Coffee Shop Hunting, Toronto 🇨🇦 Lisa Cain

Lisa Cain is an avid rambler from Toronto, Canada, an active community member, a loving mother and devoted friend. She has a beautiful curiosity about many things, especially coffee shops. Follow her on Instagram at @lisascoffeehousehunt

My thing is coffee shops! Ironically, I acquired this unique hobby when I decided to give up caffeine and sugar.

My husband and I drank the same brand of Costco Colombian coffee for decades until a wicked caffeine headache made me decide I no longer wanted to be beholden to caffeine or sugar. It was at this time that, I decided to venture out for my morning brew.

I started with sugar-free decaffeinated lattes because they were milky, and I could flavor them with cinnamon powder and cocoa sprinkles. This plan worked well until I visited a shop that didn't have either and was forced to drink my latte plain. Surprisingly, I liked it, and decaf latte has been my drink of choice ever since. 

I'm no longer addicted to caffeine, so you might assume I'm also not tied to a morning coffee. However, I have found that a hot cuppa first thing in the morning is also emotionally addictive. So, I still crave and look forward to my morning brew.

I started documenting my coffee shop visits in on Facebook in 2017 and then a year later, with my son's help, I launched dedicated Instagram and Facebook pages for my newfound hobby. 

I only visit independent coffee shops and small chains (no Starbucks).

Hunting down cool coffee shops is an excellent ramble enabler. It takes me to areas in my hometown that I wouldn't otherwise have occasion to visit. When I'm traveling, searching for coffee shops gives me destinations to head for. There have been days where I've hit five or six coffee shops because I know I won't get back to them if I don't go now. That's when it is beneficial that I drink decaf.

I made a pact that I would  visit coffee shops with a friend or family member to make it a social. My youngest daughter is my most constant companion, but I also have many other friends and relatives who occasionally join in. 

It might be an oddball hobby, but it's also a great way to stay in touch with acquaintances and catch up with good friends. I ask people to allocate about 2 1/2 hours for our adventure, and part of the deal is I pick them up, take them to the coffee shop, and return them home. 

The point is to go to new places, never knowing what you will find, and it has only backfired a few times. I have learned to message the shops ahead of time to ask if they have decaf, and what the seating is like if we have a larger group. Nonetheless, we occasionally arrive, find the place packed, and are forced to pivot. However, at least once, we've found an even better place than we originally planned to visit. 

I used to wonder why people bothered with decaf and turned my nose up at those who drank it. Silly me! My journey has taught me that craft roasters take equal care in roasting their decafs as their caffeinated coffee. While I don't get a caffeine jolt, I enjoy the subtle tastes of chocolate, toffee, citrus, or whatever taste profile the specific roast has. 

The main downfall of decaf is that each roaster typically only offers one variety among many caffeinated choices. However, I happily make up for it by visiting many small roasters, thus enjoying a variety of roasts. 

I once attended a coffee tasting offering twelve varieties to taste, only one of which was decaf. It was a blind tasting and I had a spittoon, so I tasted the caffeinated varieties. When asked about their favorite, half of the participants (including me) chose the decaf. So next time someone rolls their eyes at your decaf choice, know it can be as good or better than the caffeinated coffees.

If you want to hunt for local coffee shops I suggest you use the map function on your phone and type in coffee shops, and the app will display all nearby options. To ensure excellent quality, it helps to type in coffee roasters, as those who roast their own beans are typically the best. 

In Toronto, we have several roasters like DeMello, Propeller, Pilot, Hale, and Reunion, who have their own shops but also sell wholesale beans to other coffee shops. 

Other Toronto shops, like Rooster, I Deal, and Dark Horse, roast their beans primarily for their own use. Then, some roasters only roast for wholesale, and some have grown big enough to infiltrate supermarket shelves.

Balzacs is one of the best, with sixteen stores scattered throughout Ontario, Canada. Diana Olsen is the President and Founder of Balzac's Coffee Roasters started with a coffee cart in 1993.

Olsen nurtured her passion for coffee while studying French literature at university, where she found a kindred spirit in Monsieur Balzac and his genuine passion for coffee. Olsen brought French coffee culture to Canada, and today, she is one of the leading pioneers in Toronto's coffee shop culture. 

Toronto coffee shops come in all shapes and sizes, from ultra-modern to quirky, traditional, industrial, feminine, nostalgic, ornate, rustic, you name it. I adore cozy nooks, large shared tables, and shops with lots of plants and marble. An excellent coffee shop vibe is infectious, and I enjoy taking in the surroundings and talking to the employees and owners. 

Coffee shop culture started well before I adopted this hobby. In Toronto, pioneers like Diana Olsen and John Englar (of Jet Fuel fame) sparked it in the nineties. Since then, it has only been an upward trajectory, growing by leaps and bounds yearly. New shops are popping up all over the city, and most are busy places!

I am always adding new Toronto coffee shops to my list of places I want to visit, and this list is outgrowing my ability to visit them all. 

I enjoy sharing my coffee shop rambles, so hit me up if you're in town.

And if you're a chain coffee shop drinker, I urge you to try an independent shop or two or four. Each one is as unique as the people who own them. Enjoy!

READ MORE > Ramble Logs, Rambler Cafe Blog.