A few weeks ago on my way into work, I noticed a new sign on a previously vacant lot on King St. W. “the coffee. ザ・コーヒー” it read. While those close to me know I gave up coffee nearly nine months ago (please don’t ask me how it’s going), coffee shop owners would be remiss not to offer alternatives — especially in a city known for its die-hard matcha fans. In fact, I’ve kind of made it my personal, ongoing mission to find the best matcha in the city (as many cafe goers have), so you bet I bundled up on this chilly Saturday morning to see how this spot fared.
the coffee. is a very clean, bright, and minimal space. Clearly inspired by Japanese cafes and coffee culture (as the katakana following its name would suggest), it had that “japandi” interior design feel — earthy elements meets Scandinavian functionality. Small, with only four two-seater tables — but surprisingly not cozy? It leaned more toward sterile (no doubt in part due to how new it was), but more in a way that was meant to encourage productivity and reduce distractions.
Ordering was a somewhat unique experience compared to other cafes in Toronto. Rather than place your order with the barista, you entered it on a tablet at the counter — kind of like a step up from the automated kiosks you often see at fast food restaurants. The barista was available to explain the system to me, though I asked few questions, flipping through the menu app myself to find that coveted matcha latte. All I saw (and later confirmed on their website) was a vanilla matcha latte in a single size, with no option to remove the vanilla – though I’m sure if I asked, they would have accommodated. If there was an option to toggle sweetness levels, it wasn’t obvious in the app.
Lack of customization options aside, the latte itself was amazing. I usually drink my matcha without any sweetener, but this was a pleasant and welcome change — the vanilla flavour was so, so yummy. The matcha flavour itself was subtle, which I personally find neither good nor bad — but if you’re after that characteristic umami bitter grass flavour, you’ll probably be disappointed.
My order came out to just under $8, which included the $1.25 oat milk replacement and 15% tip. A very fair price for a matcha latte in Toronto, albeit one that was only 230ml — a few drops less than the size of a short Starbucks drink. And while I wondered to myself why they wouldn’t offer their drinks in larger sizes, knowing that it would come to an end sooner than my usual drink orders, I found myself really savouring it, each sip more cherished than the last as the rings that lined my mug grew smaller in circumference, threatening to close fully as one final drop.
In my recent decision to live life more intentionally, to romanticize the mundane and to practice the art of slowness (and start a blog about it!), I felt documenting this experience would be well-suited as my first post. This matcha latte was a welcome reminder of the fact that I don’t need more to feel full. In fact, it was the knowledge that I would soon finish this cup that made me all the more appreciative of it.
My experience at the coffee. was almost like a juxtaposition of two poles. On the one hand, slowness, groundedness, appreciation and balance. On the other, strangely vacant and impersonal. While I understand the tablet ordering system may be another element inspired by Japanese to-go coffee culture — and is meant to boost productivity and efficiency, as so many digital tools promise — eliminating the human connection in cafe culture doesn’t feel like the right trade-off. And though I really did appreciate the hyper cleanliness and brightness of the space (if you need to enter an espresso-fueled hypnosis and write a paper in 8 hours this environment would be extremely conducive to that), it also felt kind of isolating.
I guess what I learned about myself today is that I don’t just go to cafes to work — I also go to meet with strangers’ smiles, and to listen to songs of laughter and banter.
(Coffee really isn’t that deep. The baristas seemed lovely and my drink was good. Thanks for reading.)
jourdemavie 