Eat & Drink
First Look: Crema Coffee
Crema Coffee served its first cup of joe at the end of April and already this Junction cafe is turning into something of a neighbourhood hot spot.
Playing to the sensibilities of this burgeoning neighbourhood, Crema features a range of direct trade and organic drinks and baked treats. On the menu are all the typical cafe staples including cappuccino, macchiatto, espresso, tea, hot chocolate and soy lattes. Fresh brewed coffee beans are sourced from Ethiopia, El Salvador and Honduras.
Inside, there's art on the walls as well as in the drinks. Matt, one of Crema's baristas, maintains a blog where he posts photos tracking his progress with latte art, as well as general updates about the cafe. It also includes more information about the cafe as well as the full menu.
I like the vibe of this place. The corner location and lots of big windows infuse it with light. Wooden tables and vintage chairs make it a nice place to hang out and contemplate the changes happening east and west of the cafe in what's become Toronto's most up-and-coming neighbourhood.
More photos:
Crema Coffee is at 3079 Dundas West in the Junction. The phone number is 416.767.3131. They have a web site - but it's not yet live - so a better bet for now is to check out their unofficial blog.
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Beautiful! I love how bright and clean it looks.
I've been to Crema numerous times since it opened. It's definitely the best, and my favorite cafe in the area. All the coffee is high quality and the staff are the nicest people ever.
5 stars!
The headline image to this article features a newspaper on the table sporting "Sex" printed in large font on the cover - I found that pretty funny.
I'm pretty sure the "sensibilities" of the junction are still best played to by Coffee Time.
Any anyone from the Junction area tell me if this is a former CIBC branch? It sure has the looks of a CIBC branch.
the last time i went, they ran out of cup lids. and the staff was snarky. maybe they missed their morning brew?
I really enjoyed the place, great coffee and ambiance ,the staff is friendly and helpful and as a perk there is free internet connection! A must-see place in the Junction
They use Vancouver's 49th Parallel Coffee. It's a nice space, but compared to Ideal or Cherry Bomb, the coffee is slightly overpriced. An Americano should be $2, especially considering the size they give you (rather small.) Basically, they need to lower prices by about $.75-$1.00 for all their drinks. Why? It's the Junction, and we're used to being cheap.
I go almost every day. The staff are so friendly and wonderful. The coffee is great! The atmosphere is welcoming.
Well I think in the instance of serving a far superior quality product, sourced from superior roasters, and farms, made expertly by superior baristas, in a superior space, with superior equipment, the price they charge seems more than reasonable.
And in the interests of NOT watering down your Americano, you're better off with a smaller size.
In fact, at $2 or less, an Americano is likely to be a waste of your money, or a waste of time for any cafe actually serving a quality product.
It's time people recognize the difference in quality, and pay accordingly.
You wouldn't complain that a Bymark burger was "too expensive, given the size", because you could get 3 Baconaters for the same price now....would you?
Totally agree with above, snarky staff and I totally gasped when I was told how much...I mean the coffee and espresso is good, but the price is only what the market will pay...
Crema is cheaper than most cafe's in T.O.
You have the option of a fresh "brewed" coffee, made to order, at any time throughout the day. Something else that you can't get any the vast majority of cafes in Toronto.
Using one of North Americas leading roasters, there's no doubting the quality and alot more money is going directly to the coffee farms through the direct trading agreements.
Well, I am wondering how somebody called the stuff friendly - some of the barristers are so unpleasant ! Very arrogant and mean , actually.
Coffee is OK, I would say 4* from 5, but the service is 1*. We went several time there and every time it was the same - no greetings, so eye contact, nothing!
I have not seen the owner, but I think he/she should be very much concerned with their attitude.
Hi Zidud,
I am the owner of Crema. Firstly, I'd like to apologize that your experience at Crema was so disappointing. If you've been several times and have had this same experience I am quite concerned. If you've been in on one of our busy days (Saturdays or Sundays), we do tend to rush the line bit as we don't like to keep people waiting for their drinks. I do remind the staff to greet customers and make eye contact at all times, but sometimes the niceties get forgotten in these busy times. That said I still would like to know when you were in and who you were served by. If you can reply to me personally or give me your email address I'd greatly appreciate it.
Hi Geoff,
How can I reply to you personally? I do not have your email! I have another problem to discuss after my recent visit to Crema.
Zidud
Hi Zidud,
Can you give me a call at the cafe and leave a message with your number and/or email and I will get back to you. The number is on the web site.
Thanks,
Great Service, on quiet days the staff are always willing to strike up a conversation. The clover coffee machine is THE BEST!!! Nice selection of coffee makers and accessories. The staff are also willing to make a coffee with a french press if asked. I have 1 complaint, the "crema" on their coffee is mostly absent, plus sometimes the coffee tastes a little bit stale. But Otherwise, My favourite coffee shop in toronto. Waaaaay better than Starbucks ( No offence intended for starbucks lovers)
Great atmosphere! it's places like this that are making the Junction get better and better! My only complaint is that the last time I was there it was a bit messy ... the garbage container was overflowing. Staff need to pay better attention to cleanliness. But that's a fixable problem.
Overall, a great coffee shop. The Junction rocks!!
I had a bad experience with the staff here too a few months ago - and definitely not something that could be put down to being rushed/busy. Mid-week, quiet morning, I asked a young man (John? Joseph?) for a decaf chai latte and got an uncalled for caustic response: "they're. always. decaf. there's. no. other. kind." (delivered in the tone of voice one would use on a mentally challenged 3 year old) It was so unecessary and unkind, it took me aback. Love the coffee (and the London Fog is amazing) but won't go back because of that.
I've just begun to work for this coffee shop that takes it's major product seriously! The owner is top notch; he trains the staff intensely, invests in some of the best coffee and espresso making products/machines and sincerely values his customers and their opinions. I'm so proud to work for Crema!
Also wanted to update that there's a new patio, perfect for summer lounging.
OK, I finally had some time to visit the place ( exams, exams...).
It looks like the owner had some training with barristers and they were more polite . I have visited the place 5 times during the last month ( I feel like I am a mystery shopper :-) and the big problem here is not consistent quality. Two times I had the excellent lattes , another time it was so-so and two times my lattes were not very good... They have several new barristers there, and they can not deliver the high quality product.
Clearly we cannot make you happy Zidud. We work our butts off to provide our customers with the best coffee and service we can.
I don't understand, if we're so terrible why do you keep coming in?
If you can find a better latte in the city I suggest you go there.
Good luck!
This is YOUR business and you should 'work your butts off to provide your customers with the best coffee and service you can'. And you are right - I have a choice! Can you imagine If most of your clients would make a choice and it would be not is your favor?
it is pretty dull attitude not to pay attention to your clients opinions.
Wow.
This is unbelieveable! The owner of a business arguing with a customer online. As a demonstration of customer service attitude, this clearly supports all the negative comments about staff. If the owner behaves like this, why would anyone expect anything different from the staff? He even has his staff shilling for him.
This place is overpriced, the staff have a bad attitude and, worst in my opinion, it is pretentious.
Wow, I just had a chance to stop by Crema again recently, and the service amazed me. Friendly baristas, Good atmosphere. Superb espresso with lots of this elusive crema, but are a little on the acidic side. I think the owners should change up the clover coffee menu more often though, a guatamalan antiuga or a costa rican terrazu would be so yummy when made with the clover! I love all the baked goods, especially the sea salt brownies.
To people that leave bad reviews, if you don't like anything you don't have to come back, simple as that. To Mardi, Maybe the barista had been asked for a decaf chai latte 100 times that day, you don't know that, or maybe he just had a bad day.
Anyways, that's just my two cents
Kudos to Geoff and Crema for providing the only coffee experience I've had during my 14 years in Toronto that compares in quality and courteousness to what I've found in Seattle (Vivace and Caffe Vita level, even!). I'm new to the neighbourhood, and have found every member of your staff consistently friendly and professional. Love the space, love what you're doing. Much thanks!
Agreed re: the comment about the place being at Seattle-level of quality. That was immediate impression on walking in (on a very glowing rec from a fellow Junction-ite) and just *smelling* the place. It actually smells like coffee done right. I lived in Seattle for 10 years and worked as a barista there and this is the only place in Toronto I've experienced anything at that quality level. Yes, it's more expensive than Ideal et al, but it's also miles above them for product quality -- and atmosphere, if ya ask me.
We found the staff to be utterly delightful, even when we went in at a fairly busy time of the morning. I even took over a few extra minutes of their time asking about various baked goods and whatnot and everyone was helpful, knowledgeable (perhaps this comes across to some people as pretention, but I find it a refreshing change from the usual TO cafe vibe wherein the staff knows way more about what band is playing where than they do about how to make quality coffee), and very nice.
Not only will this be my new regular spot, it's totally ruined me for anything else in the GTA.
Geof. I was a store manager for 9 years. Here is what I'm picking up from these postings.
You are self-controled and cool until you lose it. And then you allow yourself the luxury of flying off the handle. You can't do that!!. Because you do it, your staff have picked up your habit.
It starts at the top.
Jill: that is a very sweeping judgment to make based on basically three online comments. You are correct that the mood and Customer Service mode of any company starts at the top -- however, Geoff did not "lose it" in any of his postings above, not in the least. He was firm and direct at the end, but only *after* apologizing and attempting to communicate/make the situation right.
At the end of the day, sometimes a particular customer and a particular business are simply not a good fit for each other -- and it can be best for both parties to just acknowledge that and move on with their lives. That's pretty much all Geoff was saying, from what I can tell, in his final comment here.
"""Clearly we cannot make you happy Zidud. We work our butts off to provide our customers with the best coffee and service we can.
I don't understand, if we're so terrible why do you keep coming in?
If you can find a better latte in the city I suggest you go there.
Good luck!"""
This is petty and rude. More suitable from a manager would be, "I'm sorry that we have not been able to satisfy you thus far. When you next come to our cafe, I hope you'll intruduce yourself and the coffee, which I will oversee myself will be free. It's important to us that all our customers have a good experience and if there is something that we are not doing we need to fix it. Thank you for your comments and the interest you have taken in our business" (or words to that affect. In other words; no haughtiness, Treat the customer as you would a friend. All be it a difficult friend. )Try any means to keep that customer happy, as sometimes the nasty ones are the ones that become your best customers. If he becomes a good customer, good. If not, at least you've left him with nothing more to say about the cafe than that the staff are ALWAYS polite and curteous. And the staff will see that the manager means that as a policy of the business.
Hi Geoff,
Crema was open late last night for the Junction Arts Festival, great initiative! It would be awesome if you guys could open late at least on Friday and Saturday (maybe until 9 or 10PM!). I'm sure this would draw more customers...and there's just something special for me to go for coffee at 8PM in a nice old building versus at 2PM...Beet Cafe does it, you guys should definitely consider it.
BTW, are you ever around a the coffeeshop? I see new baristas all the time, which is a bit unfortunate since it makes the "quality control" a bit less consistent...
Anyways, we love the place and keep going back!
Drew
I agree with Drew. Being a longtime resident of the Junction my first time in Crema was during the Junction Arts Festival due to the fact that they close at 7pm. Even if you stayed open on Friday nights I believe you would see some new faces whom would quickly become regular customers. I also have to say that your cappuccino was definitely one of the beat I've ever had! Great place,just wish it had longer weekend evening hours.
I don't know why you guys make such a fuss about this place. It is over-priced, pretentious with questionable customer service and management. The coffee is, quite frankly, just OK. Comparisons with Seattle are, well, just a little childish. As for the "great initiative" comment about being open during the Arts Festival, wasn't everywhere? I saw a great 2 piece band on the street outside Agora. Now that was initiative.
Voting yes to Crema staying open later Fridays and Saturdays.
John: comparisons to Seattle happen to be coming from a former Seattlite barista. So, actually, it's a fair and informed comparison -- and a number of people, online and off, seem to agree. What's childish is random internet mud-slinging.
Every place, regardless of how much its customer base might love it, will have its haters, too. Why the haters and the lovers, both, seem all too often to waste their time and energy hating on each other merely for having a differing viewpoint is utterly beyond me.
Hi, I guess my last post here... I was at another coffee shop during the weekend and i spoke with one of the barristers over there. He never worked at Crema but knows all people in this business. I asked him why all barristers who have been working at Crema from the opening left the place. He said that because of the poor management. You can see all those very bright and experienced barristers at another Toronto's coffee shops. So, here you go... All starts with the management! The owner was fortunate to find those people, but they left! No wonder why!
Wow, lots of great feedback, thank you so much!
Firstly, I'd like to respond to Jill. I think that you were probably right, I did not need to react to Zidud that way. It was not necessary & certainly not professional. I simply lost my cool. I'm now reasonably certain Zidud was a former employee who was fired some time ago. I'll leave it at that.
Staff has definitely changed over the past couple months, but I think most of our regulars would agree that service and quality are better than ever. I certainly notice a huge change in the overall energy and vibe of the cafe. Just this morning I worked a very busy shift and I had such a blast with the staff and the customers. If I'm relaxed and enjoying myself, believe me, things are going well.
As for staying open late. We would love to do this at some point. Currently I am striving for late hours beginning in the spring or early summer 2010. I know the Beet and some other establishments on the strip stay open late, but keep in mind, they sell beer! We don't have a liquor license and we won't be getting one. It's just not part of the business plan, sorry folks!
Thanks to everyone for all your positive and negative feedback. I really do appreciate it. We know we're not going to make everyone happy but we can certainly try our best. Thank you.
Geoff, I certainly don't think you should worry about the negative comments on this website.
You have a wonderful cafe, which is obvious. You have so many regulars, and your place is always busy!
Keep up the fantastic work.
It's great to see that Toronto has so many high quality cafes now - from Lit, Crema, Dark Horse, Cherry Bomb, Mercury, Te Aro. The bar has truly been raised in the last couple of years, and there are only more great places to come!
Wow! What a lot of comments! Unfortunately, you've all made a BIG oversight:
I stopped in at Crema the other the other day and I was amazed at how CUTE their staff was. There were two guys working behind the bar (both looking a little on the scruffy side, i must say) and I was a bit overwhelmed! The super-cute one (John or Jim, I think) made me the best decaf soy chai I've had in a LONG time!
Kudos to Crema. Keep up the good work!
I have to agree with the above. The prices are a bit on the steep side (direct-trade? what does that have to do with anything?) But one area Geoff has really nailed is hiring sexy, youthful staff. Dan's beautiful baby-blues, Ryan's velvety voice, Eric's delicate fingers and John's rock-hard abs are really what keep me coming back to Crema.
Indeed. Geoff may be running his ramshakle business into the ground by not heeding the advice of anonymous members in the comment section of a blog BUT he does know how to hire sexy, hip and intelligent staff members.
(Cross posted from the Buddha Pie thread). Holy character assassination. Tween this and the other blogTO post about Crema, one would be inclined to think the Junction was populated with either vitrioloc, foaming at the mouth, wild-eyed myopics (cf. disgruntled buddha, J-DAWG) or fairly erudite and eloquent folks who don't mind saying something pleasant about fledgling businesses in the area. Christ!! If you don't have something positive to say, then at least offer something that the proprietors can work with. Does anyone at blogTO police--yep, I said it--these postings? Thank you, Buddha Pie and Crema. Even if the service and products you folks provided were anywhere as meagre as the anonymous haranguers claim, I'm happy to have the choice. Keep at it.
Two very different cafes
If you visit Crema in the late afternoon you will find interesting and interested baristas dispensing sweet, golden, caffeinated nectar, the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else. The music is relaxed and atmospheric and you can count on getting a nice, cozy seat great for catching up with a friend or reading.
If you happen to need caffeine in the morning (and who doesn’t), well, that’s a different story. First, you will need to allot some time for standing in line, and if you get a seat consider yourself lucky (they’re busy, good for them – not much we can do about that). Customer service, yes, much better than it was in the spring and better than most establishments in the city, but pales next to the usual afternoon crew. The music is loud and the baristas are usually rocking out clearly enjoying the music they are playing for their own benefit while the customers are yelling at each other instead of having conversations. What breaks my heart the most is this: that sweet, golden brew which can’t be found anywhere, well, it can’t be found here either. The espresso at this time of day is kinda bitter and sour. Is it the baristas? Is the machine unhappy with the mass volume of coffee? I can't figure this out. But it is disappointing that the cafe I love to visit in the PM doesn't really exist in the AM. …oh well.
Coffee heaven... I wish they offered lattes in jumbo sizes!
Crema, I wish you were open right now so I could be ther instead of this starbucks that smells like a porta potty.
Dreamweaver: Good call on the volume in the morning. We'll tone it down. If your drink doesn't taste good, speak up. We don't mind making you another one.
While I love espresso, I'm really digging the drip right now. Think it was the best African bean I've tasted around town so far. Also treated myself to a clover the other day, which was also nice. The staff here are great, no attitude, and I like that this place is not Nice to see a place doing its own thing (so many cafes in Toronto just seem to be copies of each other - using the same beans, etc.) and still really succeeding.
Only problem is you can't buy this coffee at Crema. I wanted to buy a pound, and they only had it available on the drip, not for sale. I have to cross town to get it.
Hi all,
I think what is getting lost in all of these positive/negative postings is that not everyone should love Crema. We are not robots, right? That being said, I am desperate for the new place to open up on Annette. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I have lived in the Junction for 20 years and I have waited patiently for this day: the day that I could sit and have a great cup of coffee in a supercool cafe. The day that I could go to the coolest bar in town (The Troubadour) and buy great organic food (Sweet Potato).
I am so sorry to say Geoff, that Crema is just not living up to my expectations and to be honest I think why so many people "LOVE" Crema is that you are the "only place in town" at the moment. People have been waiting so long that they are willing to put up with snot-nosed, ok RUDE, barristas for a good cup of coffee. Yes, the coffe is good, but it is hit or miss and you don't get your money back when they miss, they just offer to make another one. If you don't know how to make a good cap at 3:00 o'clock what has changed by 3:10? You're still a bad coffee-maker, right? Can I just have my money back? But you get a look, a sort-of non-look and, I just shrug my shoulders and walk away. I have personally had 6 caps and about 3 teas from Crema and I won't complain. I stopped buying coffee for myself about a year ago and am forced to go into to get coffee for my Mum and/or brother. (sort of payment for watching my kids if I go shopping etc.) Extra money for a soy cap is just insulting. The cost of soy is not that much greater than cow's milk...suck it up Geoff and don't make the lactose intolerant of the world pay more. It's just bad business. get more scones et all. Because if I am ordered to buy a scone or some sort of sweet and you don't have any, I really just feel like not ordering.
Sorry this post is so long. I think that's it. And don't bother replying Geoff. I'm done. You'll never get me back. You're as snotty as the staff on some days. Yes, everyone has good and bad days, but you chose customer service. It's called acting!
Wow, all pr is good pr!
Let me start by saying this, I've assainated many a coffee shop owner, some of the best, and I like Geoff (i think?). I stop by once in a while, and yes the coffee is expensive, but hey it's Rawandan, yes the staff is pretensious, but let's face it, Im way better looking that you! As far as the coffee tastes, the clover is delicious, and easliy one of the best drip coffees in the city. 'Crema', some constructive critisim, you pack your shots too tight. The espresso drinks consistently pour crema with a dark tan, a red oil, it's caused by over extraction, and probably accounts for the bitter, sour taste. Loosen e'r up! I can't say anything about variations, I think soya lattes are for swimmamums, and Esspresso art will make it very easy for the mujahideen to pick out who's gay married! Geoff, your allowed to have an attitude, I respect it. Your not allowed to pull a weak shot, I will not drink it. Now you know. As far as the room goes, I dig it. Bright, not blinding, eklectic yet lucid, rock'n roll'n still innocent, sexy while exclusive (read: I like Crema, and feel a certain familiarity to it?). That said you wont find me there too often. I'll never get rich paying primiums, and anyone that has too strong an opinion about coffee shops, might require an intervension!
I love the coffee at Crema, and the staff. I've never had a bad experience there. Except like a comment below, I had to go to the east side to buy some of the coffee I wanted. And it was damn good from a local roaster. Keep up what you're doing Geoff. Your staff are great.