£1)
8. Hot Chocolate (£2)

(Full article here)
What are your thoughts?