Equator Coffee Westboro

I’ve been into Equator Coffee on Churchill approximately 15 to 20 times. It’s not uncommon to wait for service while the staff finish a conversation amongst themselves, but the coffee is good. Here’s an overview of my most recent experiences:
A month ago I met someone there for a meeting and the music was so loud, it was difficult hear each other talk. Also, the internet didn’t seem to be working on that particular day so we left.
Last week I stopped in for a medium roast coffee and I was told it would be about 5 minutes to make a new batch, so I changed to a dark roast. I thought it was unusual to let me know they were all out after I had ordered and paid.
This morning I picked up a medium coffee and the cup was only ¾ full after I added milk. I thought that was a little odd, but I also ordered a brownie which was fresh. When I paid for my order by Interac I was prompted to leave a 15% tip, which I did, but frankly I’ve yet to experience anything that resembles good customer service.
Overall I feel like the staff expect customers to feel thankful that they are allowed into the premises. It wouldn’t hurt to smile or say thank-​you to a customer every once in a while.

You won’t get a better Americano anywhere!!! I mean it. The best!!! And coffee is roasted fresh in Almonte. Great place to hang out too.

We went here for afternoon coffee and reading. The space is very open and bright with a large communal table near the cashier.
The coffee was great and is clearly a key to this place’s success.
The environment was quite nice, though the organization of the tables seemed a tad odd as they are bunched together at the back with a large open space in front of them.

This place opened up a few months ago (December 2014) but despite walking by it many times, I never went in until last week. There is no dearth of coffee shops in Westboro, but it’s nice to have an independent alternative among the Starbucks, Second Cups, and Bridgeheads — of which there are 2 within a block of each other (!).
Stepping into the café, it definitely has that indie coffee shop vibe. Their menu is written on a blackboard. Their calorie-​free sweetener is stevia. There’s a big communal table as well as smaller tables. They have coffee, tea, pastries and sandwiches.
I had a chai tea ($ 2.75) and a turkey sandwich ($ 7.50). If you are staying, you can sit down and they will bring your order to your table. The tea is loose leaf tea which they serve to you in a little pot. The chai was delicious — very fragrant. The turkey sandwich was good albeit a little too greasy for my liking. Before they put it in the press/​grill they either butter it or oil it and I felt they were a little too heavy-​handed with that. Other than that, I liked my sandwich. It had spinach, cucumbers, cheese, turkey and a sweet sauce (maybe a sweet relish?). With the tea it was a nice light lunch.
Their coffee is organic and fair-​trade. They roast all their coffee at their store in Almonte.
Equator Coffee is a nice addition to the neighbourhood.