Library Coffee

Jeffrey Ji opened Library Coffee on Dundas Street West in 2018 after years in coffee in Melbourne, Shanghai and Toronto, and he named it for what he wanted it to be, a resource centre where people come to learn about coffee, beans and roasting. The cafe keeps an espresso bar near the front for a quick, excellent drink and a slow bar toward the back where pour overs are prepared with a little ceremony.

The bean list does plenty of talking. Single farm lots such as an anaerobic slow dry Catuai from Panama's Elida Estate, an auction lot Geisha from Guatemala and an anaerobic natural from Las Flores in Huila, Colombia sit alongside Ethiopian and Burundian coffees, each with its origin, process, altitude and tasting notes spelled out, which suits a shop that treats every visit as a small lesson in flavour.