Gelato and Espresso go together like love and marriage or something like that. Two peas in a pod. And in Italy, the Mother Church of Gelato, every gelateria serves truly excellent espresso. Thankfully that is the case here, too. Coffee culture means coffee bars, roasters, accessory places and other developments in the GTA coffee scene. For example recently, wandering down Yonge St., I came across Beanwise, 2097 Yonge St., one of three GTA locations: the others are in Mississauga and East York.

I was very impressed. It claims to be “Canada’s largest coffee and tea tasting emporium offering a huge assortment of coffee beans, coffee pods, tea, and equipment & accessories.” And I believe it. It had everything in an impressive layout and very nice people staffing the place.

I bought the place’s staff-recommended Cremoso blend, described as “a blend of coffees from Vietnam and Brazil. It has a very thick creama with small brown stripes. A balanced cup, with an aftertaste of caramel and toasted bread, this blend reflects the Italian taste of drinking espresso.”

In other news, Pilot Coffee, one of my longtime favourite roasters, has finally made it uptown. There are cafes that serve Pilot, like La Boheme, 2481 Yonge St., but not a Pilot run cafe, which is a special place. Everytime I am passing through Union Station, I always stop there and have a cortado before a game. The 11th cafe has just opened at 1 St. Clair East.

It’s small but offers the full gamut of coffee drinks and has Pilot beans. For years, I have ordered Pilot beans online; they’re delivered quickly and are very fresh. Once I visited the roastery and tasting bar at 50 Wagstaff Dr., a memorable experience.

At the new Pilot café I picked up El Retiro, a new espresso blend from El Salvador, described as “from a Cup of Excellence winning farm, El Retiro coffee cherries grow under the shade of Inga and other mountain trees. The heavy leaf falls from these shade trees promotes soil fertility and, in turn, cup quality.

Although El Retiro is developed for espresso, classic coffee lovers will enjoy this one no matter the brew method.” It’s the first time Pilot has labeled something for espresso, which others like Vancouver’s 49th Parallel have done for years. Currently, 49th offers nine different espresso varieties, including two seasonal holiday blends. I order from there a lot.

My personal favourite is Old School Espresso, described as “Old School Espresso is “49th’s most traditional espresso, with a Pacific Northwest twist! Roasted medium-dark, highlights the sweetness and body of the coffee. Old School is ideal for those who prefer low acidity and full-body, with dark chocolate aromas and flavours of cocoa, caramel, and molasse.”

So happy sipping!