# New York specialty coffee. Talk to me



## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I know of a few smaller indie places but on the whole, have no clue other than the big boys (Stumptown, Veuve, Bluebottle et all).

Anyone share some tips on places, roasters, hell, even baristas? I'll reward with drunken selfies.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

How about here......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2760567/How-YOU-brewin-Real-life-Central-Perk-coffee-shop-opens-New-York-celebrate-20-year-anniversary-Friends.html


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Might be worth tweeting brian from brians coffee spot, he goes out there a fair bit, in fact i think he was out there a few weeks ago...


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## Gerrard Burrard (May 7, 2014)

Cafe Grumpy http://cafegrumpy.com/

Brooklyn Roasting Company http://www.brooklynroasting.com/

Ninth Street Espresso http://www.ninthstreetespresso.com/

Culture Espresso http://www.cultureespresso.com/

All well worth a visit


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

Central Perk


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Mrboots2u said:


> How about here......
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2760567/How-YOU-brewin-Real-life-Central-Perk-coffee-shop-opens-New-York-celebrate-20-year-anniversary-Friends.html





Beanosaurus said:


> Central Perk


er.....


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## Lefteye (Dec 30, 2014)

Had some beans from Brooklyn at Christmas. Tasted good. From what my brother in law had said when he visited it was a good coffee place. Description of beans was honeysuckle and sea salt. Seemed relatively accurate with the limited kit I have


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## aodstratford (Sep 18, 2012)

Went to this place a few years ago - was good. Tiny little place where you stand up. Good cakes also. Friendly too. Bit out of the way though.

http://www.abraconyc.com/

Also went to http://www.lacolombe.com/mobile/cafes.php

The Tribeca premise was smaller and nicer for it.

You'll love New York ! When you going ?

Stumptown coffee (their blend is good - sort of unique but familiar ! If you know what I mean !)

Adam


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Probably landed Stateside some hours ago?


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

Beanosaurus said:


> Central Perk


There was a Central Perk pop up in London a few years ago. It was impossible to get inside in the time we had.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

DoubleShot said:


> Probably landed Stateside some hours ago?


And already two bottles of wine deep.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

You've deffo taken Merry ole England with you across the pond, yanks will luv ya!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

DUTY FREE goan get in meeeee


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

Just caught up with a friend of mine got back from NYC couple of days ago and she mentioned Culture Espresso in midtown Manhattan as a really good place to go.

Pretty jel Scotford, been some years since I last went.

There are some crazy people in that city!!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Beanosaurus said:


> Just caught up with a friend of mine got back from NYC couple of days ago and she mentioned Culture Espresso in midtown Manhattan as a really good place to go.
> 
> Pretty jel Scotford, been some years since I last went.
> 
> There are some crazy people in that city!!


Sweet, cheers!

Yeah there really are loads of crazies here, I fit right in!!!


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## Colio07 (Mar 9, 2015)

There's Rex in Midtown / Hell's Kitchen (http://www.rexcoffeenyc.com), which is small but good - serves Counter Culture coffee. Sprudge has reported on a new cafe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that just opened up: Grade Coffee (http://sprudge.com/winter-openings-grade-coffee-brooklyn-72009.html) that might be worth checking out if you're in the area.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Highlight of the day. Now for the booze!


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

It's not even 5pm man!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

jonc said:


> It's not even 5pm man!


ah but its holiday hours!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Had a vodka breakfast at like 10am!!!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

You promised drunken selfies?


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)




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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Only a mother could love that face!


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

and he's probably not even close to being drunk in that shot, lol!


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Quality! That is right up there with the pic of LOLford drinking Bulletproof coffee with a tablespoon of butter!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)




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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

I sense a forthcoming post about a dreadful hangover...


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Beanosaurus said:


> I sense a forthcoming post about a dreadful hangover...


Me too. Nothing that the worlds best bloody Mary recipe can't fix in an hour when i wake the woman from her booze coma though.

Few more places to try next few days before a big report and writeup.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Are you (supposed to be) on business or is this trip pleasure?


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Sounds very much like both!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Definitely pleasure. I'm managing to fit in a touch of market research too though.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Beanosaurus said:


> I sense a forthcoming post about a dreadful hangover...


8am. Still not even sober enough for even a slight hangover.

Bloody Mary, pour over of some beans I bought yday and let's get cracking with our day!

Wifeys not feeling too great yet though


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

DeathWish can't be too far away.........



John


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## irishcoffee42 (Jan 31, 2014)

I love a bunch of the places already mentioned by others, but Gimme Coffee is most definitely one to check out - they've got a small shop in SoHo on Mott St., and then two in Brooklyn, on Roebling St and Lorimer St. I think the Lorimer St one has been round the longest, and does single origin shots: http://www.gimmecoffee.com/locations

Highly recommend them! Abraco in the East Village is great, and if you find yourself somehow stranded in the coffee no-man's-land that is Mid-town West, check out REX on 10th: http://www.rexcoffeenyc.com

Enjoy! %-p


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Dutty freeez gon


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

P..s. Dont like the Marjory off beans. Thy daark


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Wonder if your spelling is gonna top Boots today/tonight?


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Can you still get 151 proof Smirnoff in the States?

Now that straight from the freezer, men from boys stuff! ( the flame baffle on the top of the bottle should of course serve as a gentle warning...) Damned stuff burns at -18c

John


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Soon be ex womanz gonna in heere.. Ded to me


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

froggystyle said:


> Wonder if your spelling is gonna top Boots today/tonight?


Never.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Scotford said:


> Soon be ex womanz gonna in heere.. Ded to me


Being Scotford's gf and going into *bux is like being married to Nigel Mansel's mechanic and taking your car into KwikFit.


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Unforgiveable.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

@Scotford

Your selfies look more like you're in a b-horror movie and seen a ghost than drunk!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Okay, I'm hungover and chilling this morning. Here's what I've noticed thus far:

Loads of LM about. Either GB5 or Strada, mainly. Seen a couple of PBs and one Synesso too though. Loads of flashed cash but the general feel is that the more the glittering toys are on show, the more its a no no no.

Mazzers are everywhere. Roburs mainly, but more Kolds than I've ever encountered before too. No sign of M1s, K30 or EKs so far.

First few stops worth any note.

Joe, Columbus Ave, UWS.

GB5 & Roburs.

Dinky shop, regarded to be the best on the UWS from what I've read. Lots of traffic, mainly for cold or bulk brews. It was 27°c though.

I had an espresso to start that was apparently a Peru, med roasted. It was fairly fruity, slightly sweet with a dark muscovado finish. Way darker than medium. Pleasant, but not one I'd go for usually.

Bane Of Existence (BOE) had an iced black Americano. Colombia. Straight from a bulk brewer over loads of ice. Nice stone fruits, very heavy red grapes and a lovely juicy mouth feel, crisp finish too. I liked this. A lot.

I then ordered a 5oz cortado to take with me and asked a few questions to the mostly bored looking (head, apparently) barista whilst waiting. Condescending little knob, he was. At first. A sneered "Arabica, its the type of coffee bean" when I asked what the Waverley blend was made up of. I changed tack and mentioned that I was in the trade and asked what the temp stability of the GB5 was like, how he found the retention of the Roburs on different roasts and what the average volume they were doing was.

Here is, word for word, his answer: "the temperature is always the same on the machine, its, like, only just below boiling, like, literally just off the boil, that's what makes it so good. On our MATCHER grinders the waste is so low they pay for themselves in about a year. You're British right? What kind of place are you at? Mostly tea, I bet. Do you do much eXpresso? I do like, 10lb a day eXPresso, no sweat with two LAS MAROCCO G5 pumps and four MATCHERS though."

C R I N G E

Here's mine: *deadpan* "oh, wow, so what effect does that very high temp have when you're running a slightly dark roasted blend have on your shot times? Are you intending on bringing bitterness out to balance other flavours or is that not the case? Me? Oh I'm at a fairly new specialty shop slash restaurant in London, we've been running two x Linea PB 2 groups with three of the new Arduino Mythos grinders. Recently moved down to two grinders though as we found no need for three when we are doing only about 11kg a day. What's that, like 20lb? Certainly not busy enough yet for three of those bad boys, even with the much longer grind time than these M A Z Z E R S. Know what I mean? Its why we got rid of Roburs completely in our other three shops as well, too inconsistent and wasteful. Hey you've got checks on now, I'll leave you to it, good chat."

His face is a picture, obviously not knowing that there are people who like to actually know. their. shit. when it comes to this game.

My coffee has now been ready for a couple of minutes, so I take it, collect BOE and leave. It wasn't actually bad at all, only just a bit too hot and foamy, but fairly rich, a nice sweetness and cocoa feel. As I walked past the window though, I catch the "head barista" still gawping at myself and my BOE and can't resist but grimace at a sip and dump the brew in a bin. Childish, I know, but so worth it! Would actually return for the coffee, but there's no need for blind arrogance.

NEXT!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Unfortunately, I didn't manage any pics of Joe, but I did of this next place of note:

Ninth Street Espresso, Midtown.










Had my personal favourite spro here thus far. Again, GB5 and Roburs. Nice cool shop, loads of tiles and wood. Smiley staff too.

I had an espresso and a 5oz cortado. She, an iced tea. I then shared an espresso with BOE after.










Flattie, Alphabet City blend by Dallis Bros. (Would consider trying these beans at home.)

Well made, perfect temperature.

Caramelly chewiness, milk choc, slight bittersweet but very pleasant and lasting almost cinnamon finish.

Spro, same blend. 2oz ish. Around what I guess at 36-40g out.

Nice and chewy. I got fruits like figs quite distinctly and earthy spices at first. Slightly licorice finish but no acidity at all. Very enjoyable. Let's have another to share.

Second spro. Again, same blend.

"Pulled quite ristretto" even though demitasse was more full than the first. Huh. ?!? Diff barista, I might add. Whatever.

How different this one was. A bit ashy, slightly sour, still got figs and licorice but unpleasantly so. Didn't finish. I hope it was just a slight lapse of inconsistency.

Visited the Chelsea market store yesterday, and had almost exactly the same (good) cortado as at midtown. Very similar setup, didn't see the machine but did see Roburs again. No pics though, sorry.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Great write up. 

*speechless* about that 'head' barista encounter!


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

There are so many good shops in NYC it's hard to mention just a few. Certainly any of the Gimme, Grumpy, Joe, or Ninth St locations will be a good bet. Two cafes I really liked last time I was there are Bluestone Lane in West Village and Little Collins on Lexington near 56th St. Little Collins has excellent sandwiches, too.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

AndyS said:


> There are so many good shops in NYC it's hard to mention just a few. Certainly any of the Gimme, Grumpy, Joe, or Ninth St locations will be a good bet. Two cafes I really liked last time I was there are Bluestone Lane in West Village and Little Collins on Lexington near 56th St. Little Collins has excellent sandwiches, too.


I've actually had decent brews at two Joes now. I'm a fan of their bulk brew on ice.

Both Ninth Sts I've been to have been good overall and so have the two Stumptowns. Had Nitro Coldbrew from Stumptown yesterday and I have to say that its not as good (to my tastes) as the Sandows I've got at work at the mo. Quite a lot creamier and thicker though but not as clean and crisp with quite muted flavours.

Had a not great experience in Blue Bottle Rockefeller too as even in a mostly empty place, the server actually rolled her eyes at me when I asked about single origin coldbrew, and didn't know or even care.

I had: S/O coldbrew over ice.

Smooth, caramelised mangoes and pears turn into creamy vanilla yogurt heaped with blackberries and pomegranate seeds. Very creamy citrus finish. I liked this a LOT.

Spro, blend

Had very similar results when I tried a blend, name forgotten as a guest last year. Slightly roasty, over medium. Obviously a BIG op roaster. Similar to revelation by union. Not what I'd be happy serving.

Watched the server prepare a S/O drip. 8oz. Didn't know/care on bean. Very slapdash, just poured water round sides of cone once, then constantly topped up in one slow stream in middle. Obviously in a rush to finish this arduous task.

Shame.

Still a few places to check out yet. I'm getting mixed feelings about the consistency of the coffee here. There are obviously great brews to be had, but in a city where there are Bux on every other corner it seems that the accepted standard is very low.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

I hear ya Scotford, reading your insightful write ups of your experiences is making me think this is why there are thousands of $tarbucks Stateside...as perhaps the average punter isn't in the slightest bit interested in asking questions about a coffee but instead just happy to order, drink or leave and drink on the go? 

Haven't been to NYC in a very long time but must say I was expecting to hear more positive reports from someone in the same trade.



P.S. Can we have some photos of all of these cool sounding drinks such as Nitro Coldbrew etc? Ta.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Here's the nitro vs a regular coldbrew.









Both are the same coldbrew, but one is kegged and then pressurised with nitrogen and shelved for a week to infuse. Nitrogen is then used to pump through a Guinness style sparkler beer tap. It gives the brew a real interesting texture and mouthfeel.

Here's a typical coldbrew. This is the previously mentioned S/O (still unknown) from Blue Bottle.










Its batch brewed coldbrew, then put on tap for ease of service. Very common to see and popular.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

And it's always served in disposable plastic cups whether you drink in or take away?

Thanks.


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

Scotford said:


> I'm getting mixed feelings about the consistency of the coffee here. There are obviously great brews to be had, but in a city where there are Bux on every other corner it seems that the accepted standard is very low.


I think it's helpful to put the NYC coffee scene into perspective. Prior to 2001, when the first 3rd wave cafe opened (Ninth Street Espresso), the city was a total wasteland of petrol station quality coffee plus burnt, assembly line style Starbucks. The situation is light years ahead of that now, with dozens of places trying very hard to make great coffee. But those dozens are still scattered amid the wasteland of petrol station quality coffee plus burnt, assembly line style Starbucks.

Too bad you had a negative experience with a snotty barista. I've been to many many shops in New York and it's a rare occurrence.

Two other places you really might like to try if you have time are Sweetleaf in Brooklyn and Everyman in Manhattan.

And to repeat myself, if you can get to Little Collins, you'll have good coffee, see their great modbar setup, and have a chance at a great sandwich.

The New York Times has a directory of quality-oriented shops, also available as a mobile app:

http://www.nytimes.com/thescoop/#!/viewList/coffeeshops


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I've looked into Little Collins and I have stuck it on the list. I've been following the modbar setup from inception and its quite an exciting thing for me but not seen one for real yet. Yet.

Like I said, the barista was a bit of a douche but the coffee itself is what I'm after and it was miles above the accepted norm and I was a bit childish. The second Joe's I went to was busy and to the same level of standard. Ie, good. It might look like I've had a generally negative experience so far but compared to the shite its all way far ahead. I seem like a very harsh critic but I like to think I'm fair at least. Baristatude and unnecessary attitude rubs me the wrong way, no matter who the barista is.

Like I've said before, in fairly I am hard to please. The quality of 'specialty' has been relatively high but consistency is lacking. Let's hope I can only build on the good experiences.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

AndyS said:


> The New York Times has a directory of quality-oriented shops, also available as a mobile app:
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/thescoop/#!/viewList/coffeeshops


This has provided some interesting reading too, cheers!


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Have you tried Third Rail Coffee, 240 Sullivan Street and West Third Street by Washington Square Park, as featured in the HowCastFoodDrink YouTube videos?


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

Little Collins Modbar espresso and pourover


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

At Sweetleaf, pressure profiling a single origin shot on a Strada:


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

AndyS said:


> View attachment 14101


EK43 in (custom?) metallic bronze paint, now that's not something you see everyday!

Care to share a little more info about your experience at this particular espresso bar please?

Thanks.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

DoubleShot said:


> EK43 in (custom?) metallic bronze paint, now that's not something you see everyday!


Err, not as rare as you'd think.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

How's the hangover fella, you sounded properly drunk earlier this morning?!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I'm not getting one today.


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

DoubleShot said:


> EK43 in (custom?) metallic bronze paint, now that's not something you see everyday!
> 
> Care to share a little more info about your experience at this particular espresso bar please?


I'll try, although it was a year ago and I didn't take notes....

The EK43 paint looks dark in the pic but that's a function of the light; it was just the standard color.

The gentleman preparing the pourover is Ryan, I believe he said he was from South Africa. Ryan was very gracious, answered our numerous questions, and let us behind the counter to see the programmable Modbar water supply units. They reminded me of audio power amplifiers:









We were very pleased with the quality of the filter coffees. The undercounter pourover units could be set to provide a pulsating preinfusion as well as various temperatures and flowrates:









The barista preparing the espresso is named Andrew and I remember the shot as being good, but I don't recall the details of origin, roaster, etc.









Honestly, mostly I remember that the food was exceptionally good for a coffee bar. I'm a vegetarian and sometimes have difficulty finding reasonable options. The sandwich I ordered was a mushroom avocado concoction and it was very satisfying.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

@AndyS

That's a pretty darn good account from a year ago! I look forward to the next instalment should you remember anything else? Photos always help a lot, so thanks for sharing!


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

Don't remember where exactly you've been so far but two more very interesting spots:

-Joe Pro Shop on 21st St is as much an instruction/experiment station as a coffee bar

-Stumptown on 8th St during the day when the specialty bar in back is open


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## Colio07 (Mar 9, 2015)

Scotford said:


> "... Me? Oh I'm at a fairly new specialty shop slash restaurant in London, we've been running two x Linea PB 2 groups with three of the new Arduino Mythos grinders. Recently moved down to two grinders though as we found no need for three when we are doing only about 11kg a day. What's that, like 20lb? Certainly not busy enough yet for three of those bad boys, even with the much longer grind time than these M A Z Z E R S. Know what I mean? Its why we got rid of Roburs completely in our other three shops as well, too inconsistent and wasteful. Hey you've got checks on now, I'll leave you to it, good chat."


Apologies if you've already mentioned this elsewhere, but what's the name of your shop and where in London is it?

Thanks.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

AndyS said:


> Don't remember where exactly you've been so far but two more very interesting spots:
> 
> -Joe Pro Shop on 21st St is as much an instruction/experiment station as a coffee bar
> 
> -Stumptown on 8th St during the day when the specialty bar in back is open


Incidentally, I walked into the training bar at Stumptown on 8th in the middle of a training session the other day thinking it was the actual shop. Cue loafs of awkward stares and 'what the F is this person doing' looks as I asked for a coffee.

The actual shop itself was good, a bit strangely laid out but good. Custom Stradas, nitro on tap, friendly staff.


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

Scotford said:


> Incidentally, I walked into the training bar at Stumptown on 8th in the middle of a training session the other day thinking it was the actual shop. Cue loafs of awkward stares and 'what the F is this person doing' looks as I asked for a coffee.


That bar in the back room IS an actual shop with a menu oriented towards single origins and a more discriminating clientele. I've had good shots in that room pulled on the little GS3. But the hours are different and more restricted back there compared to the hours in the main bar in front.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

AndyS said:


> That bar in the back room IS an actual shop with a menu oriented towards single origins and a more discriminating clientele. I've had good shots in that room pulled on the little GS3. But the hours are different and more restricted back there compared to the hours in the main bar in front.


Yeah? Shame I don't have enough time to go again now. I noticed a shiny PB there as well as the GS3 too.

More good experiences today,

Stumbled across this place:










Think Coffee, Bleeker St.

I had a small (still 12oz though!?!) El Salvadorian made in a Clever Dripper. It was nice, well made and pretty tasty. Really juicy at first, nice and sweet berries and very clean tasting. As it cooled, more citrussy berries and sweet fruits came out. Very much medium though.

Passed through La Colombe SoHo too:










Again, a GB5 and more Roburs.

I had what I'm told is a Gibraltar with LC Workshop beans. Pretty much a 4oz flat white. It was again, well made, but quite a bit too hot for me. Caramelly cocoa, really rich and chewy feel. Won't say it shined at me but it certainly wasn't bad by a long way.

Also had what could be the darkest espresso I have ever tried in my life in a place between Little Italy and Chinatown. The name escapes me but the coffee was an Ethiopia Sidamo, roasted in-house. It was very carefully prepared on a La Spaz/Anfim combo by an obviously passionate barista but my god it was DARK. Felt like I had chargrilled licorice in my mouth. It actually wasn't unpleasant but what a shock!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Oooh, look what I found this morning:










Crappy pic, but duelling Faemas!


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## remster (May 30, 2015)

Download the CUPS app for local indie coffee places.


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## Mr O (Jan 14, 2015)

After looking at this thread I want to go back to New York. It's a great place...


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## remster (May 30, 2015)

Noticed this morning that Intelligentsia is no more on Herald square in a corner of Urban Outfitters. Replacement is not impressive.


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