Brewed Awakening Elite Event @ Lit Espresso Bar

« Unilocalers and coffee and beer, oh my. Unilocalers and coffee and beer, oh my.» Yes it was very «My oh my» at this coffee laden elite event. I briefly served as door gal (aka «buxom brunette»), and I thoroughly enjoyed welcoming everyone’s smiling faces. If I didn’t know your name before, I do now (hands folded and mysterious laugh ensues). It also gave me the opportunity to chat a little with the amazing owner of said coffee mêlée. What an amazing dynamic lady, full of charm and delightfully clothed by the fabulous H&M. (I’m stealing the outfit Nicole!) Supporting such great businesses is what I love about Unilocal.Kudos to Kat for hooking us up with the heartbeat of the city.
While it was a little warmish inside (damn the man), Kat saved the day by passing out fabulous freezies, effectively taking me back to younger days, reducing my internal temperature and giving me a rocking sugar high. Not only were there freezies, but fans aplenty saving us from the sweltering 38 degrees outside.
I imbibed some of the refreshing Lemon Tea beer and a «Nicole» recommended Cortado (hmm my spelling belies my obvious lack of coffee knowledge, damn you Starbucks). The coffee was great, and the beer was beer, while I enjoyed it, my favourite is still the Mill Street Organic, but free beer = no complaints here. I had an errand boy bring me a butter tart which was out of this world, and thankfully I saved myself the extra thousand calories I would have been forced to have by staying far far away from the treats table.
I did however engage in the cupping, which was a coffee adventure so to speak, and have scheduled another to fully understand the ins and outs of coffee brewing. Mike was an amazing host taking us through the ins and outs of coffee brewery with ease and alacrity. We couldn’t have asked for more, and the ensuing caffeine high kept me roasting well into the night as I studied for a dreaded midterm.
Each event shows me a little picture of Toronto and is amazing people. Thanks Unilocal (and Lit) for enriching my life a little bit more!

This was a super great event. Could have been one of my favourite of all time! Lit has such a great atmosphere, which is no doubt heightened by attractive indie-​type employees.
The food from Circles and Squares was freaking AMAZING!!! Like Janna, I want to hold and kiss and squeeze people who omit the dastardly raisin from butter tarts. They were so big, gooey and freaking good that I was ready to just… I don’t even know what really. And those brownies? I really almost cried they made me so deliriously excited and happy. I did consider taking the entire plate of them and just jumping on the College car and away to freedom. So chocolately, fudgey, moist and… salty and crunchy! Holy crap!
This was such a fun and different Unilocal event! Kudos to Kat and that sexy door girl for orchestrating such a dynamite night! LOVED IT!

I didn’t get to stay as long as I would’ve liked but I had a great time. The food was soo delicious. I was camped out at the baked goods table. Shoutout to the chocolate banana muffiin. and the brownies… the brownies. I’ve had dreams about those brownies. We shall meet again! I’m not a coffee drinker but I enjoyed the Lemon Tea Beer. As Kelly O said, «it actually TASTES like lemon tea!» And the freezies came at the perfect time as I was sweltering from the Elite heat!
Kat, awesome Elite Event as usual!

My first Elite event since Lou Dawgs so it was really nice to come back and see some familiar faces. And the best part is that it was 10 minutes away from where I live, so getting there was an absolute breeze.
Really liked this Lit Bar a lot. Very nice layout and good décor. The owner was very nice and seemed genuinely happy to have us there, and that always makes me feel wanted and special (aww). It was definitely warm but for someone who overheats like crazy like me I didn’t feel like it was unbearable at all. Plus the breeze from the front door was perfect and the handy Unilocal fans were a nice touch.
Was sad I never got to try a panini, but was overwhelmed by the amount of desserts in the back. So much so that I thought maybe they weren’t even free? Definitely a dope spread going on back there. Was also nice to have a DJ keeping the music rolling. A soundtrack for events and gatherings is essential.
The Mill Street girl was very nice as well. Even though I wasn’t a fan of the lemon tea beer it was nice getting a tall can of something! I really liked the coffee porter though. Two excellent beer choices. Plus the owner even offered to make me an iced coffee. So kind.
I will be back to this place. I’m always in the area and I love coffee! I am actually drinking some coffee right now as I write this review. For real.

I’m definitely not one to drink coffee on a daily basis, and the reason is two-​fold: 1) I hate the coffee chains that have taken over Toronto (chain being more than 10 shops in a city). 2) Coffee is a very potent drug. At least for me!
That being said, I do try to enjoy a ‘gourmet’ cup about once a week, and Lit definitely delivered. I really enjoyed learning about coffee from the folks behind the bar. The cupping was really interesting but a little slow for my taste. Finally, all of the staff were really cool and into coffee, and I think the (equally cool) owners have done a great job of putting together a good team. Special shout-​out goes to Bizz (I think!) for the awesome Chemex (slow-​filtered coffee) and history lesson on coffee circa 1930!
Long story short:
— a big thank you to Kat F and the staff. I was wired till 4am.
— It was great seeing familiar faces and thanks to this event, I ended up at the Kensington UYE which was an awesome experience.
–oh, and I felt the heat!

My triumphant return to the Elite world. It’s been too long since I was at an event last, and it was good to see some top-​notch Unilocalites (you know who you are) and meeting Eric M, Lisa M, Stephanie C, and Jon M!
Highlights:
1. Kat hoisting a huge box of generic brand frozen ice treats (Renata is right, we _​should_​call them bagsicles)
2. Delicious coffee in a cup four sizes too big. It was great.
3. Butter tarts (!) and grilled cheese paninis.
4. The cuppin’ (esp. «breaking of the crust of the surface once it is warmed and moistened» tee hee)
Lowlights:
1. Stultifying heat. Call me Dakota, because I was Fanning like crazy. (Meh?) Good thing I have wrists of steel.
2. Possibly getting syphillis from Susan C. as I followed her in the ‘spooning’ of coffee.
3. Having to leave early. There are a truckload of Unilocalers I need to meet still. (Next Elite event: on a truck?)
Midnights aka the After After Party:
1. I saw Dale M!
2. I sat on a perfectly-​sized rocking chair!
Awesome élite évent. Good job, Kat.

Yo Kat, just between you and me, this was my *~favourite~* Elite event yet. For several reasons, which I will now rehash just for you.
1. Sweet lil venue. I’ll definitely be back. The owner, the staff, the PR girl — all lovely.
2. The selection of treats — I didn’t sample the plethora of sweets or panini, but I’m pretty sure there was enough to feed an army of horses.
3. The music by DJ Johnny H. Dopeness!
4. The Freezee rescue. Things got a little sweaty, and these were a welcome bonus. Question: why did everyone sardine around the hot coffee bar instead of the cool, breezy door? TELL ME.
5. The cupping sessions. I didn’t do, but what a great addition.
Well DONE.

Another awesome Elite event pulled off with ease from Toronto’s treasure Kat F! Kat, you are amazing and it’s events like these that make me appreciate what a great bunch of misfits you’ve helped foster!
Lit, you guys know how to pull out the big guns. Cupping and free espressos and free suds? The lemon beer was wonderful!
The only drawback was the insane heat. This put a serious damper on my conversation skills as I was hoping to stay longer and introduce myself to a bunch of people I hadn’t met but I left feeling about as comfortable as this:
However, that’s a minor quibble. Thanks again, Kat!

Another solid event from Kat F. + Co… and one I could actually attend! I miss a couple of these things and all of a sudden I don’t recognize anyone, and no one knows who the fuck Neil T. is!
Loved the cupping — couldn’t believe how much dorky tech talk there was in coffee. Impressive!
Tough when there’s not a ton of food, but the food that was there was fantabulous. I’m a sucker for pecan tarts. Good times, just what I needed on a Thursday eve.

Awesome event. Thanks everybody.
It was really hot inside and Kat provided those refreshing thingys (bagsicles? do you actually have a name for those? I LOVE them! Felt like a child!) but the event was about coffee, right? So, let’s start from the beginning.
I asked for a very dark evil short strong espresso. And that’s what I got. I love when people understand the concept of BLACK delicious espressos. It makes you shaaaake. I also tried the HUGE GIANT MOCHA and had to recommend it to my friend Joan.
I have to agree with Lauren that Kev is my favourite barista, as he provided me treats all nite long.
Oh, yes, the food deserves another five star: I ATE LIKE A MONSTER, I COULDN’T STOP EATING, THEIR SEA SALT BROWNIE COMES FROM OUTER SPACE. Molasses cookies were incredible also.
The cupping was fun, I enjoyed smelling, etc, but I would have liked more drinking small bits of different espressos. I tried it with some brownie to enhance the flavours. I liked!
Loved everything about this event, and I’m looking forward to visit Lit on a normal situation, because it looks awesome!

I didn’t know what to expect, but I swear I’ll come as a +buddy until someone makes me an elite member so I have a fancy «elite» member nametag! Amazing times! Amazing people!
«Do I have to pay for this?» as someone laughs at me, offers me the Unilocal!bottle opener, and I am on my way to making Unilocal wristbands my beer cozy.
«You’re always at the right place, at the right time, Kev» as he supplied us with endless great tasting paninis! MMM… I felt a little bad for the brownies (and happy to see a lot of you loved them) because they just sat there, sad, waiting to be eaten! They were so melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious I was surprised I stopped at 2… or was it 3? The ginger molasses cookie was also, just as great. Sorry scones, maybe next time.
The lemon beer was great, but the coffee beer? Mill St. what were you thinking?! Did anyone actually like that? One sip of that and I was sneakingly handing it back… Please take it! TAKE IT BACK!
Lit Expresso bar is a cute little place, and I promise I will visit more often. (I live across the street!) but after quitting Starbucks, I have not had an inkling for a latte or a coffee cupping in quite some time. Not your fault Lit. I did enjoy an Iced Mocha when they first opened, and It was the best Iced Mocha I have ever had! Starbucks, move over… Stumptown is going to stump on you!
Anyway, Thanks to Kat for this totally awesome event! I loved it.

Another great Unilocal Elite event organized by Kat F and her team. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Lit Espresso is a coffee joint that I’ll have to try again in the future. It’s also the place to stock up on Stumptown coffee beans — any franchise that is poised to become the next Starbucks, I’m in full support of. The yummy grilled cheese sandwiches, the pecan butter tarts, the freezies… all were delicious!
The cupping session was informative thanks to the very personable Mike of Lit Espresso, and I already have a favourite flavour that I hope to try again (with a bit of milk and sugar in it). My favourite was El Injerto, what was yours?
I had a great time catching up with local favourite Unilocalers (hey Greg C!) and meeting new ones (hey Vivek, Steph L and R.J.!) But my highlight was meeting Lisa M, who isn’t on Unilocal but works as a barista for my local coffee shop. That was pretty awesome.

Wow, this was the rare Elite event where I did not get drunk and make a total ass of myself. Instead I got wired on caffeine and sugary snacks (and made an ass of myself).
The cupping session was cool. So was the iced cortado and the Lit staff dressed like Alpine yodelers. Even the Mill Street Lemon Tea beer – because it was free and I am not such a beer snob that I will turn down free suds.
Not cool: Me schvitzing like a whore in a synagogue. The freezies from Kat F. provided much-​needed relief. (Why don’t we have freezies at every event? Or just hire Vivek and Tony to fan us?)
As always, it was sweet to see the Elite fleet. You guys complete me. Bah, not really but I do enjoy your company.
Kat F., thanks for another great gathering!
Please note: I refuse to participate in the spooning session at the next event.

My first Elite event as an Elite!!! Woooooot!
This place was so much fun and can I say how much I love ANYONE who leaves the raisins OUT of the butter tarts?! They know what they’re doing… all the food was tasty and the iced coffee helped take the edge off the steamy temperature.
As always, Kat F and her Unilocaler helpers made this event one to remember — Kat was out in full force with freezies to prevent heat stroke, and I was especially excited to bring home my very own Unilocal lunchbox! Now if only I could make those molasses ginger cookies at home…
I’m really not a fan of beer so I don’t think it’s fair to comment on the selection offered, but Mill Street represented well with big smiles and plenty of free samples.

Very fun event. I definitely need to go back and sample some of the coffee beverages. I didn’t partake as I had already been highly caffeinated from too many work-​coffee-​bevvies, but coffee is my thing and Lit has class.
Staff was great, props to my fav barrista KEV for keeping me adequately supplied with panini to eat.
Molasses cookies were fab as were the brownies :)
Mill St Lemon Tea beer was aight, but that Coffee brew was completely rank. Sorry Mill St :) beer fail
Thanks to Kat for coordinating another fab event!

Thanks Kat and team Unilocal!!!
What a wonderful event!
I woke up this morning and everything still smelled like coffee!
Things I learned from Lit Espresso Bar
1) «Cupping» and being good at «Cupping» takes a lot of practice.
With a lineup of different coffee grinds, you have to be patient and work your way through each one. After the third round of coffee sniffing, you just want to get down to business and drink some coffee!!!
The Hair Bender blend was the most potent but surprisingly smooth.
2) Brownies topped with sea salt aren’t bad!
At first, it seems strange, like someone reached for the sugar but ended up with the salt. The salt was an interesting combination with the sweetness of the brownie. Brownies were über chocolately and moist, fall apart soft! I ate about four of them. The salty top was different and made me want more coffee.
3) Lemon Tea Ale is great on a hot summer day… or in a hot unconditioned venue!
The venue is charming but it did get warm with the coffee making, sandwich making, and all the excited Unilocalers! I made good use of my Unilocal fan.
Anyways, I had a great time! … And now, I want coffee.

This might have been the best elite event that we’ve had in Toronto so far.
Casual, unpretentious, social and relaxed… this beautiful venue offered all guests something to do, without needing to resort to the ‘wallflower’ vs. ‘social butterfly’ dynamic that bars bring out so well.
From schwag to scones, this had it all. The entire community was impressed with the evening.
The delicious pastries from Circles and Squares were the highlight for me. Perhaps I just get off on watching beautiful people eat butter tarts?
To each his own I say.

Another great event as usual. Even us non-​coffee drinkers seemed to enjoy themselves. I did not participate in the cupping as I think I do enough cupping on a regular basis… we’ll stop that one right there.
Mill St.‘s Lemon Tea Wheat Ale was very tasty and quite refreshing for this hot party. Of the various goodies I tried from Circles and Squares the brownie was probably the best. The sea salt threw me off a little but the brownie was moist and chewy.
Another great event Kat, good job. Who was that busty brunette at the door? She was quite enchanting!
My pictures are posted here:

Another great event! Thank you to Kat for organizing the event and a huge kudos to Danielle for doing an awesome job at the door.
Coffee + Mariko = Happy
Beer + Mariko= Happy
Sweets + Mariko = Happy
It was a win-​win!
The iced lattes were perfect for last night as it helped me to cool down in the scorching heat. They weren’t too strong, nor too weak, but just right. I dig the Lemon Tea beer, but I can’t say the same for the Coffee beer. Fellow Unilocal’er Lauren M. warned me about the latter, but I had to try it. The first few sips were okay, but after that it was downhill. Oh well, you win a little, you lose a little. Finally, the sweets were absolutely delish. I especially liked the various scones and the pecan butter tart. Lit also provided panninis — I don’t want to be the downer in the string of excellent reviews, but I found their sandwiches to be mediocre.
Location was great! I always love going to Little Italy in the summer for either an iced coffee of some sort of gelatto. In spite of the hype of this area, I always manage to find parking for a reasonable price. The service at Lit Espresso Bar was fantastic. The servers were all prompt and were quick to take your order in spite of how busy and crowded the establishment was last night.
I’ll be back!

I knocked one down, then I got up again
You’re never going to keep me down.
I knocked another one down, then I got up again
You’re never going to keep me down.
(Pissing the night away, pissing the night away)
I drink a Tea Beer drink, I drink a coffee beer drink
I drink a Lager drink, I drink a Latte drink
I sings the song that remind me of the good times
I sings the song that remind me of the best times.
(Oh Tony Boy, Tony Boy Tony Boy)
I knocked one down, then I got up again
You’re never going to keep me down.
—
Another awesome Elite event. And yes I sang me reminders of the best times. I am quickly getting used to these events, and enjoying it. It was my first time «Cupping» and am very glad I missed out on the tea bagging. All I can say is. it smelt like coffee. If this is confusing you. I’m sure someone else will be better explaining what I’m talking about.
The place was feelin’ hot hot hot, party people all around me. Yeah aroom boom boom boom.
Hey hey hey, yes I liked it a lot. Fevered feeling, hot hot hot.
(okay okay the place was hot, you get it… I’m using way too many different song lyrics in this review — I’ll give someone a buck if they can name me the three songs at the next Elite).
It was nice meeting new Unilocalers and catching up with what now seems like old friends. Thanks again Kat for organizing an awesome event.
As you can tell I’m super wired after all the caffeine, and will be up until sunrise.