CoffeeGeek - Is This the End of the Barista?
I just read this article and I must say that it distressed me a little. The labour and commitment it takes to produce great espresso will soon be nothing more than a laughable sidenote when fully automated systems start to improve. Read this article and pray with me, dear reader. Armageddeon is coming.

a

The tamper handles we use here at Mercury are called the Radical Pro. They do look a little strange at first but after a little adjusting, I'm thanking the stars (or whomever decided to order them for us). They encourage proper technique and let me tell you, after pouring 100 or so espresso a day, I need all the help I can get. It simply does not allow shortcuts because of the way it's designed. You could try to fit your palm over it in a pinch but you'll find very quickly that it's really not worth it to cheat. Any barista complaining about carpal tunnel syndrome (or whatever you want to call it) will want one of these. While it doesn't cure anything, it certainly is great preventive measure. No offense to the traditional Reg Barber designs of course.

I would also like to take the time to welcome our newest barista-in-training, Reza. From what I can tell Reza is an eccentric character with an innate ability to pour good espresso. Either that, or I'm a good teacher. I'm inclined to believe the former. ;)

love,
alex

So I come into work today in the morning an I find the Yemen Mocha Matari on this week's feature menu. Coffees from Ethiopia tend to, as the name suggests, have a chocolatey, cocoa-y aroma. This one is certianly no different. There's a wonderful, lingering aftertaste that fills the mouth with a hug. Not just any hug. A hug from our very own Alice. Yes, that's what this coffee tastes like. It doesn't make a great espresso (as most single origins usually don't) but the low notes really combine well with milk. Coming from a non-milk drinker that's saying a lot.

happy Christmas hang-over people

love,

alex

Twas the day before Christmas, all the creatures were stirring, and no barista, not even a customer could figure out why. "The goats, the goats!" they kept shouting, "Look into the sky." A whole herd of them could be seen from the patio, bleating through the sun drenched horizon.
Eight goats will be purchased thanks to everyone's contribution. You guys truly went above and beyond the call. It's heartwarming to know that so many people care! If that isn't what this season is about then I don't want to know. Cheers all!

-The A-Team

Bam! So I haven't been writing about coffee much lately so that's what I'll do today instead of the usual random rants.

We just all had a cup of the Mexican Chiapas made with our French Press and I must say it's a decent cup. It's kinda smokey, and has a syrup-y aftertaste. It's not that great as an espresso, but then again, I'm discovering that most single origin beans don't make great espressos.

We're also now using new tampers that are better for avoiding carpal-tunnel. They're gonna take some getting used to but it won't be that hard considering the amount of practise we get in a day.


Well, that's about it I guess. Oh, one more thing: we have a new chocolate espresso cake. It's so far untouched. Will you be the first?

Cameron is going to be playing very soon, come down for a piece of chocolate espresso cake, a cup of Mexican Chaipas and let Cameron entertain you tonight!

love,

alex

p.s. Alice is the undefeated chess champion of Mercury. Someone PLEASE come down and shut her up. please. pretty please. (she still talking)

Hey champ!

If you missed live music this sunday you might want to hang your head in shame (for shame!). Cam the man and friends (including our Mercurer Adrian) rocked the place! Cam played me my favourite song -twice- and the group of them were awesome together (like fish and chips). So be sure to come out next sunday and see it all go down first hand. It's always a good time at the Merc.
In other news...
New week = New feature Latte
My advice for this week is to try something new.... like, maybe the latte (hint hint)
or if you are feeling really out there check out espressoporn.com - it's hot!

That''s how i roll...
-Alice "honey cat" Berg

WORD ON THE STREET
-This weekend we have a super swell feature latte- the Papua New Guinea!
So if you are in the mood for a treat, this is it.
-Just a reminder that Friday and Saturday nights are Rock 'N Roll Vinyl Nights. Now thanks to a freaking awesome donation they are better than ever. Vinyl Lives at Mercury.
-Barons and Lenghty (Adrian's band) are playing a show this Saturday (Dec 2) at the Savannah Room (294 College St.- just west of Spadina). It is a Fundraiser for Issue (Alex's zine)and is a Pay What You Can event. All the cool kids are going so you should too!
-Sunday is live music night. It should get going around 8pm and end around 9:30pm. So come out, grab a coffee, and listen to some cool tunes.

It's a new week and no blog has been posted since my last one. So here we go again, dear reader, on another wacky Alex-themed adventure. We'll thrash, crash and burn through our newly aquired vinyl. Thanks to the lady who brought them in! I want to know your name so I can name a drink after you! Tell me tell me tell me.
So much vinyl, so little time. Come on by and help out. I can't choose anymore.

a

Ah yes... As I type a goat is appearing on our west wall. He looks crazy and unstable. Perfect for Mercury. I wonder what's on his mind?

Matt and I are just hanging out with a gang of high-school kids who are sharing one cookie. Yeah they're good cookies. Damn good.

Cameron will be making sounds at the Mercury tomorrow night. Come on by and check it out if you got the time. I might make an appearance. I might not. I'm just unpredictable like that.

a-tron-o-matic-al

Holla back ya'll. A-Train reporting live from Mercury. Starbucks is open and we'd like to say hello. Hello.
We've a new toy here in our little shop. It's a bottomless porta-filter. What IS that you ask? Well it's like the filters we use normally but the only difference is that the bottom is cut off exposing the bottom of the basket. This way, every little aspect of our dosing and tamping is revealed. No more hiding. Not that we did before. Come and join the fun.

a-tron-o-matic-al

G'day, G'day!!!
Matthew here.... If good coffee and good rock 'n roll is what you're into, then you have come half way to the right place. All you need to do now get off youthewr butt and come down here to 915 Queen Street East, right in the heart of beautiful Leslieville(the greatest neighbourhood in Toronto). Up this afternoon are the dynamic duo: Alex Tran(sistor radio) and Ashley "the Countess" McFarlane. Come on in for some damn fine espresso and the wonderful treats of Vicki. Bring your laptop and take advantage of the free wireless while sipping the city's finest cafe latte. If you're lucky, Alex will play some good 'ol rock and roll vinyls from our own personal stash, or maybe you've got one or two at home you'd like to hear. BRING 'EM ON DOWN!! Tell a friend and have some fun here at Mercury!!

L8R SK8R!
Matthew

WHAT the flyboy? So your delicious Mercury beverages now come with 100% more love! Who knew we could fit any more goodness into those 16 oz cups but we found a way. How is that going to affect the taste? Only you can answer that question.

Being open till 10 pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday has given us more time to cradle, nurture and coddle our espressos. The secret is love. Mad, mad, love.

Here's Nick:
"I make espresso."

There you have it folks. How can you not be impressed by a man who takes his job SO seriously that he can't waste ANY time to make elaborate his thoughts. Good on you Nick.

One love!

alex

It is an awesome Sunday night here at the Merc. We are all getting ready for the live music to start...
(Alice says:) That's right! Merc now has live music evey Sunday night from 7pm-10pm! So come in, grab a coffee, and listen to some killer tunes!
(Drew says:) Right now it's pretty laid back. We're just playing some Blonde Redhead over the stereo system. So ya -- come check out the show tonight. Matthew's group should be pretty sweet. Or take a look at the new photo installation.
Now that we have the record player I'm trying to think of some rock records I should bring in to spin while I work. Watch for our vinyl nights where you too can bring in your tracks and play some tunes. Oh ya -- and have some killer coffee.

your friends
Alistair and Drew man

Hey, this is Nick, I'm the new guy (started 5 minutes ago), so I guess after making a couple of capps and an espresso it's time for my first blog. I just moved over from Vancouver where I've been making coffee for a few years and it kind of took over my life. Been out in Toronto for about 2 months now (came here for school, my first time living out East since I was five) and it looks like I've found the right shop to get my game back. If you're in the shop on Thursday or Friday and you see an unfamiliar face, come say hi! I'll be pulling shots, pouring latte art, and brainstorming a sig drink-- any suggestions will be appreciated.

it's been over a week and in case you were wondering... doug's still the best.

Goddamn. Doug's the best. Ever. Of the whole world. Maybe the whole universe if I had that kind of vision. Why? Why the heck not. Everyone needs some praise every now and then. Some more than others. So today, Dougie, it's all about you. And the tasty organic brownies. But, again, moreso about Doug.

a-tron-o-matic-al

Whew. So Matthew's back in action again and my espresso never tasted so sweet. Experience counts. So welcome back.

In other news, we have delicious blueberry muffins as well as muffins with green tea in them. Three cheers for antioxidents!

Last night was the kick-off for Amsterdam Tuesdays at the Savannah Room and the boys from Barons and Lengthy rocked the house. They came home to a power outage in their neighborhood but there was so much beer flowing I'm not sure anyone noticed. Thanks to An Arctic Turn and the Incidentals for coming out and holding it down as well. Dear Alice is probably nursing a hangover today on her well deserved day off. Hi Alice, it hurts so good don't it?

a-tron-o-matic-al

So apparently I'm the "new guy" here at Merc (I think I might have to start referring to the espresso bar by this hipster worthy shortform...or then again maybe not). For all of you regulars and occasional visitors who may not have met me yet, I'm Drew. I love strong coffees and great tunes. Soon enough I guess I'll have to come up my own signature drink and whatnot. All in good time, all in good time...

I'm told we're gonna get some live music up and running here at the Merc Espresso somewhere down the line. Keep your ears to the ground.

Today, Vicki's orange cranberry scones sold out like hotcakes, and I have to say the chocolate chip cookies she came in with later (organic of course) pretty much blew me away. It was raining but that didn't stop the crowd from popping in for the necessary brews.

Just listening to some Black Flag right now. It's pretty laid back here. Tomorrow is Alice's first day off in like forever, so I guess some of us may have to go out to the show at the Savannah Room on College Street to celebrate for a bit with her -- and then I'll return to do the whole thing again tomorow.

Sweet.

A-mo here once again. Fall got scared off by old man winter a little early this year so we're left freezing our buns. But the coffee's hot. The freezing rain this afternoon was not something pleasant to ride through. But the coffee's red hot. Something about the cold makes me want to get a tattoo though. I can't explain it, I just heed it's call. FYI: the numbers "888" translated into chinese is pronounced "baat, baat, baat" which sounds close to the word for luck which is "faat". They consider it a very lucky number so three of them in conjunction is considered VERY lucky. There's a lot of cell phone numbers with three eights owned by chinese folk you can bet on that. Anyhoo, enough of the culture lesson, I'm feeling bold so I'm going to get it tattooed on my arm. Just working my way up to the 'big one'. More updates to come. I know you care. Kisses.

A-mo-tron-o-matic-al

Word. A-Rod reporting here once again. How are you guys? Good? Great! There's cranberry muffins crawling around on our condiment stand with the brownies not too far behind. I'd say get in here and snatch them up before they have and accident and end up on the floor. You can't trust those organic pasteries to not get themselves in trouble. I mean, they're ORGANIC.

a-tron-o-matic

Some people would say that after you get married you start to take on the aromas of your significant other. Does Doug smell different now? I'm not too sure on that, I'll let Alice figure that one out.
It's a very nice Tuesday evening here at Mercury, the sweet sounds of TV on the Radio is playing and I'm so chilled out I might fall asleep. Wake me up before you go-go.

Alex

Hello again. Doug's off getting married. Matthew is probably at home relaxing. Me, I'm just hanging out enjoying an espresso here at Mercury. What a beautiful day! Thanks to Alice for saving my butt once again. What a trooper. Speaking of troopers, that was my song selection for last night's karaoke session. What fun! Nothing like a little Iron Maiden to end the week off.
The muffins we have today are cranberry. We also have these fantastic cupcakes courtesy of Vicki, our wonderfully, brilliant baker. She made a birthday cake for me to give to my friend Kerry last night. I don't need to reiterate how delicious it was. But I will. And did. Good day Leslieville.

Alex

What's goin on you beautiful people of Leslieville!? Alex is back and he's here till 9pm tonight! That's right! 7 whole hours of yours truly in the best espresso bar this side of town! Vicki will be bringing in the evening treats soon but I'm not sure what's on the menu exactly. You'll have to come in to find out. Eagles of Death Metal are playing in the background, the sun is shining outside, and I'm still figuring out what to sing for tonight's karaoke excursion. Hmm....any ideas? ANyone out there?

alex

Oh what to report today...hmm...hmmm...uh huh... See? THis is what happens when I have to blog a lot. I run out of things to say. Then I start rambling like this. And I go off on tangents on things people don't care about. I start to wonder, "Who am I? What am I doing? Where am I going?" No one needs to read about my existential cosmic angst. I'm sure everyone has their own questions and don't really need to hear someone ask them out loud. That's just being flakey. But here we are again, dear reader. We've three brownies wondering about their purpose in life. Come on down and give them an answer. I could give them an easy way out but then my tummy might hurt. Oh right, by the way, congrats to Doug who'll be walking down the old dusty trail. I mean he's getting married. Way to go buddy. I'm sure you'll make Ben Sherman look goooood. Go easy on him Laurie, he's got a espresso bar to run.

Alex

It's cold, wet, and slightly miserable. That's the weather. Here in Mercury the mood is laidback, chillin, and most certianly relaxing. So come on down where the coffee is warm, the treats are sweet and someone may know your name. The muffins are still hanging out with us too. They bare cranberries and other good things. Can anyone recommend a good karaoke song? I think I might be tuning the vocals for some fun on Friday. Other than that, I'm looking forward to meeting you here in our little espresso bar.

alex

Ho ho! Guess who folks? That's right, it's Alex again! First off I'd like to give a shout out to Matthew who's starting his two week vacation away from Mercury starting today. Have a good one buddy, don't worry about the store, it's in gooooooood hands. ;) Sorry about the wink, I didn't mean anything by it. I swear! Dear readers, it's not going to be the same without Matthew but if you give us a chance I think you find that he's a very good recruiter. Just wait and see. Lattes will be flying off the espresso machines and the cookies will continue to kick some major organic butt. There may be a little more singing going on behind the counter than usual. We may also bug our valued customers and friends into silly conversations a bit more than normal, but aside from that, it's business as usual. Come one come all. It'll be fun. Really!

alex

Well, where to begin? What to say? Matthew and I ran into a few technical snags this morning with Delmar. Delmar, for those of you that don't know is our espresso machine - our sole means of production. He started going off right in the middle of our morning rush - demanding equal treatment in the workplace for people and machines alike (A bunch of commi jive). Matthew was kind enough to give Delmar the rest of the day off for repairs. Hopefully tomorrow Delmar will be as good as new. Until then, please bare with us - your patience is most appreciated in the matter.
-Adrian

Anyone sick of me yet? Cuz I'm back once again. I enjoy our moments, dear reader, even if it is rather frequent lately. The Beach Boys are playing and everyone in the cafe is singing (no not JUST Adrian but some of our customers as well). Wouldn't be nice if every day could be a Mercury day, much like the one we're having today?
Blueberry muffins are waiting to be devoured. Lattes are impatiently flying off the counters. What fun. Come on down.

Alex

Guess who's back?? That's right, Alex is here again! I just noticed with all the excitement of welcoming our newest edition I almost forgot to send off our very own Jacki! Oh Jack-a-boo you'll be sorely missed here at Mercury. Although I didn't work WITH you that much I certianly looked forward to saying hello to you on your way out. But now I guess I have to go to Morning Glory for that. Come to think about it, I think this works out better. Now I have more of a reason to go over and enjoy MG's wonderful foodstuffs. Good luck Jacki, you'll need it I hear.

ALex

Update! Mercury will now be open till 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Come by and hang out with your truly after the sun sets. Who knows what will happen?

Alex

Hi there everyone!! My name is Ashley, and this is my very first day working for Mercury Espresso Bar. I'm very glad to be here, and I'm having alot of fun. :) I was given the lovely privelage of writing the blog today, so here I go.

I guess I'll tell you a bit about myself. I'm a student at Sheridan College in Oakville, studying Illustration. And although I plan on working as an Illustrator after four loooong years at School, I actualy plan on opening my own Cafe here in Toronto. As Matthew would say, we need more great Espresso Bars in this city! I live here in Toronto with my husband, three cats, lizard and turtle. What else can I say... I'm pretty goofy and fun loving, and a little wierd. But you'll all grow to love me I'm sure. LOL! Look for the tattooed lady, that's me!

Anyhoo, I know I'm going to really enjoy working here. This place is great, the costumers are so nice, and so far I really like the people I work with. :)

So come see me and everyone here at Mercury Espresso Bar, sit down, have a latte, and try Vickies DELICIOUS Pumpkin and Millet Muffins, or the MYSTERY muffin, Vegan Banana loaf, chocolate chip cookies or a chocolate brownie! OR... why not try our NEW organic apple juice. Hope to see you all soon, and take care.

ovcr and out..!

Hello everyone. Alex here again. Yet again. I realize the mornings are crazy but I think the people deserve to hear from someone else other than me. I mean there's only so much non-sensical (is that a word?) verbal garbage people can take from yours truly. But then again, having a monopoly on the Mercury Blog isn't such a bad thing. I mean I could do stories that span over a week or so. Wouldn't that be nice? We could have "A Week in the Life of..." well, in this case me! Are you still there? Hmm...maybe I should rethink that.

I just met one Mercury Blog reader and she told me thought my blogs were cute. Hehe, I'm obviously flattered but this is just more encouragement for more of my crazy antics. Look out!

Stop by and snack on Vicki's cranberry, granola muffins while laughing at me singing behind the counter. And if you're lucky enough I might even do a little dance. Don't tell Matthew I'm having way too much fun at work.

27 and sunny. That's what the forecast for tomorrow is. And that's what I'm keeping in mind today to hold me in my content state. But who the heck knows, the weather will not be told what to do. We're open again tonight until 8pm instead of the usual 7pm. It's gets dark earlier now so Mercury takes on a different vibe when the sun goes down. Come on over and check it out. There's one pumpkin muffin left with your name on it. I'll save it just for you.

alex

Mercury has new hours of operation; we're braving the elements of the night to serve you all with the finest espresso this corner of the globe. Fridays and saturdays we are now open until 8 pm!!! So you know what that means! One more extra hour to hang with yours truly. It's dark and lonely here past 6:30 so don't be afraid, come on down a chill. I'll be here waitng......for you...or you....and you.

alex

So Mercury is on the lookout for another aspiring/experienced Barista. I wonder who it will be? What will they be like? What will they add to the store? Will they be able to handle the pressure of making perfect latte art? Will they eventually replace me? Only time will be able to answer these questions. I'm excited, are you? New blood means you can all use those tired jokes all over again! Welcome grasshopper, and all the best!

Alex

Raaaiiiinnnn....fallin' on my fingertips.... It's a refreshing evening here at Mercury today. A little slow, a little dreary, but it's all good because Sailboats are White. I've lost my Controller.Controller in the cracks of the Bronx but no worries, the Tokyo Police Club are on the job.
Whew, I'm not sure what I meant there but it could be because I'm feeling a little star struck because Sam Roberts was in today for the third day in a row. I think he likes our coffee. Good luck on your tour Sam!

Alex

What a crazy Sunday we've had here at Mercury today! WOW!! We did have some tastey raspberry crumble muffins along with some amazing pineapple coconut muffins but...... you guessed it... GONE! Alice went to the Saturday show of the Virgin Music Festival. She said she thought the story of the 3 boats of gear sinking was a joke. Sam Roberts was in today and confirmed the rumour that's not really a rumour. It really happened Crazy eh.
We're rocking out to some Smashing Pumpkins right now and all is well. It has calmed down quite a bit so you should all come and make the rest of them work for their pay cheque.

See you soon.
Matthew

Update:
sorry to say that we are out of scones...that is the sad truth... but do not fear, we will have more tommorow.
we still have all of our other goodies left so come out down and take your pick.

SOoo.....Alice was going to finish that update off but she's already left and I'm here finishing it for her.

What else do we have to report? Well, it seems like we have a neighbourhood scam artist (and I use that term artist VERY loosely). His description is as follows: White male, last seen wearing dark jeans, with a green sweatshirt tied around his waist, standing at 5'10" to 6' tall and has dark, curly mid-length hair and scruffy looking. Is it just me or is the scuffy part always added just for effect on account that this person doing something really shady? Anyway, he's hit all the surrounding businesses including Cafe Vert, The Gods of Flesh (tattoo shop), Velvet, Cajun Corner,Paint Depot and now K&S among others. The nerve of this guy! He's basically taking advantage of our good natured relationship we have with all our neigbouring business owners. Leslieville Unite! We won't stand for this!

alex

good day! we are a little late on the blog because it has been crazy busy! we almost ran outta coffee!!! how silly is that? anyways. it's rainy, and matthew and i are getting sleeeepy. i just got back from up north so i am on lazy time and matthew.. well he just works too hard!! we have some cranberry coconut muffins left for you, and plenty of delicious beverages- as usual. all the best to our friend mike who is off to hamilton today! we'll miss you!!!! annnnnd.. i'm out!

--> ja-qui

It is the morning of Labour Day and not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. Let the workers sleep for a day - haven't you heard Lenin's on sale again. Kudos to the ploughman, the carpenter and the clerk; you've all earned your day of rest. Fall has arrived in style carrying a lovely handmade pumpkin scone designed by our wonderful and talented baking artist Vicki. So, if any manage to pry themselves out from underneath the warm, warm bed sheets don't hestitate to mosey on in to Mercury and snatch up a scone before it's too late - remember the early bird get's the worm.
-Adrian

I growl, I bark, and I chase cars. No, I'm not a dog but I sure feel like I'm being treated like one when I see drivers zipping around with their cellphones stuck to the side of their faces like a bad growth, with little if any regard for cyclists. It scares me the number of times I observe a driver who has no clue of his surroundings and I bare witness to multiple "almost" incidents on my way to work from the Annex. Fight fire with fire? Hell no,it just doesn't work that way. I just want to make to work alive.
If you can make it down here tomorrow before it runs out, we still have our weekend feature: Sumatra Gayo Mountian. I like it as an espresso; a fruity, smooth finish with enough caffine to help me pedal past trouble in the big city. Remember the cyclists. Don't be a douche. Woof.

a

Hurricanes suck. If only people cycled more and created less emissions, if only SUVs were such a faux pas people wouldn't buy them, if only, if only, if only. Then we wouldn't be getting Florida's crappy weather. Then I wouldn't have been late for work. Funny how these grand events affect people on such a small scale. If only we realized how a drop of water ripples in the pond. Maybe if we were more aware we'd make better decisions.
We here at Mercury try to do our part. Not by preaching but by setting a different standard. I guess I did indeed just preach. Forgive me.

standard al

Whew this is my first blog...gosh I'm a little nervous; I'm not used to speaking in front of an audiance - especially one as attractive as yours - so please excuse me whilst I compose myself. Where to begin? What to say? ahh!! Please one at a time. Let's start with an introduction; My name is Adrian - some of you I know, some of you know me; the rest of you will have to settle with being the friends I haven't met YET. It's been a good day - a busy day. We're serving up some delicious vegan banana loaves - I haven't had an opportunity to try them yet but they smell as good as they look. The music has been leaning a little towards the mellow side today on account of Matthew and I failing to mentally leave our beds this morning...so be nice and stay in touch.

Well, well, well........

Mike leaves us today. Gonna go slug some steel. Looks like he'd rather breath in the smoke stacks of Hamilton than the beatiful aromas of The Merc. Don't worry Mike, we won't hold it against you. Good luck with the schooly books and such. Come back more smarter so we can be teached too. We'll all miss you man! Rock and Roll!!!

Here at Mercury today we have a couple lemon scones left, some vegan banana muffins and some blueberry muffins for those who'd rather do that. I just stopped in to send an email and ended up writing this blog today. Lucky me!

Oh ya..... school next week for you all. Make sure you make the point of coming in before for that wake-me-up before that L-O-N-G class in the morning.

Rock On!
Matthew

Dear readers,

This blog will be dedicated to our very own Lank-master Mike. He will be leaving us high and dry this fall to return to the swiss alps in order to continue his Jedi training. Hopefully when he comes back he can use his jedi mind tricks and get me a raise. HA!
Mike, it's been fun buddy. We've had some good times, great times, and fun times. I'll miss diggin around on Limewire and searching for long lost cartoon theme songs with you. I'll never look at soundtracks in the same way ever again.
Is there any way you can take Alice with you? I think the cold weather might mellow that girl out. (love you Alice)
I raise my demitasse to you my friend. Good luck and may the force be with you.

Alex

Matt(hew) and Ali(ce) here...
just chillin' out to some rock and or roll.

Here are some ways of getting rid of the hiccups:
Swallowing three times (or more) while holding one's breath
Eating particular foods, such as peanut butter, Fluffernutter sandwich, chocolate, sugar or honey, Lingonberry jam, wasabi, yellow mustard or vinegar
Eating a spoonful of granulated table sugar (slowly letting it dissolve in mouth)
Drinking a glass of water through a napkin placed over the glass
Drinking a beverage high in citric acid such as lemon, lime, or grapefruit juice
Drinking a glass of water in several small sips

Or I could just punch you in the back ten Ty mes.

P.S Alex cut his hair and he look like a small child. Make fun of him when you come in. I think his life has been a little hard after that near death experience he had. Poor alex. Poor child like alex.We love you.

Swing in and say hi
-alistair

good morning, good morning. mike here. again. matt's sampling out espressos to a curious couple as i write. it's a nice, if dreary, morning here in mercury. i fell asleep at 8pm last night. a saturday night. no regrets. dale is here.

strawberry muffins, if you please. vegan banana loafs for the afternoon.

a special word from matt: (to be spoken at his convenience).

has anybody else been watching bbc's 'league of gentlemen'? great stuff.

mike

the time has come for the changing of the guard, out with the old and in with the new and all that.

alex will now be taking your orders. matthew has left the building. graham is here. why aren't you? graham is having a soy macchiato. why aren't you?

the tao of alex: "if you're headed eastward, there's a wicked head-wind." true that, alex, true that.

come in and try our feature latte (ethiopian harrar: wild, chocolatey). graham isn't trying it, but if graham jumped off a bridge, would you?

mike.

p.s. cranberry muffins. let's start a banana revolution.

Alex here. Film crews are busy running around Queen St. east on the set of Instant Star. I don't watch tv so I have no idea what that is but I'm sure it's very nice. From my observations I can only speculate that the lead is a brunette girl because I saw an entourage of people holding umbrellas for her. I need an entourage. Someone open doors and get my coffees, etc. Oh dear reader, wouldn't you want one too?
The streets are kinda hectic but inside here in Mercury it's mellow, chilled out, with the sounds of Elliot Brood playing in the background. Come on down for a coffee.
This weekend our feature will be Ethiopia Harrar, a very smooth, rich bean with strong cocca presence. Very nice as an espresso. Hope to see you soon.

a

holy crabcakes, it's mike and jacki, jacki and mike.

muffins are all gone, but have a brownie. and a mocha. jacki will draw a djinn in your latte. man, if you heard the stories i've heard, you'd know one thing for sure: jacki's old roommates are the dumbest ever.

matt and adrian played a show last night, we hope it went well. if you can't make it to mercury today, join mike and jacki at morning glory for some omlettes and dub style sandwiches.

listen up weather, if you're gonna rain, rain.
m to the j.

ps.. we loooove tacos!!!

Another wonderfully sunny day down here in Mercville, I mean Leslieville. That has a nice ring to it though, doesn't it? Maybe we can talk to our local MP about changing that. Haha, just kidding, Leslieville is just fine.

Our recent addition of Adrian is working out nicely. Despite some confusion in the morning regarding scheduling, I came into the store this afternoon to two cheery lads pouring lattes and espressos. Dear reader, don't you think in the future we should avoid scheduling Mike and Adrian on the same shift? To the untrained eye, they look so similar that 'Mini-Me' jokes might inadvertantly fly out without warning. Maybe it's just me. But in any case, welcome aboard Adrian.

Speaking of whom, if you have time tonight, his band, the Barons and Lengthly are playing down at Planet Kensington along with Matthew's band, the Soup Kitchen Lineup. Hanging with the Mercury crew "post-espresso" hours is always interesting and fun. Wink wink.

alex

Dear valued customers. We don't yet have the proper licence for our patio therefore it can't be used. We put the chairs and tables outside because there just not enough room for them inside. Despite speculations, we are not lazy. This is just how things are right now. We here at Mercury are also upset due to the lack of outdoor seating but everything that could be done about it has been set in motion. We now wait. Standing. Come on city hall, won't you let us sit?

It's a lovely Monday afternoon here in Leslieville. Summer is winding down and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the customers/friends of Mercury for all the good times! Things really kicked off well for this small organic espresso bar and we couldn't have done it without all you coffee heads!

If you don't have plans tomorrow night and that Bowie song that's been stuck in your head for the past week is still circulating in your noggin, unleash the beast at our Karaoke party at the Smiling Buddha bar at 961 College (west of Dovercourt). 9pm is when the fun starts.

Hopefully we'll see ya there!

S - L - O - W M - O - R - N - I - N - G here at Mercury so far today. Trying to guess who'll be next to come in for work. Usually it's Mike but his twin sister got married yesterday so I don't think it'll be him. Any guesses? It's either Alice or our Jammie(Adrian).

Bluberry muffins today. Babyshambles ramblin' through our speakers and Lilly and her mom just paid us a visit. They're siiting outside and Lilly's got her feet up..... jus t relaxin' on this fine Sunday morning. Come on down and join them. Make this Sunday a Mercday.

Rocknroll
Matthew

So apparently Mike has the longest arms out of all of us here at Mercury. Alice's experiment yesterday was a success!
Any ways.... on to today. We have Strawberry/Rhubarb muffins fom the magical Vicki. The Feature Latte this weekend is Indian Monsooned Malabar.
That's all I've got today folks. Havin' a rough time opening the shutters today. Hopefully things'll pick up soon.
Rock 'n Roll!
Matt

mercury needs a theme song.

whatever johnny know-it-all, no it doesn't. we've got a few apricot muffins left, a few chocolate banana muffins, a vegan brownie or two kicking around.

jackie bailed today so alice is in and that's cool. she'll be demonstrating her dance moves throughout the morning. it's 11:57am, so you better hurry. but seriously, how am i suppose to write about such trivial things when alison was kicked off of project runway and the clown prince vincent stupidetti was given another free pass?

if you're into ultimate fighting championship, alice wants to know if you caught the boner at the weigh-in last night.

why am i the only one blogging these days? (in all fairness to alice, she's no longer blogging because she's no longer allowed to touch the computer [or as she calls it, "the numbers machine"])
mike

our next door neighbour is in right now. won't you be our neighbour today?

vegan treats, muffins of some sort (ed. note: blueberry spelt), matthew. what more could you ask for? alex will be in tonight so you young ones put your dancing shoes on. i will be at home mentally preparing myself for my twin sister's wedding and ruing kate hudson's adulterous ways.

enough of 'the hives', i say. what will we play next? come to mercury or die of suspense.

mike.

no muffins left and yet, we go on. vegan banana loafs and brownies overwhelm the counter. the chocolate chip cookies are bracing for a coup. jackie's back from the cottage, weening herself off the beer diet, taking it a customer at a time. alice will be in later, hungover. happy day after your birthday, alice. it's matt's day off, but he's hanging around. come, take him out for a bite.

it's a sleepy kind of day.
mike.

Jamey Richard's paintings are getting a terrific response. Just a reminder that his work will only be showing here until the end of the month.





Oh, but won't you come and see?

Good morning all! A lovely day here in Leslieville. The tempurature is perfect and the sun is shining(in my eyes...... oh well you can't win 'em all). Vicki paid her daily visit today with muffins(wild berry/wheat germ), cookies and brownies 'o plenty. Come and get some while they're still here.
Oh ya... it's Alice's birthday today and she didn'teven switch shifts with anyone. What a Trooper!!!!! Make sure you wish her good tidings or feel THE WRATH OF THE BERG!
I just had a taste of the muffin......

WOW!

Vicki has outdone herself again. She's at the Riverdale Organic Farmers Market today between 3 and 7pm. Go say hi and help support the organic community in this fine city.
GO ORGANIC!!

Rawk on!
Matthew

Graham might have saved the day! Thanks for the donation of the receiver Graham! We'll get it hooked up on Monday and be RAWKIN" again. Thanks too for reading our humble communication board with it's rants and raves. A soy Latte on me!

Matthew

WARNING
Mercury Organic Espresso Bar serves products that may have addictive qualities.

A woman on her way to the airport made a pit stop at mercury. She got out of her cab (meter still running) and came in for a latte.
Now that's what I call a good latte.
A woman then walked in a few mintues later to get a cappuccino. She was an hour late for work and still came by to get her coffee.
You are all turning into addicts! awesome! This might be the start of MA. The first step is addmitting you have a problem.
If you have a story or comment about our coffee send it in. I think I'm going to start a contest. Winner gets a kiss from mike.

Its a beautiful sunday to come out and chill. We have banana, coconut, and pineapple muffins. They smell amazing and are still warm! Mike is here...I think me might play a game of pin the tale on the donkey. But please dont make any sudden movements...he is a bit hungover.

Peace out home fry
-alice

The last stretch. Day off tomorrow. Can't make complete sentences. It's a two espresso start kinda day. Went to a grind-core show last night. Not recommended to anyone who's faint of heart. Receiver's not working today so it'll be quiet. Hopefully I can work my magic and change that.

Muffins today are gone. We have vegan brownies for anyone interested. They look delightful.

Does being a vegan make you fart more? I mean, think about all those beans. But then again, it's probably less smelly than having dead animal carcasses running through your body.

I'm deaf in one ear today but please don't yell. Yelling faces make me sad.

alex

la de da.

peach muffins? the news man is coming today. matthew's got his best shirt on. i'll tell you one thing: that theater troupe sub-plot on 'deadwood' better amount to something. or else.

richardson for mayor,
mike.

This girl deserves and iced americano on me cuz she just tickled us in just the right spot. http://gnosticminx.blogspot.com/

lights are out here at mercury, but no worries, we like it that way. what are your feelings on wheat germ? alice says it's a cool thing, healthy and delicious. customers seem divided. we've got a few strawberry and wheat germ muffins left if you'd like to weigh in on the issue.

alice's thought of the day: "if you combine... tigers, pirates... (gets distracted)... head bands from the eighties... that's how i feel today."

whatever alice.

love is a battlefield,
-mike

p.s. both alice and i are waiting for the day that somebody orders an americano, we say "single?" and they say some dumb thing like "sorry, i'm taken." you don't want to be that person.

p.p.s we're now out of muffins, but brownies abound.

m.

Alex here again. T-minus 5 mins till the start of my shift. That full moon last night brought out a bunch of weirdos. Some lady today started to lecture her dog about not "speaking" when she's waiting for her coffee. You'd think she was talking to a child. I'm all for fair treatment of dogs but come on people, there should be a line somewere. He's got no clue what the eff you're talking about. Seriously.

Muffins are gone again. I never knew them at all. But my good friends the chocolate chip cookies are hanging out with me for the time being. Who knows how long our party will last.

Time for some Bronx today. Come on in and hang out with me. I'm still so bored.

alex

Word to your mutha. Alex here. And I will be here all week from 2-7pm for the remainder this week because Jacki decided to go out into the bush to do her black belt training. So if you're into hardcore, heavy metal etc. come on by and rock out with me. Muffins are gone for the day as per usual. We have one chocolate chip cookie left and a whole bunch of biscottis. Fred the carpenter from across the street has a petition against the Starbucks that's opening at Logan and Queen. Their renovations include covering up the beautiful brownstone and Fred just won't have any of it. So if you live in the neighbourhood come sign the sheet! The afternoons here are quite chilled out and I'm always bored to tears so please...come by. I'm lonely. So very...lonely...

now at mercury: apple streussel, raspberry and blueberry muffins, iced coffee beverages and lemonade. i don't think you can handle it, woo.

so james and trish are hitched now, which means we officially have nothing to look forward to other than the inevitable demise of our friends and loved ones (and enemies too, so we sort of win). jackie's at the cottage, alice is at a wedding, i'm going to niagara falls with my girl. i promised her i wouldn't make her go to 'screamers', especially after jackie told me what happened to her "hot" friend there. alex just got here. he's really into black shirts that show off his arm muscles lately. i pray nightly that he won't challenge me to an arm wrestle in front of my girl. i'm sick of the way he saunters around town with all my ex-girlfriends on his muscley arms.

mike.

well alright alright alright.... its a lovely friday morning, not too hot, not too cold. we have some awesome banana rama muffins- come get 'em while they're hot! big week coming up. after my crazy busy weekend, i am off to my boyfriend's cottage on monday. that's right, boyfriend. jacki is back in the game! ya you know it.. this playa is back in action! oh, and more good news- mike found an apartment in hamilton! horray! this is just turning out to be the bestestestest day EVER! well maybe that's a bit of an over-statement, but you get the drift.. tomorrow is james and trish's wedding. i will be providing the lovely vocalistics. (is that a word?) whateva..special thanks to alex and alice for covering my shifts while i am away. i will bring you back some nice northern ontario rocks or some crap.

i'm out.

lata

Congratulations James and Trish!! Saturday's the big day. Then off to the Van. WIKKID! Hope the weather is great. Can't wait to play some tunes. Oce again guys.... CONGRATS!

Today at the Merc, we had some great blueberry muffins (from the magical Vikki). They went quickly, as usual. Vikki said her biscotti Chi was back, and boy was she right. The most delicious ones yet!

Oh ya! Adrian, our new member of this Motley Crue here at Mercury. He's gonna come in on Saturday to meet y'all. Be nice to him... or else.........

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the break in the heat today, and Hopefully saw some of the light(ning) show last night.

See you on Sunday!

RAWK ON!

Matthew

Matthew is the best boss in the world! After sweating like mad for weeks we now have AC. Naw, just joshing with ya. It's still hot. Oh so very hot-

alright, alice just took about 10 minutes to write two lines, which is simply unacceptable. she also just wiped her sweaty face all over my back side (up near the shoulders, if you really must know), which is only slightly more acceptable.

we've got muffins with sesame seeds in them today. i taste bran, but i'm no expert. matthew's outside having a smoke. care to wax philosophical with him?

new artwork up. giant bugs. more on that some other time.

take it alllll off,
mike.

whats goin on? what a glorious day. it has been raining since i left. i suspect that doug is in the same boat after last night. despite my beer chugging contest with alex last night, i am not hungover! i'm sure if i had given in to alex and gone to that show late last night i would be though. so yay for me! where is everyone?! not here! i've been sitting here for like 20 minutes. this is wierd. just so evertyone knows we do not change the music very often here upon request. just be aware of this before you come!

djak

ps. i love kittens!

So Doug enters a new year. 53 is it? Oh ya..... 35. Happy Birthday Big Guy!! I hope you finally get that train set you've been wanting all these years. CHOO CHOOOOOOOOO!! Any hoo... down here on the Mercury front, we've got one delicious Pineapple/Coconut Muffin left, so hurry down before it's gone. As per usual there are all your fav Merc treats as well. Mike's the barista today so watch out everyone.... he's on a roll!

Anything to add Mike?

hear-ye, hear-ye! keith's photos will be up til the thirtieth. jamie's stuff will be up on the first. not more than an hour ago a fly flew up my armpit.

mike. and before that, matt.

p.s. keep your fingers crossed and your ear to the ground as alex and the fella next door pull together to tidy this neighbourhood up!

m and m.

WHO'S GONNA BLOG TODAY?


I AM I AM I AM! djak is in the hizouse, kickin some rhymes and droppin some beats.. ok whatever, i am just making lattes and shit. mike, matthew and i just ate some tasty reliable fish, chips and chicken strips! (sick rhyme eh?) it just so happens it was tasty as well.

we discovered today that mike doesn't really eat he just pretends and throws it on the floor. i think he chews it first. i had to sweep it up. it was gross. enough about mikey.

i don't know what else to write. i am drawing a blank. happy birthday to grandpa doug (tomorrow!!!)

cheers,

jack

Well, well well..... Here's a first! Matthew's first blog. EVER!! We're all sold out of muffins and we've gone through about 5 1/2 lbs of coffee and it's only 10:30am! We do have a delicious wild blueberry(picked in Sudbury)tart left, a few chocolate chip cookies, and acouple new items. Some lovely gingerman(or woman if she's wearing pants and not a skirt) cookies and some amazing cookies full of oatmeal, walnuts, and chocolate. Alice and I are trying to figure out what to call them. Any suggestions? Have you tried the Caffe Mekki yet? I think you should, but you have to set aside 5 or 10 minutes of your day to enjoy it here 'cause it doesn't come to go.

I've just been told by Douglas that the cookie recipe is from Nieman Marcus. Thankyou Doug.

Later folks!

but now it is time to reveal this weekend's feature latte: ethioooopian yerrrrrgacheffe! floral, citrus-y, quite complex.

muffins this morning are carrot/apple/raisin and banana flax. with nuts, so don't be dying on us. it's early and the left speaker is blown. have you ever listened to led zepplin through one speaker?

there is a nice looking young fella drinking an espresso by himself on the couch. won't you join him?

mike.

p.s. if you don't feel like mercury today, we'd like to suggest you quench your thirst with a diet coke and a handful of mentos. trust us.

hello

today is friday. that means absolutely nothing to me because i work weekends. hooray for life! so my roomates got a pitbull puppy. it's very cute but it scares me. plus i figured out that they have no idea what they are doing when they didn't know that the dog had to go outside in the morning to pee. soooooo guess who ended up walking the scary little bastard at 5:00 am. ME!

WHATEVER.

mike is making a latte right now. do you think he can live up to my fabulous drinks? not too likely.. one day perhaps. oh who am i kidding i will always be the best!

i am hungry hungry hungry right now. i am thinking about getting some fish and chips. i wish that halibut would just swim it's tasty ass over to me right now! (i mean that in the most non sexual way possible, despite how it sounds)

well i am out.

djak

p.s. we have blueberry muffins and cran-oatmeal muffins which look absolutely delectable.

allo! mike and i are here today.. it's friday! yahoo! i am sick feeling today and i wish alice would wake up and come work for me. blaaaaaaaaa!!!! anyways.. mike's making drinks today.. his latte art is crap though. the next time he makes a drink with a "hook" on it i am going to punch him. jacki's latte art boot camp never fails to work!!!! on to real things.. today we have mango blueberry muffins, choco-chip cookies, lemon rosemary biscotti, and we may have a couple of vegan banana muffins left. see you all on tha flipside.

djak

hey-o,
two raspberry streusel muffins left. come get some.
check that. three left.

alex is on his way with some bbq'd pork sandwiches from the bakery on baldwin, but we're not sharing.

that is all.
mike.

p.s. if you can bare the thought of missing elimidate tonight, come check out matt's show at sneaky's 'round midnight. can't make it tonight? come see them on the 18th at the smiling buddha. details at myspace.com/soupkitchenlineup.

m.

goooood morning and welcome to blogtime in jacki town. it is a very rainy day and i am loving it!!!! however, i would much rather be in bed. rainy days are perfect for that. i think that might be where our man matthew is today... perhaps he will come down for a coffee later. maybe not. it is his day off after all.

it is dark outside right now, and very cozy in here. so come on down, have a seat on our nice comfy couch and enjoy a latte!

we have run out of muffins already! but, we do have choco-chip cookies, lemon rosemary biscotti and brownies baked by the one and only vikki!

reminder to all: matthew's show is tomorrow evening at sneaky dee's.

mike thinks that my blog sounds like a morning glory blog. perhaps it does. but, it makes a hell of a lot more sense than the last 5 blogs! anyhoo.. hope to see you all today or perhaps tomorrow evening at matthew's show!

-jacki

Hey, Mercury wants to show you photographer Keith Barker's miniature world through the month of July.




You like, non?

"How's it going?"
"Whats that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, how are you DOING?"
"Are you trying to psychoanalyze me?"
"No, I was just wondering how your day is going."
"Well why do you want to know? Are you going to tell me something I don't know?"
"Look I was just making conversation..."
"Well, I'll ask you how are you?"
"Well we were doing fine until..."
"Until what?"
"Until you came along."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."

(this conversation was modified to protect the identities of both parties involved)

(To be read while bobbing head to Van Halen's "Right Now").

Right now... Matthew and Mike have Jim's Best Western's meatballs glued to their ribs.

Right now... Alex is too busy downloading Norwegian death metal to notice the customer at the register.

Right now... Jackie is probably working her other job and Alice is definitely hung over.

Right now... We're out of both our banana flax muffin and our banana spelt muffin. (Thank heavens for the banana millet muffins.)

Right now... We will happily make you an iced latte, but not an iced cappuccino because come on.

Right now... Van Halen's "Right Now" probably has you pining for a Crystal Pepsi like it's the summer of '92.

xo,
Mike.

Alice Berg is the type of girl that you can push around but will still keep on truckin'. Today she asked if she could go out and talk to her friends and I said yes. 10 minutes later I found her beating up our composting bin outside. When I inquired as to why she was performing a face lift on our bin she simply replied that it looked at her in "an aggressive" way. That's who'll be making your coffees on Wednesday afternoons.

Love, Alex

I'm not sure if anyone has ever told you this, but Matthew is a hero. He saved my life once. For his great act of kindness I found no better way to repay my debt then work for free. Thats right FREE. So let this be known... If Matthew saves your life, you too may be working at Mercury. Three cheers for Matthew (and one cheer for that crazy goat).
- Ali(ce)

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