Ask any true caffeine junkie in Toronto to give you a rundown of the city's best coffee shops, and their list will look something like this: Hank's, Cherry Bomb, Red Rocket, Manic Coffee and Dark Horse Espresso. What's the common thread? Sam James. The fresh-faced 25 year old has earned his title as one of the best baristas in the city not only by working the espresso machines at the most respected cafes indie cafes in the city, but also by competing (and often winning) in Barista championships. He may not be a household name, but it's hard to think of anyone more qualified to open his own coffee shop. Now that he's found a suitable location a bit off the beaten track of Harbord Street (i.e. west of Bathurst), the man finally has a café to call his own, the Sam James Coffee Bar.

It's no secret that this is a showcase of Sam and his celebrated barista skills. With his name front and centre (a rarity for Toronto coffee shops), Sam James Coffee Bar is a reflection of Sam's singular caffeine-addled vision and philosophy. Unlike many of the city's snob-pleasing indie cafes (where vintage Coca Cola signs seem to be a mandatory design element), the design is extremely clean and simple, not so much a place to hang out for hours on your MacBook as a place to enjoy a superior cup of Joe. This is indeed a European style coffee bar: small, bright, and unfussy. The walls are white, the floors are tiled, and there are only five seats in the whole space. It's the kind of place where you'll order your coffee at the bar and drink it at the bar.

There's a reason that that design doesn't call attention to itself. It's not because Sam hasn't put much thought into it (he tells me he's been writing hypothetical floor plans long before he actually had a space), but because the focus is strictly on product and service. Sam is in his shop any time it's open, and the other two baristas he's employed (from Manic Coffee and Dark Horse) have also cut their teeth in upscale coffee joints and competitions. The word that keeps coming up over and over again is "craftsmanship."

James laments the increasing automated approach to making coffee. "I just can't get down with it," he says. "It's disrespectful to the craft. It's all about pride and personality. You can't get that from a machine. I don't want to serve anyone anything I'm not comfortable with." Sam James' coffee, an exclusive fair trade brand from Montreal called Toi Moi, is roasted onsite and make use of the single origin wine model. All syrups and mocha sauces are made in house, and drip coffees are made with a French Press. Everything is hand-measured and handmade.

"Just a cup of coffee" is a phrase that isn't in Sam James' vocabulary. Although he's been around from café to café, he claims that it was Hank's that really shaped him because of the presence of its owner, Toronto super-chef Jamie Kennedy. "That was one of the more impressive places I've ever worked," he says. "Jamie Kennedy's places are all about his personality, and that's why he's so involved. He's not afraid to get his hands dirty, and neither am I." James seems to have adopted a lot of Kennedy's practices in producing upscale cuisine and applied them to making lattes, espressos, and macchiatos.