Toronto City Life » coffee

This Day Has Been…

Katherine — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:43:46 +0000

Only because I am sleepy. Not for any other reason. I really can’t complain when it is sunny and hot and gorgeous out there, but yes, I am suffering from a bit of sleep deprivation from this weekend’s events.

Speaking of this weekend…Dave and I found a deceased dragonfly on our deck on Sunday evening. Which was weird because we were JUST asking each other ‘what if’ questions. Like, what would you do if I kicked you in the nuts right now? What would you do if I threw you off this deck? What would you do if a huge dragonfly landed on your shoulder right now?

And lo and behold. I didn’t even know Toronto had these beautiful monsters. So we did what anyone would do: we picked it up, placed it in the best position possible, and took pictures of it.

Look at how gorgeous it’s wings are.

It’s like they used this guy to invent the helicopter. Did I make that up or is it actually true?

Perspecteeeeeeve.

And then we ate. Well, this is what I ate. Dave had a giant steak, but I wasn’t hungry, so I went with cottage cheese and tomatoes, and some summer sausage. Eating the cottage cheese reminded me of bug guts. It was still good though.

Desert was fruit and lemon yogurt with a drizzle of honey. Who died and went to heaven? This girl.

Fast forward to Monday morning (today). On my way to work. Trying to make the best of life while sleepwalking. I was born in the wrong era. I should have been born so that I was a teenager in the 70s. Maybe that wouldn’t have been too good though, you know, because of all the acid. I did too much of that stuff as a teenager anyway. Don’t do drugs kids, you’ll end up like me.

Dave snuck up on me and took a picture later in the afternoon. I think he heard me whining to myself and grumbling to the air. Holy bags under my eyes Batman. I was pouty and needed a coffee. Plus, I had to listen to this woman at work talk with mucus stuck in her throat all day. I feel bad for her because it’s obviously a problem, but she is not that nice anyway. So I call her Bucus. That is beast + mucus when they marry.

Someone is an angel and beamed me down a coffee. Thank goodness because sleeping death was at my doorstep.

And then there was this. Spotted it at the grocery store when we went to go pick up a few things after work. Now, ok….ok…..I am good with people eating octopus. To each their own. But why did they have to write ‘CHUNKS of Octopus’? That is just…

But lordy, this more than makes up for it. Tired cranky Kato and S’mores? You just cured my life.

Well, we don’t have a campfire. Screw you. I don’t need your shit campfire.

Aren’t we innovative?

My only concern is to roast these marshmallows.

Oh yeah. Yup. Delicious.

Look at the concentration.

I have gone to a happy place.

Hey did you guys ever make ghost gum? When you smush a marshmallow between your fingers until it becomes gooey and looks like a piece of gum?

And then I tell you guys a story. A bedtime story for myself if you will. One where your entire good opinion of me (if you have one) goes down the drain because I sound like an asshole. First of all, I sound like I am a 3-year-old telling the story, but I assure you that is not how I usually sound. That is me being tired and unable to put two thoughts together. Secondly, I sound like a megabitch. I am not: again, just sleepy. Third, THE STORY MAKES NO SENSE. Well, it does until the end. My final statement makes no sense at all. Whatever, you get the picture. I AM A JERK OFF WHO NEEDS SOME SLEEP.

And with that final vision in your head, I bid you all goodnight!

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Black Equine Juice – I didn’t name it!

Patrick — Wed, 18 May 2011 04:10:59 +0000

Actually, dark horses could drag me away. The $3.30 little French press pots at the Dark Horse on Spadina make you feel all sophisticated but, ultimately, the drink works out to be the size of a large coffee. A good coffee, yes, but a caffeinated thoroughbred? I get the feeling that what you’re actually paying for here is the ambiance, and the communal tables kinda ruin that for me. Feels a bit like a stable. At the end of the day, if someone asks me if I prefer Dark Horse over Second Cup, I’ll have to respectfully reply with a neigh.

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Sh*t Son, That Was Fun: 1

Katherine — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:50:22 +0000

Another busy weekend. Went downtown with my friend Naz and afterwards travelled to John’s hood for some wine and good times. Always good times with that guy.

Weekend started with some pictures in the kitchen. It’s the brightest room in the house. This is great in the Winter when we get about 12 minutes of sunshine a week, but in the Summer it’s brutal. The blinds stay closed all Summer. Right. I am remembering how effing hot it gets in there.

Did my nails again. Look at these bitch nails. Seriously, Raymi the Minx has turned me into a monster. She always gets her nails done all beautiful and it inspires me to do my own all shit-like compared to hers. At least I am making an effort. No longer am I a disgusting boy! I actually shower sometimes a lot more these days! Are you proud of me? Also, you should check Raymi out. I PROMISE you, you will not be disappointed. She is like crack. And while I am plugging people, you need to check out Toronto City Life. Awesome guy, awesome blog. And yours truly is a syndicated contributor over there!

Sorry Beethoven, my nails need a little air time and your head looks as good as any.

So this is my new bag. I was hankering for an expensive one. See? Turning into a pure girl over here. I thought about this purchase for a LONG time because it was expensive. I was going to go for a brand name guy, but at the last minute went to my fast-becoming favourite shop Fresh, and saw this one of a kind Moira Coughlan dumpling bag. At first I was like FUUUUUCK that’s a lot of money for a bag (c’mon it wasn’t THAT bad), but damn I love it more than life. I would save it in a fire if it meant I would burn myself.

Dave had some guys over to watch the fight. He is on the phone planning out his little date here. The picture below is hilarious because he was telling me that this guy was coming over who was a little wild and crazy (an actor, they all are), and that they were going to crush cans on their foreheads and drop pizza all over the carpet. My face says it all.

Guys, meet my friend Naz. GODDAMN she is beautiful. For a few years we were mostly work friends, but recently we went out for coffee. Like, on a weekend. We took it to the next level you could say. A sexy, going-out-for-coffee-level.

Oh hey look! It’s John! How’s it going my love? Yes, we can stop at Starbucks and you can get 124 shots of espresso. Not sure how you are still alive after that one.

It was sunny! I was happy!

Look at that sexy bag.

Super rich people Starbucks. I looked like a death slob compared to everyone else in that place.

We stopped at John’s parents house for an old photo album so we could laugh at our dumb early university selves. John’s parents’ basement is like a plethora of awesome things. There are literally amazing things everywhere you look. I want to spend a day down there and skip through the treasures and play with everything.

Every time I go to John’s house I am like FULL LENGTH MIRROR! We don’t have one so it’s always a surprise to see my body after so long. So THAT’S what you look like legs!

One of my favourite pictures of all time. John has good taste.

Oh hey there Joh…STICKS IN THINGS!! I have a bit of an obsession with sticks. Like, IN THINGS.

Love.

Where we sat for the majority of the evening. In my old age, I suddenly have vertigo when I go out onto balconies. I have a strange urge to throw myself off of it and get it over with. Not because I have a death wish, but because I am terrified that I am going to fall anyway, so why not end the terror?

Bean! Remember when she was pregnant? She gave birth to three of the sweetest kittens ever!! She really wanted out there with us, but yeah right.

I asked John to take a picture of me out there on the balcony. I had my arms raised and he told me I had pit stains. Only I DON’T! Ass.

This is my ‘fuck you John’ face.

Better. Ass.

Had a few at this point. Maybe.

Laugh. It does a body REALLY good.

Part two, coming right up!

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Need coffee bad

Patrick — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:59:38 +0000

Well hey there, it’s me again. Listen, I’m just absolutely beat. The project went live but I have one more day before I can throw in the towel. R&R :D Can’t wait.

Unfortunately, TCL is as much a victim of circumstance as I, but at least things seem to be coming to an end. One more day. :D

Oh, and this is what I’ve been working on:

http://www.rolluptherimtowin.com/en/fun.php?showcontest=en

Or, if you speak the other tongue:

http://www.rolluptherimtowin.com/en/fun.php?showcontest=fr

Roll Up The Rim; finally went live on Sunday night. From what I can see, my piece is the only way to enter the contest. A no-pressure kind of first assignment; relaxed in every way.

There’s also a companion site at http://www.everycup.ca/, but luckily I wasn’t involved in that.

You can enter the game after completing the registration form – the information isn’t validated (to the best of my knowledge), so go forth accordingly. But heck, if you want to enter the contest for realsies, be my guest! And yes, you can get better at the game. I almost got to 5,000; currently 200th on the high score board, though some of those high scores look somewhat dubious. Gonna have a talk with the team about that tomorrow. And then I’ll be back to posting in no time flat! (I promise … I miss it so!)

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A pleasant preview of the summer to come

Patrick — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:30:42 +0000

Okay, whoever’s responsible for the weather needs to just stop and look at what they’re doing, because this isn’t right. To begin with, you’ve got the evening rolling in earlier and earlier.

Actually, that part’s normal. But the cold … where did that come from? Suddenly everyone’s got a coat on and the inappropriately tiny-clothed are dashing for their lives down the street, frantically clutching at their frigid bodies, screaming as they scramble for the nearest entrance. And now they’re stuck in a coffee shop for the night.

Despite my multifaceted enjoyment of underdressed ladies, however, I must profess that they probably had a good reason for being so today. I had on an undershirt, button-down shirt, and fall jacket, and still my armpit hair stood on end from the cold. I simply don’t think anyone expected the wind and the temperature drop. I’m sure that come spring, this kind of weather will be a pleasant preview of the summer to come, but right now it has a pretty mean looking winter breathing down its neck.

I don’t consider myself slight. Slender, I am not. But I didn’t think that the scarves, parkas, mitts, and toques I experienced tonight were too much.

There it is, harsh reality disguised as a smiling silhouette: we’ve totally skipped autumn and gone right to winter! The weather people claim it’s normal and that past years have been freakishly warm. I would beg to differ. But I can’t because my fingers are starting to go numb. The landlord hasn’t turned on the heat yet so I’m warming myself by the glow of the computer. Too bad light doesn’t keep you warm. Damn eco-friendly bastard!

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War on Trash: Day 23 (Double-double Timmies)

Patrick — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:30:24 +0000

As I was walking home today, I spotted this placard being hung by a CUPE striker packing up for the night:

I’ll be honest, this is the first time I’ve been privy to any 416/79 propaganda. But I’m glad I saw it because it gives me an insight into the myopic condition of the enemy. Yeah, anyone who uses the word “comprehend” like this is a jerk.

Referring to the heroic General David Miller as simply “D. Miller” seems pretty derisive. But I suppose that’s to be expected. From a jerk.

What’s tough to swallow, however, is the absence of cause and effect in the 416/79 universe. It’s no secret that the chemicals being sprayed on garbage (the effect), are not terribly healthy. The city actually had to get an injunction against it’s own pesticide bylaws to be able to use them. And then there’s the reason for their use in the first place (the currently picketing cause).

For the pragmatist in me, chemical warfare is a necessary but regrettable consequence of war that benefits no one. And while I applaud every inch that the city hall infantry gains on the battle field, the argument against prolonging the War is now all the more poignant.

Fresh reinforcements for our battle-weary combatants prove that the War in the city core can continue for some time:

And there you have it; when the going gets tough, Torontonians pick up after themselves. I never had a doubt. It’s just a shame that other local conflicts unrelated to the major War will continue to be eclipsed it.

For example, another city union, local 2003, is clashing with the mammoth Cadillac Fairview corporation. But in this case, the union’s been rotting by the curb since June 16th. I spoke briefly to the nice gentlemen in this photo and they seemed justifiably miffed that the corporation locked them out (that means the suits don’t wanna talk):

And now that I’ve undoubtedly aroused your interest in all things Canadian, I’m pleased as punch to announce that we’re sending our socialist coffee and doughnuts south of the border:

As a gesture to all my southern friends, here’s a little Tim Hortons cross-border dictionary to help you feel at ease with our oft strange lingo:

Timmies (n.): The official Canadian name of Tim Hortons
Tim Horton (pr. n.): A former Maple Leafs player who loved doughnuts and caffeine so much he started his own coffee and bake shop (hence the name, though strangely plural rather than possessive). He died of morbid obesity.
Doughnut (n.): The correct, Canadian spelling of donut. It’s a nut made of dough, not do.
Tim Bit (n.): The doughnut center. Brilliant marketing move by Timmies execs who knew classy Canadians naturally poo-poo the lowly “donut hole”.
Double-double (n.): The popular coffee poured over two creams (measured exactly), and two spoons of sugar. Not stirred (coffee-flavoured sugary goop at the bottom is a genuinely Canadian experience).
Triple-triple (n.): Well, shit, you’re already stuffing your gob with that Boston Cream.
Coffee (n.): A Double-double.
Espresso (n.): What?
Latté (n.): Down that hall and to the left but you might wanna knock first to make sure no one’s in there. Oh, and there’s extra toilet paper on the little table in front in case you need more.

And the most wonderful thing about Tim Hortons is that you can be assured that the Maple glaze doughnuts use 100% authentic Maple sugar. We’d know the difference ;D

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The Coffeetastic Giveaway Contest / Plea

Patrick — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:25:48 +0000

Isn’t that a tragic sight? I realized that I had neglected my ongoing campaign for free Second Cup coffee!

Well, once again I want to praise the graces of this wonderful establishment. Hosanna on highest! Blessed is he who walketh with re-usable mug (also available in stylish assortments from your nearby Second Cup location).

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that I’m getting something for writing this. No sir; 100% unsolicited and, as yet, unrewarded. But definitely my own initiative. I’m asking for free coffee for heaven’s sake!

But seriously, when the wise executives at Second Cup realize what an opportunity this is, I’m ready to talk shop. Gentlemen, I take mine black.

Other than a lack of great coffee, it’s been pretty flat here at the TCL abode. A blanket of dull, grey cloud is oozing it’s way eastward and keeping the streets shiny. It seems to have washed all of yesterday’s colourful characters off the street.

Me? I’ve been rummaging through those terribly time-consuming Toronto Archives again. I always enjoy looking at the photos and creating captions for what’s going on in the scene. But it’s been called to my attention that my interpretation may not always be the correct one. Well, I choose to squeeze that lemon rather than let it make me sour. Not good with coffee either.

So in honour of that most excellent hot beverage company, I would like to open up the floor for ya’ll. Write a caption for a photo in the comments and / or rate others’ using the shiny stars (10 being the best).

I’m going to make this post sticky (ha! No, not in that way. Gross!), until Sunday night (let’s say 8 o’clock). The best comment (if it’s a tie I toss all the winners’ asses into a random number generator and have it sort it out), gets a bag of Second Cup coffee (yes I’ll pay the goddamn s&h – but no air shipping!) or a prominent ad in the sidebar for a month. Sweetest deal on the web, my friends.

Yeah, well; still better than getting kicked in the nuts, am I right?

Comment as many times as you like, just don’t forget to leave your email address (held in strictest confidence!) with each one so I can get a hold of you later!

Profanity will be absolutely tolerated. Encouraged, even.

Here’s the photo; I believe you will find it amply titillating:

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Double-eggs-seven

Patrick — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:04:57 +0000

After my last assignment, I’m sure you’ll understand why I had to lay low for a while. This is a dangerous town and I had to make sure that when I popped my head back up, I wasn’t going to get it blown off. With my Walther PPK strapped snugly against my ribcage, I straightened my tie and headed out.

This time it would be to the George Street Diner.

It seemed pretty far off the radar. Nice spacious outside views from every booth so as to avoid an unwanted side of sneaky assassin with my breakfast. The booths were those proper squishy diner kind that would require close-quarters combat, but that was okay. More fun. And if the contact who was to meet me there proved to be uncooperative with me, the vintage stools at the counter would provide a good place for a quick and painful Q&A. My Q, his A.

I placed my order for the regular; the measure of a greasy spoon’s worth: the bacon & egg special. It doesn’t matter if it’s not called a “special” in this particular establishment, they should know exactly what you mean. Besides, I had ways of letting the female staff know exactly what I meant that didn’t require any talking. The only other male in the place was the kind who’d be the first to catch a bullet in the forehead in a gun fight. Mental note: human shield.

About $9 later, the chipper young waitress brought me breakfast: two eggs, four strips of well-done bacon, a healthy helping of home fries, and toast. Except…what was this? The toast seemed to be coated entirely in some sort of yellow grease. Maybe it was some strange intensely-coloured butter coating or — they were trying to poison me.

My mind started to race. If I kept my heart rate down, I could probably plug each of these yahoos and manage to make it back to my place for an antidote. Unless there were more of them out of sight.

So it began.

I reached slowly, ever so slowly for the holster while at the same time inching the bread towards my mouth. I unclipped the strap and gently tugged at the gun, releasing the safety. I passed the bread slowly under my nose; no detectable odours other than butter. Great. That left about one-thousand other possible toxins.

My senses went into top mode; I was aware of every creak and squeak around me; could see every motion reflected in the stainless steel backboard that ran the length of the restaurant. I could feel sweat gathering on my brow; my hand tightening on the Walther PPK as the bread passed my lips. This was it…death time.

Oops, my mistake. Just butter.

Good butter too, or a pretty good imitation. The bread was soft and moist and caused me to relax my grip on the gun. It was still a very unnatural colour but…no poison. It looked like the staff were regular civvies so I wouldn’t have to kill them after all. It would have been a shame to destroy all the kitsch on the walls though. Some of it looked genuinely old and all of it belonged in an old-time diner like that.

I dug into the meal; bacon was good and crispy; eggs were well done and adequately greasy; organic coffee was dark and a good complement to the meal. The place was licensed but it didn’t look like they’d be able to serve me a proper Martini.

I finished my coffee slowly, waiting for my contact who was now five minutes late. The bill came promptly and I got up to leave. For a man with as many enemies as me, it was foolish to wait around any longer.

Nice place, I thought as I adjusted my Italian silk tie. Good atmosphere and great decor, but nothing explosive about the breakfast. Just as well, I suppose.

Then I spot him, my contact, running down George Street with my suitcase, being chased by a very tall man with what looks like…metal…for teeth and a very nasty looking gun shooting at — my suitcase.

Damn, that makes me mad.

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Black, pitch, and very very grande

Patrick — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:29:03 +0000

Are you reading this with coffee? No? Well, do you wanna get one? I can wait…

I think it’s good to immerse yourself in a subject much, as it happens, like good coffee in hot water. It provides a much richer froth of experience and warm sensory delectation. Mmmm, I know you can taste it.

Now let me tell you why Second Cup is UH-SO-MUCH (said with gusto!), better than Starbucks. First, let’s take a detour to the basics: the bean. It starts as the green seed of a red cherry. The cherry part is stripped or sometimes left to dry off, the husk around the two beans in the center (sometimes one) is dried off along with the beans themselves, then they’re bagged, stored, and shipped. Basically: strip, dry, husk, bag, and deliver.

Up until this point, with the exception of coming from different equatorial regions around the world, most beans are pretty much the same. Green, there’s not much flavour. When slow roasted, though, some kinda magical alchemical reaction takes place in the bean and it starts to slowly release all sorts of flavourful oils onto its surface as it browns.

The lightest roast is green-brown. You probably wouldn’t want to drink it; probably something like boiled cabbage and two-day-old underwear. When brown, the next step up, the bean is nicely toasted throughout, but there’s no oil on the surface. The next roast up is medium. Here you can easily see oily spotting on the bean. Finally, with a dark roast, the bean is visibly blackened and very oily all over. If you’ve ever bought a French or Italian roast, that’s the guy.

So, the next time you step into a Starbucks, don’t forget that you’ve just wasted however long it took you to read that. If you skipped it, good for you. It’s pretty much irrelevant because everything at Starbucks is cinder. That’s the American style of producing “strong” coffee; burn the bean to hell and back and throw in milk and sugar like it went out of style two seasons ago.

But I don’t want to be too critical. Good blackened beans are good for a proper frothy espresso or espresso-based drinks.
Which I barely ever have.
End of story.

Second Cup, on the other hand, runs the whole gamut of browns. If you visit their bean counter, they usually have a display mounted front and center where they show off what I described above. There’s usually not much guess work between a light roast and a medium roast; just look at the differences in oil on the surface. I’ve been told their default dark roast is a bit sub-par but, at more than one location, they’ve made special cups from freshly ground bagged beans from the bean counter. Never hurts to ask because that’s how you might hit on that one awesome bean.

Not only that but the majority of their stuff is excellent; fair-trade-before-fair-trade ones like my fave of faves, La Minita Tarrazu, a coffee that has never disappointed. Mellow and just so laid back. That coffee doesn’t have a care in the world.

Summatran/Indonesian blends are also very accessible; their sun curing process creates a coffee that in some seasons tastes like cocoa. When done in a french press, it creates a really rich brew with some of the very fine particles of coffee suspended in the liquid. This thick hot suspension and it’s aroma of nuts and chocolate all get plunged into a sweetened steamed-milk bath. Like I said, accessible.

At Starbucks, the choices are basically: black, pitch, inner-anus, and very very dark. Even with caramel, I don’t like them odds.

Buy proud Canadian coffee instead! Raise that morning cup ‘o northen glory high and pronounce with pride: