Cafes
Jet Fuel Coffee
Jet Fuel Coffee is pretty rock n' roll, you know. Not folky or indie or garagey, but like, the good old-fashioned kind. The kind that drives a Harley.
Like any good rock star, the presence felt upon our first meeting is larger than life. Though I had previously never heard of this place, it sinks in pretty soon that I probably should have. Or I should feel like I should have.
I will also soon realize that these are not some cool new kids on the Cabbagetown block, but a neighbourhood staple that has been working its Jagger (-esque) swagger since I was in short pants (1992, to be exact). Though the shiny chrome (and absolutely kickass sign!) looks hot off the assembly line, these guys have been around.
All these feelings within the first minute spent. An imposing figure is cut by the steely counter that seems more from a bar than a coffee... bar. My nervous eyes dart around, looking for a beacon of equilibrium - some sort of list to detail the things I might buy, for instance.
I guess my disorientation is palpable, because the barista asks me - with terrific kindness, might I add - "you alright, love?"
Clearly, I am not playing it as cool as I thought.
"You need a coffee?" She seems concerned.
"I need a coffee desperately," I say with a heavy truth. It feels more like I am ordering a beer, and this is only further cemented by the sudden appearance of my Americano, poured in a tall and elegant pint glass.
I case the joint a bit more, and it becomes apparent that there is no case in which bakery treats might be stored. Very well, then. I ask no questions, and simply check out the glasses of my fellow patrons to see what this place has to offer. The fun-looking contraption behind the counter also gets my attention.
"It's a lemon squeezer." I should have known.
"For lemonade??" my eyes widen.
"Lemonade, or hot lemon and ginger," she says. I write them on my mind's menu board, along with the London Fog I hear her call out to someone else. Yeah, I am in the know now.
I like the fact that they have regular sugar and cream, only for the fact that non-organic has become a bit of an anomaly, and thus, sorta dangerous. Ha. I like the long sundae-style spoons. I like the huge CD collection piled on shelves up the wall.
And I like the fleet of red-and-white "Jet Fuel" uniforms lined up beside them; something I can honestly say I've never seen at another cafe. Though I have no idea what they are for, they seem to convey a need for speed or some such badass thing (they end up being the uniforms of the cafe's very own cycling team). I really like the fact that they do not serve decaf--when I find out, many hours later.
And how I love hearing Bowie, the Stones and T-Rex all come bursting out of the stereo in glittering succession.
I take a cue from the heavily-populated sitting area, all engrossed in books and laptops and settle in pretty quickly.
With no food to keep my hands and mind occupied, I am grateful for some discarded reading material, and get comfortable. My coffee (their own special, CAFFEINATED blend) is strong enough that I will be feeling it for the rest of the day.
I chat with the barista, and recognize at least two familiar faces (one I am accustomed to seeing around town, one that I used to work with); overall, it's a pretty diverse group.
Most orders are called out by the customers' names. There is an easy and familiar interaction with nearly everyone that walks in. "We get a lot of regulars," she smiles. Yes, it would seem that way.
She implores me to try the frothy drink she has just expertly concocted. "The Guinness effect," she says, as we watch the bubbles float and settle. Pretty cool. And pretty much like a bar, again.
There is no way that I can ingest another ounce of espresso, and I don't want to waste a whole drink for a little sip, but she still insists I give it a go.
"Take a spoon, put some cinnamon on it, and eat it like dessert," she says, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. But you know, it really should be.
"People feel very strongly about this place; they either love us or hate us," she shrugs. I won't realize how true this statement is until I go home and discover the unprecedented war of words between the lovers and the haters of this simple cafe on our very own blogTO listing.
It's good to know that someone's still out there shaking things up. Rock on, guys.
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They should just close.
Service blows, and the coffee blows.
"popular among bike messengers" means "free coffee for bike messengers".
Do you really trust bike messengers to have discerning taste either?
Jetfuel's gotta wake-up. Starbucks has bought across the street. I'd rather support local (and better coffee) but if you can't give me what I want, sorry.
It's true that all they serve in terms of coffee is espresso based drinks, and there is no decaf, but if you need something with out caffeine why not try a lemonade or a lemon ginger - both served hot or cold and made from freshly squeezed lemons (the lemon squeezer thing is cool looking, I kinda want one...). Of, if you'd like, you can just stick to one of the herbal teas they offer up, or, if you want caffeine but no coffee try the amazing hot chocolate, or just some plain old tea.
At $3 for a large latte, $2 for a small latte, and (I think) $1 for an espresso the prices are hard to beat. Tea is $2. Freshly squeezed lemon things, and the hot chocolate, also both $3 (and also served in a pint glass, like the latte)
I have been known to use Jet Fuel as my office, staying for 5 or 6 hours at a time, taking advantage of the free wi-fi and yummy drinks.
It's true they don't carry food (except danishes and muffins until they sell out - usually around 9:30am), but they also have no problem with people bringing food in. So, sometimes, if I just want to have something a bit decadent and snacky I head around the corner and get a chocolate croissant from Daniel et Daniel and then bring it to Jet Fuel and enjoy it with a latte. (mmmmm)
I also often go to one of the many little places around and bring lunch in, or pack my own lunch from home. It's a pretty common thing, you see people doing it all the time.
Hmmm. This turned out to be a very long comment, and now I REALLY want a chocolate croissant and a latte, but I have a meeting to get to. :( Woe is me. :P
JetFuel is a real coffee shop for people who appriciate good coffee, and not fancy marketing styles (tripple super grande this and the other mocha rasberry frap)
Going to Starbucks for a coffee is like going to McDonalds for Dinner. I can't get a long Espresso at Starbucks (Becasue there's no button for it), and I can't get Hamburger medium rare at Mcdonalds... See the connection. I can't wait for my next long espresso from JetFuel!
The cleanliness (or lack thereof) of the place was pretty disturbing. Barista had greasy hair and the worlds dirtiest fingernails- looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks. There were piles of both clean and dirty dishes behind the counter and there didn't appear to be a clear demarcation between 'clean piles' and 'dirty piles'. I wonder how often the dirty barista mistakenly gives customers a dirty cupped latte? The thought makes me shutter! Plus, counters were too coffee stained - I get that espresso will spill on the counter from time to time. When that happens, clean it up!!!
Bad beans, bad environment. Too bad - this place has potential.
One thing I was really surprised to see was all the local mom's and toddlers in there most mornings. I mean the cofees strong, the music is loud, and there is no McPlay centre for the kids. Instead they hang out in the back, and the staff know all the kids names and welcome them as they run through the place, their Mom's (and Dads too), get a kick of Java and catch up with the adults. This is my idea of a place you can get comfortable in a crazy kind of way.
Oh yeah, they make great muffins every morning for a buck a piece. They are not full of oil so they don't stay fresh all day, but no matter they're usually sold out by 10:00am anyway.
Sure - the espresso may be good(I seem to have gone on an off day?), but doesn't cleanliness count for anything? I prefer an environment where there is a smaller risk of contracting a food-borne illness.
Try Manic instead.
MACs - Let me guess you bought an over priced house to be trendy and relized you now live in "the city". You should move again.... to Mississauga. Cabbagetown does not want you.
and
one a day - hit the nail on the head. I love you.
Service is nothing to write home about - clearly I haven't been enough times to be part of this elusive "club".
I do have to concur with the previous poster about the cleanliness. Completely sub-par.
As a note: this blog should be used to others make an informed choice about which places to visit. Making jabs at others that don't agree with your opinions seems rather immature.
To macs: you should get ur OCD treated by professionals. Its one thing to hav an opinion but to take it to a popular bulitin board/blog is more than a little unreasonable, especially given ur condition.
kudos, though, for still managing to keep a following.
BTW, why is being a bike couriers considered hip in Toronto? How pretentious. As far as I am concerned, these guys are losers who can't get a real job in the city. That's why they are so angry in the threads above.
The Barista was stoned... and not hilarious stoned, I mean just taken drugs in Grand Theft Auto stoned (moving at a snail's pace) and singing along to Enya. I had to put up with the typical 'I will aknowledge you in my own good time' crap but to be fair this is typical and the dude was stoned so he might not have notice me standing right in front of him...
Finally ordered a cappuccino (which in toronto I have come to expect consists of 1 shot espresso and warm milk with a thin layer of microfoam in a relatively small cup (i.e. less milk than a latte)(pretty much what we call a flat white back home).
I was served with a full cup of foam - literally no liquid it wighed the same as two empty cups... i just stared at it horrified. I was even more shocked when a typical 'barista fan' asked if I "wasn't happy". I said "this is just a cup of foam" to which she replied "um, it's a cappuccino". I have had cappuccino in rome, paris, sydney, tokyo, etc and never have I seen such a thing... Was i supposed to drink this, eat it, or breath it in? Confused and feeling ripped off I walked out without my cup of foam.
If you guys want to get all experimental fine, just think about maybe explaining to your customer that he/she is now in stoner ville where everything is in slow motion and you eat your drinks...
You can call a spade a shovel but it's still a (expletive deleted) spade ok and that was a cup of foam!
Still have a few promising places to check out in Toronto but so far the only places who kind of know what they are doing are Bulldog and Dark Horse (Queen East). Like many espresso places toronto has to offer, Rocket Fuel is big on the 'too cool for you' factor and sadly lacking when it comes to quality and service...
My americanos are always very tasty, but I’ve got to make a point of asking them to pour it in a cup, not a pint glass (wtf?). They could definitely use some munchies.
If a better indie opened on the street I`d go there, but for a laid-back atmosphere and superior coffee, I’ll still go to Jet Fuel over Starbucks, where the coffee is meh at best, they automatically pour it in a to-go cup, and where the music and decor are a little too, uh, tastefully beige for my liking.
(But seriously, Ryan Adams-looking dude, keep the Zeppelin to a dull roar.)
And what do you mean poor service? The Ryan Adams dude actually sings beautifully while he works...
I'm there for coffee and community if you're not then maybe it's not the place for you.
If you're headed out east, you'd do better at Mercury even than at Jet Fuel.
B. Yes, actually, Starbucks does give free coffee to regular customers, as well as free internet access, free beans, free pastries, free oatmeal, etc. As you wrote, don't be saying things you don't know.
C. I love Jet Fuel's coffee, and when the Starbucks moves in, I will choose which one I go to based on what I want that trip (like if, god-firbid, I should ever want a decaf mocha... oh, the horror), but let's be real: the service is and always has been terribly rude. You and I may see that as charm, but most people don't and won't.
Don't judge people for wanting a smile with their coffee. I, for one, hate perky morning service, but it's still better than bitchy afternoon service. Jet Fuel has its own snotty-better-than-you attitude, just like what Starbucks is criticised for having.
Jet Fuel is good for one thing: quick, strong, caffeine-filled goodness with absolutely no fuss.
However, there's no denying the service can seriously put you off if you don't know what you're getting into. But I find the days I actually engage the staff, have a conversation, smile, etc. are the days things go a lot better for me. If I'M surly and miserable looking, who's gonna want to engage with me, even if I am a customer? And judging from these posts I'd say a lot of you are pretty surly and miserable all the time.
Oh, and they'll totally make soy beverages for you. Never had any problem with that.
I used to live next door to this place. The first time I went in (2005) I was very friendly and asked for a coffee to go. The woman was incredibly rude and said "umm, yeah we don't serve coffee" and laughed with her co-worker as they helped the next customer in line. Apparently they serve everything BUT coffee which is odd since they are called Jet Fuel Coffee.
I never went in again and never would. Do they serve coffee now? I don't even care.
Coffee might not be the best in the world, but it'll do, especially for the price they charge. Never had any problems with the service. I order a beverage, I get it. What else am I supposed to get, smiles and kisses? I don't care for the fake corporate smile you get at Starbucks.
I like coffee a lot, especially espresso, and espresso based drinks. How can you drink it any other way? I've had some of the best from all over.
Jet Fuel is still one of my favourites. It has real atmosphere.
Maybe I'm biased though. I was introduced to coffee at Jet Fuel.
You just tried it and decided all by yourself that it wasn't good? Great. You must be right... and the thousands of customers they've had over the years must ALL be wrong.
Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's bad, it just means you have an opinion.
There's a lot of great coffee in Toronto. Relax.
Thanks.
It's one thing for them to say, hey we don't serve coffee, but can I recommend... But that's not the case at a lot of these places, they will just ignore you after that.
It's uber annoying especially when they don't have a menu.
The only talk that happened in regards to Starbuck's opening amongst staff and regulars was basically this, "thank god. Now all those douchey wanks will stop bitching about not knowing what to order - in a COFFEE SHOP!"
You want good service, try not walking in with the attitude and expectations.
What is so wrong about having high expectations and wanting to be served in a non-abusive manner. Isn't the customer always right? The North American coffee scene has changed tremendously over the past ten years. People have traveled, been to places that define the independent coffee house. Therefore, their expectations are naturally going to he higher. I'm sorry but you sound like a dying breed.
Unfortunately for you and your ilk, I am a dying breed. Because it was people like us who created all of the great things in this city the others have turned into vapid, lifeless passing fads and marketing shells of what they once were.
But don't you worry, at our current rate the city will be jammed full of homogenized big box stores and pseudo niche chains lining our SUV clogged streets and boulevards while everyone ignores each other to the throbbing rhythm of a million mall zombies texting each other needlessly.
I was with a different friend when I went in. (And I didn't know squat about culinary coffee at the time, even if I did love good coffee, which for me was Second Cup, which I still say makes good drip.) I had an Americano because I had no idea what else to order once I learned that I couldn't just have 'a coffee'. It was fine. The barista was fine, not overly cold and not overly friendly.
I am always happy to check out a new (for me) shop, whether it's one I end up liking or not. I don't get into trouble and my idea of a party is a paper in a coffee shop. I'm even more into exploring TO's coffee shops and restos now that I've got the desire to open my own coffee shop someday.
It's fun to find shops, like Bisogno, where the vibe is good and the owner is friendly and willing to talk shop with a stranger. But it takes all kinds. Some shop owners don't say much and give signs to you that they won't. Some shops are manned by baristas who gamely (it has to be hard work sometimes) try to be friendly and informative. And then there are those baristas who just look like they feel like they are in hell. They don't make you happy to be there. They kind of make you feel like you're a demon with a pitchfork, sticking them with it while they burn, even if you're a super nice person.
When I left Jet Fuel and started thinking about it, more, I realized I didn't like it at all. I have the impression, from reading here, that nothing's changed. Then again, in fairness, How often do you see change? No matter how many times you go back to the cafe where the music's too loud, you will still find it too loud. If the tables wobble like hell, they always will. If the drinks are too cool, they will always be. The machine that isn't up to snuff will always be there. The broken toilet seat...
In TO, now, you've got lots to choose from in the way of culinary coffee. For me, That's a plus, not just because I might not have a lot in the way of cool (in a positive sense) shops in my hood, but because, as a single person without a life, I enjoy tripping around and checking these spots out. I've met lots of friendly folks that way and talked shop with a number of owners and others, a plus for me now that I'm interested in one day having my own shop.
I would say that Jet Fuel shouldn't expect support if they don't care. It sounds like they don't. I hate attitude. I like class. I care when others care. When they don't, I don't - with a vengeance. Takers stink.
You mentioned how nice the barista was. Given the picture you've included, you got the nicest barista who works there. She's wonderful.
For some of the others what kind of service you get seems to be hit or miss and whether or not they're having a bad day.
But yeah, clearly people are passionate about how they feel about it. Me, I understand the people who love it there (like me) and I understand the people who hate it there. And I figure, live and let live.
I have no problem with people hating it, and find it perplexing that anyone would have a problem with me (or anyone else) loving it there.
Might not be the best coffee in Toronto, but I'd sure be sad to see them go if they ever did.
And, I have been there many times when they have said 'we don't serve coffee' and I've only ever heard it as 'we don't serve coffee, is an americano okay?'. Not in a snotty way. So maybe they've changed their tune on this one? And, yes, espresso is coffee, but if someone orders a coffee, generally they're talking about a brewed coffee, and may not want an americano. Personally I'd rather be asked if it was actually what I wanted, rather than the assumption made that I'll just have an americano instead.
If you want phenomenal coffee and friendly service to boot, head east to Leslieville. Mercury Espresso Bar and Te Aro are both great options.
I went to JF again and I stand by my original post. Stale beans, dirty barrista (I think it's the stoned one), dirty establishment. Ordered a macchiato - was more like a latte. But hey - it sure is cheap.
I go to JetFuel because they are in my neighborhood and I don't like making my own coffee on my days off.
I know what to expect when I go in there. Probably no one gives a sh*t about my order and probably I will get sassed.
Like, I wouldn't ever sass anyone before they've had their first cup of coffee.
There is no grace, no customer service, no anything special above and beyond.
And that is why an americano is $2.
and yea, if you go in expecting to be babied with a menu and an extremely tentitive barista.. you'll be disapointed. and rightly so because that sort of service is obnoxious. go have a good coffe, good conversation in a great neighborhood. quitchya bitchin folks.
We've had it with being treated like crap by the people behind the counter when we ask for things like... a triple shot americano (seems simple enough), which we're both able and willing to pay for.
Hey, bad service. Sounds like the same story as everyone else.
Way to go, Jet Fuel!
In case you didn't get the memo, there's a Starbucks across the street now. If you don't like Jet Fuel--for whatever reason--just go to the Starbucks. Hurray for you!! Ergo, you need not waste time critiquing the finer points of service in what is (I hate to point this out) just a cafe--a great cafe, and one which I dig immensely, but just a cafe nonetheless.
In between frappa-foofoos, do consider the following ancient zen koan:
Perhaps, just maybe, baristas *should* be stoned.
Mmmmm.
Just saying...
Espresso is horrible. I've been a handful of times over the past year or so - each time the beans have been noticably stale. Crema is non-existant or disapears within seconds of the pour. I've also had grinds in my drink on more than one occasion. I can make better espresso and espresso-based drinks at home.
I'm not a connoisseur but the coffee tastes good to me, I like the decor, my complaint is the service. There are enough posts above this one, that it is obvious this is a trend. What I find most interesting is that the proponents never argue that the service is good, they just say things like "However, there's no denying the service can seriously put you off if you don't know what you're getting into", "They don't blow sunshine up my ass." or my personal favourite "You want good service, try not walking in with the attitude and expectations.", I seriously teared up after reading that. It is clear, the service leaves something to be desired and customers have either accepted it, don't care or don't say anything. I've never said anything, until now, and put up with it for the price (which has recently gone up and are only slightly below Starbucks, for what I drink anyway).
I(we) are not asking for outstanding service we're asking for a modicum of courtesy. You don't have a menu, that's your decision, but be aware that you don't. When someone asks for something that you don't make, tell them what you do make rather than laugh at them. I don't need/want Starbucks level service, a "Hey, what can I get you?", if you get even that, not laced with attitude would go over well. What I am trying to say is, the service is a 2 or 3 and I'm not asking for a 10,9,8 or 7 not even a 6. A 4 or 5 would make all difference. It might even stop people like me who would rather support a local business and artists by extension from walking across the the street to Starbucks.
Hypothetically, even though this place is able to pull off some highest quality whatever drinks, i would not be willing to go there voluntarily to be treated as second class citizen.
There's nothing to do customer-entitlement, but simply an imperative self-awareness of being an a-hole. For those frenetic Jetfuel fans, simmer off! You guys react like somebody slandered our great Canadians as horrible as those nationalists of Americans.
Their coffee is terrible compared to Bull Dog or Dark Horse. And their service is awful.
Don't waste your money.
I hear they were awesome in like, what? 1994? Too bad Johnny doesn't work behind the bar anymore.
JetFuel is a Toronto institution of which we have few. It is a real asset to a funny and somewhat limited section of the city, and a place where many locals often flock. So I say try it out for sure, but just take it with a grain of salt. It's got a lot of "personality", but one that a lot of people love.