caffeine toronto

The top 10 ways to get caffeinated this summer in Toronto

Need a caffeine jolt this summer in Toronto? You can choose from a mix of the city's best roaster offerings, delivery services, events and ice cold beverages. A little coffee buzz might be necessary to keep energy up for all the fun events of summer, so if you need a little pick-me-up (or just love coffee), this list will be your guide.

Here are my picks for the top ways to get caffeinated this summer in Toronto.

Learn the art of coffee roasting
The amazing new roasting facilities of Sense Appeal, Pilot Coffee and Propellor may be off the beaten track, but the expansive cafe quarters attached to each make it worth the travels. Head to one of these three spots and watch the bean go from green to cup.

Hunt down Toronto's fleet of coffee food trucks
You can either hit one of the two food truck alleyways, or hope for a random run-in with one of Toronto's coffee-on-wheels. They are pretty easy to spot, Macchina is in a so-cute Piaggio Ape, Steel Cut Coffee lives in a refurbished Citroen van, while Detour Coffee drags a sweet 60's yellow trailer. Hit the road, Joe!

Get latte art inspiration from top baristas
Get your tickets now for the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show and spend the whole weekend loading up of the most pretty caffeination in the whole coffee-nation. Baristas from around the country with dazzle you with their skills.

Get a coffee subscription pack
Want to try all the coffee, keep the Canadian Post in business, and stay at home? Go in for a subscription to Parachute Coffee or The Roasters Pack, two coffee distributors who select the best local beans and deliver them to your door, complete with tasting notes and brew tips.

Cool down with some cold brew
Cold brew trumps iced coffee in every way, so why not set down the Starbucks and find a local haunt that steeps its beans instead? We've got a great list of cold brew drinks right here to get you started.

Take some barista classes
You know that saying, "Give a man a coffee and he a has a nice jolt for a day, teach a man to make coffee with some barista lessons and he can impress his friends and been well caffeinated forever"? Yeah, I thought so. The Canadian Barista & Coffee Academy will teach barista skills, as well as the basics of running a cafe, to novices and experienced coffee scholars alike.

Swap regular for buffalo milk at Bar Buca
Morning routines are hard to break, but I suggest you stop your usual routine and instead head to Bar Buca for your morning cup. Rob Gentile's latest offering has taken coffee drinking to the next level, with several specialty coffees and awesome milk options, like buffalo milk, and an organic cow's milk from Quebec.

Have it in a cone
World's collide in Bang Bang's espresso ice cream. They use Sam James espresso from down the road, and while it may not be an orthodox way to get your caffeine fix, it is icy, creamy and delicious.

Head to Mill Street Brew Pub and have Ontario's only coffee beer
Tim Horton's may be contemplating a coffee flavoured beer in the future but the only place you can actually have a coffee beer right now is courtesy of Mill Street Brewery. Their Balzac's Coffee House Porter is chocolatey and full of jolt.

Try a seasonal affogato
If you haven't tried an affogato, do so. A scoop of ice cream with a shot of two of espresso poured over top, it's the perfect summer treat. We've rounded up 10 spots in the city that do the caffeinated Italian dessert right.

pure leafThanks to Pure Leaf for sponsoring our summer adventures. For more things to do this summer, check out our Best of Summer page.

Did we miss any? Leave your favourite ways to get caffeinated during the summer in Toronto in the comments.


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