t wasn't so long ago that downtown cafés served up a dependably good cup o' brew. Now, it seems, in a frantic pinch to absorb creeping coffee prices and make a few extra cents on the general public's most widespread daily habit, those old standbys are increasingly unpredictable, often serving up weak coffee and noticeably less bang for the buck.

Hence, this week we turn to the art of coffee. Not the mass-produced Who-Gives-a-Shit skim milk latte nonsense, marketing campaign vs. marketing campaign. We’re talking about primal, unadulterated, charismatic spots pumping out hot flavourful brew - with no use for any code-word ordership whatsoever.

In this Top Ten list, quality is rewarded and pompous self-righteousness is scorned. Behind our coffee-drinking masks, we twist arms in defense of what we cherish, what we believe in, what we like. Here, we sing the praises of quality. If you want a big, Styrofoam cup of brew with some half & half, stop reading this and go to Country Style or something.


Balzac's Café
Highly original, and, before we get all crazy talking about the coffee, we want you to know that the place is drop-dead gorgeous. This cozy café in the Distillery District is already three years old, but feels as vital to the area as Gooderham and Worts itself. Sit for hours reading a book or just stare out the window at the movie sets (almost daily something’s being filmed), listen to the endless repartee of the staffers as they dispense with a constant parade of neighbourhood traffic. The coffee is grand, as are the fresh-baked pastries. The Distillery District, 55 Mill Street


b espresso
The air in B Espresso is fragrant with coffee. No jostling, servers man the station so that no one waits more than a minute for their orders. Coffees are served steaming and bracing. A solid move up the scale in the coffee hierarchy, as this location emulates the Italian style espresso bar. Dapper baristas - looking as though they were flown in from Italy - hover about the espresso machine while the svelte servers sashay about the room clearing tables. Newspapers and glossy magazines sit neatly in racks, and a placard hanging from above proclaims that only Illy coffee beans are used. 111 Queen Street East


Bull Dog Coffee
Transvestites, TTC drivers, off-time club kids, art dealers and postal workers alike flock to Church Street’s Bulldog Coffee to soak in the caffeinated energy and designer lattes served up by Stuart Ross and co. It’s the designer Latte Art that lures them here in droves. The coffee itself is an Arabica blend from North Africa and Central America - mucho wakeful without bitterness - with organic and decaf brews always included among at least four options. Now that the good weather and longer days are kicking in, the question arises, can an otherwise sleepy intersection handle all this good energy? 80 Granby Street


Café Diplomatico
Say you not only want good coffee, but, God forbid, a pleasant place to sit and enjoy it - not an easy find these days, when surliness seems to be a standard café staffer prerequisite. Not so at The Dip. A humble but wonderful hole in the wall on the west edge of the College Street Strip, this is the place for a good book or a good chat and good coffee. The busy Little Italy space is warm and inviting - none of that straining-to-be-hip coffee-bar pretentiousness, and even better on the patio. Most importantly, the coffee, though not quite amazing, is consistently good. 594 College Street


Clafouti
We sat down for lunch one day at Clafouti with every cell in our bodies jonesin' for good coffee and hot, buttery croissants. Our impeccably high standards, however, would not be compromised: no doughy, mass-produced croissant would do. Nope, we wanted the real McCoy: a light as air croissant with a sweet, flaky crust. Were we ever pleased, then, when croissants were just hitting the selves - fresh, made by pros and painstakingly perfect. With consistent buttery, crispy and simultaneously chewy croissants and a flavourful cup of house brew, our cravings were satiated, and our grandma-induced standards were met. 915 Queen Street


I Deal Coffee
Pretty much unknown to those outside the Kensington Market neighbourhood, as well as many newcomers to it, I Deal Coffee takes caffeine seriously. This is James Fournier’s coffee shrine, where beans are carefully selected and roasted, pumping out a traditional “old style” roasterie of the past. Fortier really does know his coffee-related stuff; he brings in fresh batches of coffee each month from Central America, Africa and Asia. He then roasts beans daily, for those who want their Guatemalan Huehuetenango organic, bird friendly, co-operatively farmed coffee roasted to a dark French and poured in an eighteen second double shot espresso. 84 Nassau Street


Jet Fuel
The high-voltage experience begins at the doorway, where clusters of smokers hang loose, lattes in hand, bantering at a feverish pitch. Step into the raw coffee shop and what you get is a small, pumping gallery-like space, offering simple, quality coffee, and not much more. You can get a Jet Fuel coffee (a latte), read the papers and just chill. It's the brainchild of John Englar, whose aim is to pare things down and to have a little fun on top of it. The bike-courier harmony doesn't trouble the friendly groups of coworkers that come to relax their highly-caffeinated selves. 519 Parliament Street


Moonbean Cafe
Moonbean grabs you from the moment you step into its square footage and draw a breath. We inhaled the rich fragrance of coffee beans from all over the globe, and were helpless from that point forward. Moonbeam sells all the hits (French and Italian roast, Columbian, Kenya AA) and lots of java aimed at a cult audience (Chocolate Raspberry and a chicory-laden Louisiana blend). You can find the store filled with all flavours of bean stored in burlap bags. Moonbean also sells several varieties of teas, chocolate squares to melt in your drink, and all the coffee-making paraphernalia you’ll ever need. 30 St. Andrew


Patachou
Now that Patachou has relocated down the street, the French cottage look is out, and in is a sunny, streamlined look, showcasing a bleached wood service counter, designer chairs and tables and a refinished tin ceiling. Patachou’s staff tells us that the coffees are a special blend developed by the café’s owners with a local roaster. They are rich and somewhat nutty, thick but not so roasted as to make you feel like the beans have been burned. Now when we have a real coffee craving, we are relentlessly drawn to Patachou to satisfy our caffeine proclivity. 1120 Yonge Street