World-renowned coffee brand opening first-ever cafe in Toronto

A Canadian coffee brand that's earned worldwide recognition is gearing up to open its first-ever cafe in Toronto, and it'll be unlike any the city has seen before.

Vancouver-founded coffee accessory company ESPRO might be best known for the French presses they sell — which are among the whizziest and most advanced on the market — but, before long, it'll be their presence on the cafe scene that defines them, as they are gearing up to open a first-of-its-kind new coffee bar in Toronto.

Taking over the charming corner space at 2102 Queen St. E. in the Beaches (most recently occupied by Juice & Java), the new cafe, fittingly, will exclusively serve French press coffee, making it the first French press cafe in Canada. 

That's not all that's unique about the new spot, though. ESPRO is also angling for the cafe to be a strictly Wi-Fi-free space, opting instead for an establishment where you can connect with your fellow java fans and really savour the coffee, free from distraction.

At the cafe, which will be staffed by a world-class team of baristas and coffee experts, you'll be able to learn more about your morning cup of joe with a guided tasting experience called The ESPRO Experience, which will feature a rotating seasonal selection of global beans.

If you just want to grab your coffee and go, though, you can do that too. Either way, you'll walk away freshly caffeinated with the help of ESPRO's brewing technology and carefully curated beans.

Upon opening, the space will become the official ESPRO headquarters — a move that Peng Lin, owner and CEO of ESPRO's parent company, DKK Brands, says he's thrilled about.

"As someone who lives here and truly loves this neighbourhood, it means a lot to bring that same passion into a space rooted in the community — where people can slow down, connect and really taste the difference for themselves," Lin says.

The exact opening date for the ESPRO cafe has yet to be announced, but a representative for the brand tells us that it should be coming sometime this July, so Beaches residents and French press fanatics should keep a keen eye out for its grand opening.