Tampered Press
The Tampered Press is a hybrid café combining health with hot cups of coffee. Mismatched wooden chairs in a sea of soft green line the different sized tables, while bookshelves hold board games and empty glass water bottles. The space has lots of natural light, WiFi and a comfy, homey feel. Owner Caitlyn Zannoni opened shop in 2010 and runs her own business with the help of her mom, husband and friends.
The Tampered Press offers classic gourmet coffee beans that come from Concord. All the treats are organically baked (either in-house or by friends) and there are gluten-free options such as the gluten-free lemon-coconut loaf and chocolate macaroons.
I order a single shot espresso macchiato ($2.00) and Cory orders a smooth cappuccino ($3.14). For dessert we try Awesomes, which are oversized, soft homemade Oreo cookies ($2.25). When Zannoni asked what I thought, I responded with the only thing that made sense, "Awesome."
We also tried a lemon square ($1.00) perfect for a little zing of flavour. Other beverage options include a classic Americano ($2.52) or a cup of loose-leaf tea ($1.76). Soy or specialty milk is ($.50) unless provided at the sugar and spoon table.
The Tampered Press combines Zannoni's first love of coffee with her second passion of healthy living. As a registered nutritionist, with a personal training background Zannoni used to offer information seminars on food trends and health on Sundays at the café. Customers could sign up for topics such as eating healthy on a budget, or how to pull the perfect espresso at home.
The café gets its name from the tamper, a device that uses pressure to prepare and manipulate coffee beans to make espresso. Zannoni says she wants to "tamper" with the idea of what a conventional café should be.
I'm now following @TamperedPress on Twitter and can't wait to see what will evolve of this cozy, cholesterol-lowering café. Pask says she may also foray into healthy sandwiches and foods of sustenance as the weeks go by. I know my waistline and espresso addiction will thank me.
