Tokyo Smoke

OUR ARTICLE

Searching along Queen Street West for a safe spot to mainline some caffeine into your system, you stumble inside Tokyo Smoke – a cannabis lifestyle shop that pours some of Toronto’s finest coffee, lattes, and espresso, where every day is 4/20. You settle into one of the seats that line the shop’s front window, positioning yourself for some prime people watching along Toronto’s famous Queen Street West

Tokyo Smoke prides itself on being a place for those who ‘embrace beautiful design along with alternative states of mind’.

Initially occupying a modified shipping container, Tokyo Smoke has developed into a full-fledged lifestyle brand. Described as the one-stop shop for Toronto’s ‘sophisticated smoker’, since their opening in 2015, Tokyo Smoke has been at the forefront of the ‘green rush’; Canada’s upcoming marijuana legalization.

Along with serving up super-charged espresso, Tokyo Smoke is also a dealer purveyor of high-end cannabis accessories, as well as apparel in collab with local Toronto brands. But first, coffee.

Tokyo Smoke creates their caffeinated concoctions with beans from Toronto’s Pilot Coffee Roasters – another nod to their dedication of collaborating with local brands.  Regardless of your go-to fix, each drink on the menu is poured to perfection.

Cannabis accessories from local producer HIGHNOON look more like delicately crafted ceramic sculptures than the pipe that you would hide from your parents in high school. Choosing to smoke from these works of art can be likened to enjoying your favorite cocktail from vintage crystal barware – you wouldn’t drink an Old Fashioned out of a red solo cup, right?

Tokyo Smoke’s apparel is produced in collaboration with Toronto retailer KOTN. Located a few doors down from Tokyo Smoke, KOTN produces wardrobe essentials sourced directly from cotton farming families in Egypt. The KOTN x Tokyo Smoke apparel is a staple for those dialed into Toronto’s streetwear scene.

Tokyo Smoke is also driven to become the industry leader in cannabis education. In addition to their blog, Tokyo Smoke hosts regular seminars and information sessions with topics that vary from identifying cannabis strains, interactive joint rolling classes, as well as sessions celebrating women making an impact in the cannabis industry.

As Wu-Tang fades into The Fugees over the speakers, the barista waves to their regular customers and warmly greet those who are new to the shop. Tokyo Smoke prides itself on being a place for those who ‘embrace beautiful design along with alternative states of mind’. Unlike many of the minimalist-centric coffee shops packed with hipsters pretending to blog on their laptops, Tokyo Smoke is a genuinely friendly spot that is dedicated to contributing to their neighborhood and radiating positivity.