Double Espresso, Long

Toronto has an espresso bar in every neighborhood. Back home, there’s one espresso machine every 50 square miles. For an authentic wannabe Italian like myself, nothing says manhood like a black, so-bitter-it’s-sweet cup of roasted beans. It’s my heritage. So we came across Baretto Caffe, ranked one of the top 100 restaurants in Canada by the Yelp masters.

Tucked away in a medical park, the barista at this unique café made me the best, strongest, most magnificent espresso I’ve ever had. It was so potent, surely medically unsafe. I was buzzing for hours. He gave it to me free of charge in exchange for a good review. They will get a good review.

This is a powerful lesson: give your best away for free. The value will come back to you. It always does.