http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/...liamsburg/

Great news for NYC coffee geeks!

Not to be a hater, but given some of the great coffee already available in NYC why is this big news?

The closing quote from the linked article sums it up nicely:

"It's a nice drink, a nice size. It looks good, and you look good drinking it."

malachi wrote:given some of the great coffee already available in NYC why is this big news?

Even more great coffee! I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's any cafe in NYC where one can ogle (and consume) a great siphon pot-prepared cup. (But yes, there are a few leftover Clovers floating around.)

Oh, and can we dream about seeing a great shop with a lever in this town? I know RBC is "playing" lever with the Slayer (low pressure preinfusion, slower ramp, declining pressure towards the end of the shot), but how about a real lever machine?

Given how poorly Blue Bottle stacked up against Four Barrel, Ritual and Ecco (not to mention Stumptown and Intelli) in the blind State of SF Coffee testing, I would suggest that the descriptor "great" might not truly apply.

They all want to be in Billyburg. Someone needs to go way up on the Upper West Side. Lots of discretionary income around, reasonable rent (by NYC standards) if you nose around and it's a specialty coffee desert up there.

Joe the Art of Coffee has Ecco and they are somewhere near 81st and Columbus but apartments in in the high 90's and low 100's by the park are selling for over $700K and up to a couple million. Whole Foods just opened a huge new store by 100th - crazy busy and their coffee - which is pretty mediocre - is the best cup I could find in the neighborhood.

malachi wrote:Given how poorly Blue Bottle stacked up against Four Barrel, Ritual and Ecco (not to mention Stumptown and Intelli) in the blind State of SF Coffee testing, I would suggest that the descriptor "great" might not truly apply.

It was two coffees from the same country; don't you think you are being a little harsh?

Follow-up round (BB Colombia and PNG) and Final round (with BB Ethiopia and Nicaragua).

The coffees cupped from them came from Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea over the course of these tests.

malachi wrote:Given how poorly Blue Bottle stacked up against Four Barrel, Ritual and Ecco (not to mention Stumptown and Intelli) in the blind State of SF Coffee testing, I would suggest that the descriptor "great" might not truly apply.

Not sure I have ever seen the terms "rotting berries and diapers" used as flavor descriptors before. Don't think they will add that to their label descriptions.

It was interesting reading that comparison. I have really gotten into Ecco lately...some really great coffee arriving nearly weekly...some nice SO's as well. The Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira has my wife head over heels for her cappuccinos.

malachi wrote:Follow-up round (BB Colombia and PNG) and Final round (with BB Ethiopia and Nicaragua).

The coffees cupped from them came from Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea over the course of these tests.

Fair enough. I haven't ordered many coffees from CA, and none from Blue Bottle, so this was very informative to me.