Stopped by Pilot Coffee Roasters this weekend, while visiting a friend in Toronto. They do espresso flights so I got to try a few different beans that they roast in-house. The Ana Sora was true to Ethiopian form and was so fruity/acidic that my mouth watered for a few minutes afterwards. The Heritage was pretty nice, but was still a bit acidic for my tastes (I'm a dark roast guy), and the San Jeronimo was the one I liked the most, with a really nice bitterness after the fruity entry. Then I just had a plain jane latté before we moved next door to Left Field Brewery :).
While the wife was beering it up with her friends, I went down the block to Soul Chocolate for…well…chocolate! Having all these artisinal eateries within 30' of each other was pretty damn nice! I recommend trying them out.
by NegScenePts
12 Comments
I was quite happy with Pilot when a layover put me in the area for a day. I figure having a place like that as a local chain type bodes well for the quality of the smaller shops around as well, but I didn’t have the chance to go anywhere else in Toronto.
I live here and never realised they do flights of coffee, that’s awesome, I’ll be checking it out, thank you! Hope you enjoy your stay!
Did you down these three shots then have a latte? Jesus.
Love Pilot. They’re a gem in the neighborhood and back in the spring I had a chance to go behind the scenes to see their setup and roaster and then getting a guided taste test of their beans using an SCA flavor guide.
They do a yearly collaboration with Left Field btw, where they provide the beans for a delicious coffee porter, served up with a toasted marshmallow.
This helps Toronto go higher on my travel list!
The roastery in the east? I live just down the road ☺️
For a second I thought I read “battery” as an interesting tasting note to describe acidity.
If you’re back in the GTA check out pirates of coffee
Doesn’t look great to be honest. very basic average pulls they look like all very similar. But looks are not a big deal. When I pull like that, it taste fine, OK.
When I get darker specs and on crema, I know I am dial in right, and the flavor is layers and just flavor bomb.
Pilot is decent. Probably above average for all the roasters in Toronto but not one of my top favorites. If you like dark roast, De Mello Gentleman is pretty good. I like their lighter stuff personally but they are one of the better roasters that still does dark roasts well.
Looooove Pilot!! A Toronto gem!! Ana Sora is SO delicious it’s the most strawberry-forward coffee i’ve ever had
One of my faves!
Library and Found are really good too.