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arcus wrote:Living in North Toronto, I find the bean situation rather lame for the 4th largest city in US/Canada. I've tried a few different Social beans a number of different times but haven't really found anything there overly exciting other than their prices. I'm not aware of any other place up here or in Markham/Richmond Hill that carries quality coffee. I used to have Epic shipped to my house but that is just too expensive as well. The last time I was in Crema, the Epic wasn't fresh enough for me and it's a hassle to drive downtown to get beans anyway.

I usually order in the US and have Black Cat shipped to my hotel as shipping rates to Canada are ridiculous! If I want anything other than Black Cat, I tend to encounter logistics issues as a number of the best US roasters seem to roast on Monday and ship on Tuesday so I need to remember to order in advance and allow for shipping time to my hotel, etc.

Right now, I'm using a bag of Londinium that came with my L-I bottomless portafilter (still waiting for my actual machine) and I'm really impressed with those beans and the HG one. Probably the best espresso I've ever made but those beans are expensive to ship from the UK so I may shed a tear when they are used up later this week.

With respect to freshness of the Epic from Crema, I have a couple of pointers. Firstly, the location on Bloor gets the Epic delivery, it's 6 days post roast on the Monday of each week. Sometimes it's Tuesday, but lately it's been appearing on shelves there on Mondays. Secondly, I've started freezing, not deep freezing, my Epic because of that fact that I get them about a week after roast. I freeze in small 150g batches and I grind right from the freezer. It's worked out very well. I'm working on a bag I got last week and at this point is about two weeks post roast and it is the most delicious it's ever been. Nicely acidic and so sweet it surprised me. That's what I call nice structure. I get mostly nut, chocolate like marzipan/almonds and caramel.

I've wanted to start blogging and reviewing, or at the very least have a go at reviewing coffees I encounter like the 'Stork does. So I've inquired about getting some stuff outside of Toronto and it's so expensive, unless it's a group order I just can't seem to pull the trigger to get any into town.

I've been to Sense Appeal twice and I really like the way they pull their shot. A pleasant experience considering I wasn't expecting much when I walked in.

I agree with your sentiment about the poor GTA location dispersion of great cafes. I'm in midtown Toronto and even I'm too far north for 99% of the cafes. It's ridiculous that they've essentially just opened up in heavily populated hipster/up-and-coming areas. However, I work close enough to a handful so I'm fine in that regard.

I recently started with espresso. We started our search for a super automatic with the thinking that an automated machine must produce the best results (and I thought the automation was really cool). Then I made the mistake of finding this site and was "enlightened".

I picked up my Quickmill Vetrano from Paul (Arcus) in November 2012 and paired it with a Baratza Vario. It took me several weeks to a month to make anything that was drinkable, but I'm happy with my results so far.

In terms of fresh beans I have tried several of Social's offerings as they are a 10 minute drive away and are well reviewed (outside this thread at least). Right now I'm not willing to spend the shipping costs given that my skills are not getting the most from the coffees, but I'll be keeping my eyes open for other options if I'm in the area of some of the downtown cafes.

I'm not sure if members live close enough or would be interested, but perhaps we can look into group buys where we try buying some of the highly rated coffees that are constantly listed in the forums. Maybe a different coffee each month or something like that. This may allow many of us to justify the shipping costs from the US. Of coarse we need to consider shipping times to see if it is even worth pursuing.

John, welcome. I'll be honest, I didn't think I was making passable - good espresso until I started making stuff that raised my eyebrows. The better gear (you have a highly capable machine) really helped since I started with a Saeco Via Venezia. It really comes down to having the patience and will to continuously experiment with the goal of improving. Trying different coffees, different temperatures, and dose, etc. Really paying attention to Espresso 101 and being cognizant of how to optimally get the best performance from your gear.

The 'stork and I, along with Steve have done some group buys, although I'm not sure how many Steve's been a part of. There used to be one other espresso junkie that moved to Ottawa that I'm not sure is a member of this forum, I know he is on CG. Group buys have been great, but very infrequent. Mike tends to be the main organizer and it's frustrating to deal with some of the vendors at times. We ask for a group discount or some extra coffees from those we purchase, or at the very least, leniency on the shipping costs if they're greater than actual.

I'd imagine that going forward, Mike and I, at least, will consider letting everyone know about a possible group buy. The logistics of getting the coffee in the right hands in time is a whole other story.

I started my espresso journey in the '80s when I was an undergrad - in those days a good espresso outside of Little Italy was a Moka pot and a can of Medaglia D'oro. I moved up to a Saeco with a pressurized pf and canned ground Illy around 1995. The craziness set in in 2004 when I bought a Gaggia and an MDF grinder, neither of which lasted very long in my kitchen. I quickly moved to a Brewtus II that I enjoyed until maintenance became a pain, at which time I sold it and got the Elektra SemiAutomatica that I still use today partnered with a B-Vario. I have a Ponte Vecchio Export and a Macap M4 for the cottage, and an Aeropress + Lido for the office.

The Toronto coffee scene has come a very long way since 2004/2005. With that much change over a relatively short period of time, I don't have too many complaints about the availability of coffees here. My first real eye-opener to great espresso was a bag of Black Cat (one of the older blends that really gave BC its reputation) that I had sent from Chicago. The best and most memorable bag of coffee I have had came from Stumptown (purchased at Lit) - it had such a clean, floral character. Unfortunately the blend changed shortly after I discovered it, and it lost much of what made it truly magical for me.

However, I have had real satisfaction buying from Social over the past two years or so. I find them incredibly consistent, and I do buy quite a lot of coffee from them. My go-to blend has been the Farmer's Collective for a while. I live in Mississauga, so when I feel like braving the horrible traffic both into and within the City, I pick up a few bags of one of the US offerings at Manic, etc. or some Detour coffee from Dark Horse. I check Mike's (CoffeeStork) Blog now and then to see if I need to try any new shops. I have to admit I have not yet tried any coffees from Te Aro (now Pilot).

I would love to try some of the George Howell coffees, but I have to admit that I think the high-end coffee shops in Toronto do a pretty good job of bringing in coffees from many of the US and Western Canadian roasters that are special or particularly interesting (to me).

Mark

Dogshot wrote:I started my espresso journey in the '80s when I was an undergrad - in those days a good espresso outside of Little Italy was a Moka pot and a can of Medaglia D'oro. I moved up to a Saeco with a pressurized pf and canned ground Illy around 1995. The craziness set in in 2004 when I bought a Gaggia and an MDF grinder, neither of which lasted very long in my kitchen. I quickly moved to a Brewtus II that I enjoyed until maintenance became a pain, at which time I sold it and got the Elektra SemiAutomatica that I still use today partnered with a B-Vario. I have a Ponte Vecchio Export and a Macap M4 for the cottage, and an Aeropress + Lido for the office.

The Toronto coffee scene has come a very long way since 2004/2005. With that much change over a relatively short period of time, I don't have too many complaints about the availability of coffees here. My first real eye-opener to great espresso was a bag of Black Cat (one of the older blends that really gave BC its reputation) that I had sent from Chicago. The best and most memorable bag of coffee I have had came from Stumptown (purchased at Lit) - it had such a clean, floral character. Unfortunately the blend changed shortly after I discovered it, and it lost much of what made it truly magical for me.

However, I have had real satisfaction buying from Social over the past two years or so. I find them incredibly consistent, and I do buy quite a lot of coffee from them. My go-to blend has been the Farmer's Collective for a while. I live in Mississauga, so when I feel like braving the horrible traffic both into and within the City, I pick up a few bags of one of the US offerings at Manic, etc. or some Detour coffee from Dark Horse. I check Mike's (CoffeeStork) Blog now and then to see if I need to try any new shops. I have to admit I have not yet tried any coffees from Te Aro (now Pilot).

I would love to try some of the George Howell coffees, but I have to admit that I think the high-end coffee shops in Toronto do a pretty good job of bringing in coffees from many of the US and Western Canadian roasters that are special or particularly interesting (to me).

Mark

Wow Mark, I also see that you have quite an early 'joined date' of 2005. Medaglia D'Oro! Man, it's always interesting to think back to a more simpler time with coffee. I remember I was quite content with Folgers and a Cuisinart DC-1200 back in 2006.

The Elektra Semi is a beautiful machine, every time a used one comes up for sale I give serious consideration to purchasing it. It seems you're also more outfitted than most of us here with dedicated setups available at home, cottage and at work.

I've added everyone who has responded to this thread to the main post. So, the next step is to inquire about the possibility of having a coffee hang, or something to that effect. I'm not sure who would be open to hosting or if we would ever want to set up a meeting where different machines can be used. There's a great cross-section of different types of machines among all of us.

Another Toronto HBer here, currently displaced in Hamilton until the summer, but I'd be willing to take a trip over for a get together.

Jason

Hey,

I'm taking a BARISTA TRAINING LEVEL 2 training class at Pilot (Te aro: http://www.pilotcoffeeroasters.com/coll ... -latte-art) to improve my latte art. I have no problem foaming the milk, just want to improve the actual pour for art.

Anybody take these courses?

Does anyone have experience with beans from Dark City (in Scarborough) or Classic Gourmet Coffee who makes blends under the name Rufino Espresso (in Concord)?

sixty9 wrote:If you like sweetness in your shot, you should try the Malacara from Social: http://www.socialcoffeecompany.com/prod ... -7-epresso

Thanks for the tip. I find most beans (TeAro, Detour etc,etc) too tart.