Around the City in 24 Cups

All right, I meant to post these as I wrote them, but am just now getting to it. I'll try to do the rest as I go.

Someone’s got their marketing hat on. The Indie Coffee Passport is a card that allows you one drink, up to a value of $5.00, at each of 24 participating independent coffee shops. A terrific deal for only $20.00, $25.00 after September 30th.

So, on the morning of September 14, 2010, armed with my passport and a desperate need for caffeine, I began the adventure.

#1
Red Rocket Coffee (Wellesley)
154 Wellesley St. E. (just east of Sherbourne)
September 14, 2010, 9:15 a.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: airy, bright, modern.
Seating: sparse, and each of the three tables by the coffee bar are barely big enough for a laptop. If you want to use a mouse, forget it.
Wifi: Yes, ask for password.
AC Outlets: Yes, one for the three small tables.
Traffic: Not too busy this time of morning.
Staff: Friendly.
Drink of choice: large Americano. Very good.
Would I return? Yes, for a coffee if I was walking by, but not useful as a spot to read or work on computer.
Overall rating: 3.5/5

#2
Green Beanery
565 Bloor St. W. (corner of Bloor and Bathurst)
September 14, 2010, 12:20 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: airy, bright, modern.
Seating: Plentiful, comfortable leather chairs.
Wifi: No.
AC Outlets: No; outlet boxes along walls, covered with metal plates. Not only can’t you have it, you're going to be reminded you can’t have it.
Traffic: Not too busy this time of morning.
Staff: Friendly.
Drink of choice: large Americano. A superior cup.
Would I return? Possibly, it might be a good space for a date, but lack of wifi and AC outlets is a deterrent to me. In this age of cheap tech, one can only assume the proprietors are making a conscious choice to discourage web-workers and presumably encourage the social aspect of the café. Good for them. Not so good for me.
Overall rating: 2.5/5

#3
Linuxcaffe
326 Harbord St.
September 14, 2010, 3:10 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: Eclectic; lots of local art on the walls; well-worn mismatched tables and chairs; great tunes at a tolerable volume. Pretty much as opposite to a Starbuck’s as you can get. Reminds me of a university café.
Seating: Abundant. Tables and window counter.
Wi-fi: Yes, unsecured.
AC Outlets: Lots, and grounded extension cords thoughtfully provided for the tables not near an outlet.
Traffic: a third full.
Staff: Friendly.
Drink of choice: decaf Americano. How much caffeine do you think I can drink in one day?
Would I return? Absolutely, despite the odd name! I see they’ve replaced their old befuddling sign which sported the penguin mascot from the Linux computer operating system, and have changed the name from Linux Café to Linuxcaffe.
Other: Lots of vegetarian fare plus vegan and gluten-free options. All food made on the premises.
Overall rating: 5/5.

21 to go!

#4
Crema Coffee Co.
53 Bloor E. (Shared space with Freshii)
September 16, 2010, 3:00 p.m. I can’t believe the rain today. Cold, cottage rain.
Atmosphere/Décor: Modern, clean, uncluttered.
Seating: Abundant. Tables and window counter. Comfortable chairs.
Wifi: Yes, unsecured, but damned if I could get it to work.
AC Outlets: Lots, easily accessible from each table and at the window counter.
Traffic: half a dozen people.
Staff: Inattentive, then pretentious, talking about “tasting notes” in an I Know Far More Than You tone. This was in keeping with the pretentious adjectives written on the board beside the list of coffees: “marmalady,” “velvety,” etc. Also a this “one size” setup which is annoying when you want something larger than the one size offered. Apparently, as the Hispter server explained to me without prompting, this is to do with precise brewing ratios or something equally as uninteresting yet For Some Reason to Him, Important.
Drink of choice: Americano with a shot of caramel syrup. The syrup ruined the taste, so hard to judge the coffee. Guessing it's probably a "velvety" or "marmalady" cup.
Would I return? No, the fiddly wifi connection which I could not connect to, combined with the pretentious atmosphere is enough to keep me away.
Overall rating: 1.5/5.

#5
The Rooster Coffee House
479 Broadview (across from Riverdale Park)
September 17, 2010, mid-morning. No rain today, thank Christ. Brisk cycling weather.
Atmosphere/Décor: Eclectic. Lots of warm wood and leather. High celings. A very inviting redo of what used to be a dingy variety story.
Seating: Abundant. Tables and window counter. armchairs and standard chairs. Umbrellas and patio chairs out front.
Wifi: Yes, secured, ask for password.
AC Outlets: Lots, easily accessible from each table. Extension cords and power bars generously provided.
Traffic: Busy!
Staff: Super-friendly; nicest of all the coffee shops visited so far.
Drink of choice: Americano.
Would I return? Yes. Lots of space to work.
Overall rating: 5/5.
Other: The Toronto Star ran a nice article about The Rooster recently. Click to read.

#6
F’Coffee
641 Queen East (just east of the DVP).
September 27, 2010, 4:20 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: warm, open, and airy, with well-worn hardwood floors, lots of wood inside, vintage railway posters and landscape paintings on the walls.
Seating: Ample, plenty of tables and chairs, mismatched but comfortable; a nice window-width bar.
Wi-fi: Yes, unsecured.
AC Outlets: Yes, one.
Traffic: Not too busy, but it was raining out (again).
Staff: Friendly. Woman graciously offered me a cookie as well to reach the $5 limit allowed with the card. A nice touch.
Drink of choice: large Americano. Very good.
Would I return? Probably not, but not because of the place, more the location. Not en route to anyplace I regularly go, not close enough to home to make the trek.
Other: any company that gets this close to making people swear is okay by me.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.

#7. Almost.
Tried to visit Merchants of Green Coffee in the vicinity but found it is closed on Mondays.