he bright orange façade on Roncesvalles Avenue (between Pearson and Marion) is not merely screaming out for your attention – it is, with much effect, notifying the java consuming masses that something hot and new has arrived, and is going to give you a feel-good jolt with your cup of joe.

Tinto Coffee House is the latest hip addition to the village that is regenerating a discovery of why this is becoming one of the cities hotter neighbourhoods. The word “tinto” is red wine in Latin America but throughout Columbia, from where owners Ricardo Rozental and Elvia Sáenz originate, it is slang for a cup of coffee.

For the caffeine junkie who needs that big fix, espressos, americanos, mild and strong coffee’s are just some of the hot beverages that are available. And it’s just not a coffee that’s on tap; maps of North America, Canada and Colombia line the front (markings made to let you know where in Brazil and Colombia the coffee comes from) and selections of imported chocolate from Ecuador (also circled on the map) are displayed for you to peruse and (hopefully) buy.

This neighbourhood has been in dire need of a sit-down coffeehouse where you can enjoy casual banter, read, work (they have free wireless internet hook up) without it being one of the almighty corporate chains. And it also avoids the “let’s hang out in front of the fireplace feel” that is so prevalent with many coffee shops. Rozental and Sáenz have beaten the big boys to a part of town that is becoming one of the city’s hot spots.