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Café Review - Toronto: Dark Horse Espresso Bar

The newest of three locations, Dark Horse on Queens St W is a pretty cool coffee house attracting a trendy crowd (obviously made slightly less trendy by my visit). The question is, was it dark just in name, or also in espresso?

First Impressions

From the outside, it's a nice square corner unit with some great branding - distinct design (Intelligentsia, anyone?), but not in your face - just small decals in the centre of the windows. I liked the choice of seating here: a bank of seats against the wall, some individual tables, high stools at the window and a big communal table.  The latter can really polarise opinion: I really like the idea of sharing a table and sparking up conversations with people you don't know; whilst some of my friends feel that they want their own space, and feel uncomfortable when sharing (all only-children - coincidence)?  Either way, Dark Horse caters for all preferences.  This theme even spreads to the food and espresso, but more on that later.

The bar looked solid and impressive with the logo dominating, and the retail stand at the end hinted to the espresso options that were on offer: this was a no-filter establishment with the focus purely on espresso (which may have been given away by the name on the window).

Details

A killer machine, courtesy of Keys Van Der Westen, a couple of Robur E's and an Anfim on the side. Nice. I also quite liked the interior design - the retro 50's chairs and the bright artwork on the walls - but the feature that really stood out for me was the stamped tin ceiling: shiny, silver, unique.

The Baristas were helpful and happy to answer direct questions, but they didn't seem to want to talk in too much detail. The girl on the machine seemed a little curt/aloof - unusual for coffee-focused cafes.

Drinks

As mentioned earlier, the policy on espresso is also interesting. When I enquired about what beans  they used, I was told 49th Epic and Detour Dark: it varies depending on the day/drink. I wanted to ask a few more questions - why is it not fixed (one for espresso, one for milk drinks), Why don't you give the customer the choice? - but I got the feeling that it was the end of question time.

In the end, I tried the Detour Dark and, no surprise here, it was dark. To quote the Detour website: Italian style. In retrospect, I should have just had an espresso, but my baseline drink is a cap or a flat white. So I asked for a flat white, but ended up with a cap as, in the majority of places, they didn't know what it was (let's be honest, at most places it ends up being the same anyway - in fact, does anyone actually have a definitive answer)?

Need to Know: Mercury Espresso Bar

Coffee: 49th Parallel - Epic, Detour - Dark Horse Espresso
Machine: KVDW - Mirage Veloce
Grinder: Robur E x2
Address: 684 Queen Street West,
Toronto, ON, M6J 1ES, 647 352 3512
Nearest Streetcar Stop: Queen Street
West at Tecumseth Street. Map me...
Hours: Mon-Fri: 07:00 - 19:00.
Sat-Sun: 08:00 - 19:00.
Site: www.darkhorseespresso.com

 

I'll be straight here. The drink was not great. Nor was my wife's latte. Nor was my friend's cap. You see, it's just dark and bitter and that's all you get. I did see several people come in and order their espressos (as I was people watching at the bar) and all put sugar in to the cup: not a good sign in my book.

Food

A quick nod to the food. It looked like the usual selection of delicious treats and, like the seating and the espresso, choice was the byword. There were regular, vegan, gluten free, and every other type of cake you could find. So we were cruel and thought we'd try the gluten free scone for the ultimate test - if they could get this right, all would be forgiven. But they didn't. So it's not.

Conclusion

Real dark espresso (traditional or Italian, as many call it) has its place: in Italy and with lots of sugar. But, for me, it's just a bit lazy - you have the opportunity to bring the best out of coffee in the roast and you're choosing not to when you blacken it. Of course, Black Horse didn't roast it, but they did work with the roaster to get to this house blend and that, when they have that input, is a bit of a disappointment.

For the second time in two Toronto cafés, I find myself saying I like the café, but the coffee doesn't live up to the design and space.

On a final note, I'm not sure where the name originally came from but...

Café Review - Toronto: Mercury Espresso Bar

I have visited Toronto on a several occasions, but Mercury was a café that I hadn't previously come across.  The 'internet' promised me that this was a must-visit so, due to geography, this would be our first Toronto destination.  I visited with my wife, already a quality coffee convert, and one of our best friends whom I hoped to convert from the heady heights of Tim Horton's by experiencing that pivotal coffee moment. 

First Impressions

Mercury occupies a corner unit with fetching orange brickwork and, even under the grey skies of Toronto, it looked pretty good.  It has a few seats outside (for when it's not -10)  and plenty of seating inside - wooden tables and chairs, some stools at the window for people watching, the obligatory always in-demand single sofa - and lots of light, all contributing to quite a relaxed little indi-feeling café.

When we visited, there was a real mix of customers and, praise be, when I looked up at the menu behind the bar (chalkboard, of course) I was excited to see that it wasn't just an espresso establishment: it had a selection of filter coffee and brewing methods.

Need to Know: Mercury Espresso Bar

Coffee: George Howell Terroir Coffee Co.,
Intelligentsia
Machine: Synesso
Grinder: Mahlkonig K30 Twin
Address: 915 Queen Street East,
Toronto, ON, M4M 1J4, 647 435 4779
Nearest Streetcar Stop: Queen Street East at
Logan Avenue. Map me...
Hours: Mon-Fri: 06:30 - 20:00.
Sat: 07:30 - 20:00. Sun: 08:00 - 20:00.
Site: www.mercuryespresso.com

Details

I made my way to the bar with the aim of ordering a filter to share (softly, softly - it was going to be a long coffee day), and an apple cider for my wife.  Mercury has a limited filter offering but matches the brewing method to each coffee on the menu - this can be a good move as you expect the brewing method to have been selected and tested to bring out the best in the coffee.  The barista working the bar, as well as having an impressive 'tash, seemed to be pretty experienced and to know what he was talking about, so I felt a little safer in ordering a filter.

The baristas were talkative and friendly so the remaining, and some might argue, most important test, was the quality of the beverages.

Drinks

What was my coffee of choice, I hear you ask?  I went for an Intelligentsia Ethiopia Yergacheffe DAMA Co-op that was being made with a syphon.  I love Yergacheffe, and I thought it would be a great gateway coffee for my friend. But, as ever, even if you have great beans, the brewing has to be spot on.  I'd like to say that I am experienced enough to be able to tell you what the exact cause of the problem with any given coffee is but I'm not - so, unfortunately, I can't tell you why the coffee was not up to scratch.  What I can say is that it was bitter on the palate and continued to be that way even whilst cooling.  I could get some hints of what the coffee should show like: vanilla & cocoa with soft lemon acidity, but it was overpowered by the bitterness.

This meant that the majority of the coffee lay un-drunk as we left but, as I went up to pay, it was mentioned that the usual grinder wasn't working and they had fallen back on to a previous one while waiting for it to be fixed.  My advice? If you can't get it right with the backup grinder then take it off the menu.

On a brighter note, the apple cider was great and perfect for the cold weather.

I didn't try the espresso, so I can't give any opinion. That being said, I did try Terroir espresso at other cafés and it's a pretty dark roast.

Conclusion

Despite the coffee, I found myself liking Mercury.  It's relaxed, quite understated and has a nice layout.  I'd go back and pay another visit, but I'd be sampling the espresso.

The biggest disappointment was not the quality of the coffee, but the fact that when I raised the issue, I was told it was an expected characteristic.  If this was given to someone trying a quality coffee for the first time, it would surely have them running back to Tim's for a drip coffee quicker than you can say double-double.

Canadian Coffee Tour (also known as my Christmas Holiday)

I'll admit it.

I like to hijack the family holidays with a good chunk of coffee house visiting, squeezing them in wherever possible.  I am lucky that I have such an understanding wife and, in all honesty, she enjoys the visits nearly as much as me.

You see, I love coffee (he says, stating the obvious) - but that isn't the only attraction.  Visiting a caffeinated establishment is so much more: it gives you an insight into the local area, the people, the culture and, of course, whether or not the barista can pull a shot, pour a great pour-over, or excel in the dark art of the syphon.

This particular trip held a little more significance for me though as, with my wife now only five months away from a twelve month sabbatical, we draw ever nearer to an extended trip to her motherland - more specifically Calgary, Alberta.  Research is now more important than ever if we are to one day open a bloody brilliant café and bakery.

We started with a week in Toronto and the moved on to Calgary with no plans apart from relaxing, catching up with friends and family, and drinking lots and lots of coffee (and possibly some alcohol).

From the lows of the North American penchant for excessively dark roasts to the highs of Phil and Sebastian, the next few posts will chart many of the cafés we visited over our trip - and hopefully point you in the right direction of a great espresso, or filter, if you find yourself in those foreign parts.