The city's best coffee: Mercury Organic Espresso Bar

I was there at the beginning, around 2006, when Mercury Organic Espresso Bar had just opened on Queen st. East at Morse (near Carlaw). I had just returned from vacation in Italy and was missing the coffee. For me, the best cappuccino I've ever had was at the termini in Rome, and I was resigned to the fact that it would be an unrepeatable experience. I walked into Mercury because I was impressed by their serious-looking cappuccino machine, exactly the kind I saw around Italy, and was hopeful that at last, I can have a real cup of cappuccino here in Toronto. The barista was gracious and he knew his beans. And the cappuccino was great, as expected. A few months later, a Starbucks opened nearby at Queen and Logan and I was worried that Mercury might get muscled out. It did not only survive the competition with Starbucks, it flourished. It's no surprise if you consider that money you spend at Mercury goes into buying organic fair-trade coffee instead of marketing. Now, Mercury has it's own blog, a My Space site and a loyal crowd of coffee-lovers from around the world.