While the renaissance in coffee culture has focused ample attention on the products of the espresso machine, nowhere near as much attention has been paid to the simple cup of joe - the humble mug of brewed coffee that used to be the first and only thing most of us thought of when they ordered a cup of coffee. Bean quality has certainly gotten better, but what makes it into our paper cups is the same drip or percolator coffee that our grandparents would have known, poured from urns or carafes with a quick, careless gesture in diners everywhere.

There are dozens, maybe even hundreds, of barista competitions every year, and while most of them require competing baristas to present a creative new coffee drink, menu blackboards in cafes still feature the usual lattes, cappuccinos and espressos of varying lengths. You have to wonder where all that creativity goes, and why more cafes don't put their signature drinks front and centre.

Hard as it might be to believe, Toronto has come late to coffee culture, though you'd never be able to tell in a city where coffee chains are often mere blocks apart and an indie coffee shop or three is the mark of a hot neighbourhood. What's a decade old here is centuries old in places like Italy or Spain or Turkey, home of the thick, sweet coffee that was the inspiration for one Toronto cafe's twist on a latte.

We crave variety, and sometimes just a little change will add new possibilities to our routine. And let's be honest - our morning, or afternoon (or morning and afternoon) coffee is a routine that most of us are long past changing. With this in mind, Red Rocket has come up with a new wrinkle on the long espresso drink that make caffeine delivery a bit less brisk.

There are more ways to get your coffee fix than with the usual menu of lattes, espressos and cappucinos, and sometimes you want a bit of luxury with your caffeination. Black Canary on Sherbourne by King has one answer to this question, with a drink that marries coffee to what's probably one of childhood's spreadable joys.

Toronto's years-long coffee renaissance has seen us awash in a sea of espresso and capuccino, latte, macchiato and Americano. Which is nice, but it's not surprising that a few cafe owners and baristas - and not a few customers - long for more variety and a bit more creativity than pretty pictures in their latte foam.