Cafes
Thor Espresso Bar
Thor Espresso Bar pulled its inaugural shot for the public last Wednesday after a three-month-long construction delay. Rather than twiddle their anxious fingers, co-owners Patrick Tu and Tom Junek used the time to master their Slayer, a nifty espresso machine tweeted by Thor as the coolest espresso machine on the planet.
In brief, the machine has a a paddle that adjusts the water pressure from one to nine during an espresso pull. While most machines pull level nine throughout, the Slayer allows a barista to moisten the grinds allowing the beans to release more oils before pulling at the highest pressure. The result is an evidently more fragrant, robust shot.
"This specific machine is the 77th of its kind in the world," says Tu, "and the only one in Toronto."
To acquaint myself with what the Slayer has to offer, I order a single shot of Thor's house espresso ($2.25 per shot); a bright, clean and extremely aromatic shot. Although it didn't have the thick layer of crema I desire, the flavour is undeniable. But not all of the praise can be attributed to the machine as Thor's beans are an exceptional product on their own thanks to Richmond Hill-based roastery, Social Coffee and Tea Co. To appease Toronto's espresso mavens, Thor offers a changing featured single-origin espresso roast -- currently, Esmeralda Special Geisha ($4 per shot).
Next, I order a latte. Like the shot, the latte is an exceptional beverage with a beautiful Rosetta design poured into the thick layer of micro-foam ($3.75). Currently, there's no charge for specialty milks, however, if the cafe begins ordering organic soy milk there may be a $.25-$.50 cent charge says Junek.
Thor offers a selection of pastries from Circles and Squares as well as Desmond and Beatrice, and a panini press is already installed for a soon-to-be-available daily selection of sandwiches.
If the Slayer or the beans don't draw customers, Thor's Scandinavian-inspired cafe will. Thor embraces its modest cafe space by keeping the lobby open with floor-to-ceiling windows, bright lighting, white walls and a few Finnish chairs and stools. There is a funky light fixture by Dennis Lin, a reclaimed 18th century wood bar by SMASH and a huge brick mural of the thunder Deity himself by OCAD alumni Afo Grigoriev. Not to mention, a number of quirky bits and bobs are hidden around the cafe for patrons to discover for themselves.
Also of interest is Thor's collaboration with blogger The Ambitious C to create a daily playlist for the cafe that will be available on Thor's website. The cafe will host monthly cupping events. It has free WiFi and in warmer weather there is a Niagara St. patio.
Photos by Dennis Marciniak
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It is unfortunate that you and 95% of the population have a blanket perception that crema tastes good and is essential to a good espresso. I invite you to:
1) Next time you have an espresso, scoop the crema off the top with a spoon and taste it. I find that it tastes pretty bad. As does everyone who I've proposed this to. Some of them have had the same conceptions that you have.
2) Read and watch the materials:
a) http://www.jimseven.com/2009/07/06/video-1-crema/
b) http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/barista/10-14-2006
After doing this, please let me know your thoughts on Crema.
Thanks - Coffeestork
another pretentious cafe.
great article!
I've tried the regular capp as well and I would rank it very high in the city for deliciousness.
Look forward to that patio!
There are many locations in Toronto with desireable crema, but produce lackluster flavour profiles.
A shame that visuals trump taste.
Go to the cafe and talk with Patrick about coffee - he's very knowledgeable. I don't know much about coffee but when I asked for his recommendation of something to try - he asked what I liked then made a couple recommendations explaining the flavours & whatnot.
I'm going back for sure.
1) There is no set way I like my crema, it all depends on the coffee that I am drinking.
2) The amount of crema produced is different between Arabica varietals as well as the region where it is grown. As a general rule, Central American coffees have less while Sumatran coffees have more. Of course, taste between the two is significantly different between origins. In this case the amount of crema is characterisitc of the bean, not a quality indicator.
3) There are 2 general types of coffee species: Arbaica and Robusta. Robusta beans generally produce more crema, but generally have harsh bitter and unpleasant tastes with few exceptions. They are often used in Italian or Italian-style blends. Luscious thick robusta crema usually has a bad tasting coffee underneath.
4) Fresher coffee produces more crema. So in some cases, excessive crema may indicate too fresh coffee, while lack of crema may indicate staleness.
5) By itself, I don't like the taste of crema. When I skim it off, I like the clarity in the cup, but find that it lacks in mouthfeel and body. When trying to figure out taste, skimming may be helpful. When drinking for pleasure, I like stirring in my crema. It's personal taste.
Mana - I disagree with many of your comments, and I would invite you to relax a little and not jump to conclusions before building up your own knowledge as your comments show some lack of understanding.
With the introduction of pressure profiling / variation, the extraction rate changes, therefore the extraction time must also change. Consider an extraction for 25 seconds at 9 Bar versus an extraction for 25 seconds at 3 bar. The guys at Thor understand this and pull shots with different extraction times from the standard 25 seconds because they use variable pressure. It's not a matter of being hip or not, it's a matter of understanding the capabilities of new machines.
You may want to hold off on assuming that other people know nothing about coffee and are asking for a lecture - it's a little off-putting.
On the subject of being part of the whole, I would be more liberal. When one makes chicken soup, the fat is usually skimmed off the top. WOuld you argue not to do this since it is part of the whole? Bottom line for me: do whatever tastes best personally.
Service: excruciatingly slow.
In-shop seating: terribly uncomfortable!
When I'm getting more honest, friendly service from the drones at starbucks, you know you have a problem.
Awesome place, glad its on my walk to work now!
Ponúkame najlepšie posilnovacie stroje v prijateľnej cenovej relácii.
? Rotopedy, bežecké pásy, činky či steppery? Ponúkame najlepšie posilnovacie stroje , Thor Espresso Bar v prijateľnej cenovej relácii.