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With news of price hikes at Starbucks, we called around to see what indie shops are charging for their coffee

The coffee display at Manic Coffee (Image: Renée Suen from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

On Tuesday, the Toronto Star reported that Starbucks had raised its prices for coffee and other beverages across the country by anywhere from 10 to 15 cents for a grande bold (16 ounces). This comes after Tim Hortons raised its prices back in April, which interim CEO Paul House attributed to the increasing cost of coffee thanks to a fungus that destroys coffee plants in Colombia. We decided to survey several local coffee retailers to see how a shift in the market is affecting their business. Check out whose prices went up, whose stayed the same and what innovative measures are being taken to offset costs, after the jump.

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The Dish

Caffeine High

January 11, 2011 | 10:20 am

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Foam craft: seven baristas show us their best latte art

Mercury’s co-owner Matthew Taylor pours a fire-breathing dragon in a cup (Image: Jon Sufrin)

Ten years ago, latte art was virtually unheard of in Toronto. Today, finding a rosetta, heart or tulip swirled into a latte is as common as, well, an indie coffee shop on Queen West or College. While latte art is essentially just a garnish, it’s also telling of a barista’s competence. As Bulldog’s Stuart Ross—who helped bring the craft to the city—notes, it just won’t work unless the espresso and the milk are done right. And as the city’s coffee scene broadens, so does the complexity of coffee presentation. We hit the streets to find some of the more unusual, intricate and interesting examples of this culinary art. Click here to start the show »

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The Dish

Opening

November 9, 2010 | 1:44 pm

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Introducing: Capital Espresso, Blondie’s café spinoff that’s come into its own (literally)

Capital of Parkdale: the old Vice office is now a coffee shop (Image: Lisa Paul)

When Blondie’s opened at 1378 Queen Street West, it was the only high-end coffee shop on Parkdale’s main drag. There was a constant bicycle traffic jam out front as the space became an it spot for the area’s bearded and tattooed hipsterati. A year later, the strip proved it could accommodate more hangouts (Parts and Labour, The Mascot), and Blondie’s two identities—café by day, bar by night—looked like they could make it on their own. The boozier incarnation stayed put. The coffee house, renamed Capital Espresso, opened across the street in the old Vice magazine offices on November 4.

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons

October 13, 2010 | 12:09 pm

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Q&A with René Redzepi: the “world’s best chef” leaves Toronto with a good taste in his mouth

René Redzepi in the courtyard of Victoria College, University of Toronto (Image: Taku Kumabe)

René Redzepi, chef and co-owner of the world’s best restaurant (at least according to San Pellegrino’s 2010 rankings), was in Toronto over the weekend to promote his new cookbook, Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, at the Isabel Bader Theatre. His Copenhagen restaurant, named Noma, has taken the global culinary community by storm despite being a small operation (40 seats) that uses ingredients from the Nordic terroir (98 per cent are foraged from within a 100-kilometre radius). We caught up with the 32-year-old chef as he sipped a double cappuccino from Manic Coffee—he liked it so much that he returned for more before his flight out—to discuss why he hates being labelled “new Nordic,” how the Ontario pawpaw is a revelation, and how Canada and Denmark are really alike.

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The Dish

Caffeine High

August 27, 2010 | 8:50 am

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The best way to get cheap coffee at Manic, I Deal, Crema and more

Lattes taste sweeter when they're free and with a cookie (Image: Georgette via the Toronto Life Flickr pool)

While the reasons to avoid corporate coffee shops are abundantly clear to any aficionado, there is now a new enticement to explore Toronto’s coffee scene: the Indie Coffee Passport. For $20, the passport allows the bearer to indulge in one free coffee or tea (up to $5 on the menu) at 24 indie coffee shops throughout the city. For the mathematically disinclined, that’s $120 worth of coffee or tea for $20, plus a little legwork to traverse the city. The passport can be purchased on-line here or at some of the participating coffee shops. While some big names are conspicuously absent from the list (Sam James, Dark Horse and Lit, to name a few), the choices should allow for some interesting experimentation. Participating locations, after the jump.

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The Dish

Food Porn

December 14, 2009 | 9:03 am

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Twelve Treats of Christmas: amazing edible (or drinkable) gifts for the indulgent epicure

Now is the time of year when Toronto’s patisseries and food shops offer a tremendous selection of goodies that cater to the most specific tastes. To make sense of this yearly embarrassment of riches, we found some delicious items that are sure to be crowd pleasers and ideal gifts. Here, 12 ways to avoid the dreaded (and regifted) Pot of Gold.

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The Dish

Read All About It

October 1, 2009 | 8:42 am

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Airport food guide, Tim Hortons’ big move, Tyra Banks eats from trucks

On the fly: a typical airport dinner at Pearson (Photo by Ed Kohler)

• Harried travellers are often at the mercy of the overpriced, under-flavoured food on offer in most airports. Well, Michael Blackie has their backs—sort of. The globe-trotting Ottawa chef reveals some of the better eating options at terminals throughout the world. Montreal’s Trudeau Airport gets points for sandwiches; Vancouver scores high for Globe@YVR’s locavore-friendly menu (a 100-mile restaurant at the airport? That’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife). JetBlue’s new terminal at JFK and Heathrow’s Terminal 5 are notable for their luxury cuisine offerings. Sorry, Toronto—all you get is Wolfgang Puck, mentioned in the same breath as Tim Hortons. [Globe and Mail]

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The Dish

Opening

September 4, 2009 | 11:16 am

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Just Opened: Sam James Coffee Bar

Double your fun: Sam James brews a two-pot siphon coffee

The caffeine crowd has kept the on-line forums busy over the past few weeks in anticipation of award-winning barista Sam James’s new place on Harbord Street. And now, after three months and a few bypassed opening dates, the Sam James Coffee Bar is finally open. “I didn’t want to open until everything was perfect,” says James. “It’s a shame when you go to an espresso bar and you’re let down by the coffee.”

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons

July 29, 2009 | 1:33 pm

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Toronto’s espresso experts tell us of coffee’s second coming, what makes a good cup and why Starbucks isn’t all bad

Irregular joe: Chris Tellez pours his way to second place at the (Photo by Cristene ??)

Irregular joe: Chris Tellez pours his way to first place at the Regional Barista Championships (Photo by Cristene)

The atmosphere may have been frothy at the Seventh Annual Regional Barista Championships at the Gladstone Hotel last Sunday, but the competition was no cake walk. Fourteen coffee aficionados had 15 minutes to impress six judges (two technical and four sensory) with 12 cups each (four espresso, four cappuccino and four signature). Marks were docked for such Emily Post–like infractions as improper spoon positioning and more than half a finger nail’s worth of waste. We caught up with the top five winners and asked them about the second coming of coffee, what makes a good cup, latte art backlash and why Starbucks isn’t all that bad.

Like beer, which has been catapulted to celebrity status with the craft brewing movement, coffee has been gaining ground. The Toronto bean renaissance continues with a slew of new cafés, including an new eponymous joint from this year’s second-place champ Sam James, coming August 8.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

July 29, 2009 | 8:00 am

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Jolt of caffeine: 13 new independent cafés open in Toronto

Brew colours: Espresso's popularity endures (Photo by Iain Farrell)

Brew colours: coffee houses are sprouting up everywhere this recession (Photo by Iain Farrell)

While McDonald’s, Tim Hortons and Starbucks duke it out across North America in their giveaway coffee war, a new batch of independent brewers has emerged in Toronto. Since our last roundup six months ago, at least 13 new cafés have opened up. Here, organized by neighbourhood, is our survey of the city’s hot new fuel-up joints.

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