Sam James Coffee Bar Harbord

Sam James opened his first cafe on Harbord Street shortly after winning Barista of the Year in 2008, an award judged by James Hoffmann, and the Little Italy original has been pulling shots for the neighbourhood ever since. The shop is minimalist and built around the bar, the starting point for a coffee brand that now has several cafes of its own across the city.

The philosophy is consistency before experimentation, and the house coffees are roasted medium for caramel sweetness, chocolate depth and a juicy, full body. The Butter Knife espresso blend is the signature, a sweet and chocolatey cup that is roasted and shipped within the same week, from the Sam James roastery that also supplies more than twenty cafes across Toronto.