Consistently good coffee shops in NYC - Page 10

Talk about your favorite cafes, local barista events, or plan your own get-together.
User avatar
Carneiro
Posts: 1153
Joined: 15 years ago

#91: Post by Carneiro »

I'm going today, I hope I can try many of the shops around - there are so many more than last time we visited NYC.

User avatar
shawndo
Posts: 1013
Joined: 14 years ago

#92: Post by shawndo »

While I was there, they were talking about Joe's Espresso and how they have really stepped up their in-house blend and that Little Collins (midtown) is also a good shop to check out.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

Advertisement
BuckleyT
Posts: 201
Joined: 10 years ago

#93: Post by BuckleyT »

If you are in TS, you must hoof it over to Rockefeller Center (RC) to drink at Blue Bottle in the concourse level of RC. It is hard to find, first time. It is in the building (1 Rockefeller Center) across 49th street from The Metropolitan Museum store. As soon as you enter the building, look over your shoulder and take the escalator or stairs down to the concourse level. It is right there. I visited two weeks ago and was blown away by Hayes Valley. I have since ordered three pounds of it (in 2 batches) and have been drinking it ever since. Even as I type, the aftertaste is still on my tongue :D
Buckley

User avatar
LaDan
Posts: 963
Joined: 13 years ago

#94: Post by LaDan »

Freakishly good espresso today at Sweetleaf. Ritual Golden Bough. Was so good I had a second shot right after the first one. That's a first for me at any shop. It was that good.

User avatar
Carneiro
Posts: 1153
Joined: 15 years ago

#95: Post by Carneiro »

Tried Blue Bottle (Gotham Market and Rockefeller, indeed hard to find), Little Collins (nice pace on a 2 group Modbar), Joe (3rd avenue), Gregory's, Culture Espresso (they use Heart coffee), Grumpy, Toby's and Birch.

Hard to say detail about each, but for now Blue Bottle has been my favorite, I think it was 2 different blends and they seem to roast a little bit more. Birch was very distinct, but I'm not sure if I like. I was curious about Toby's, the Barista was very nice, but the coffee was just ok, kind of flat. Culture is nice, very acidic, but still sweet, Little Collins was serving a single from Ethiopia, lots of fruits but an aftertaste bitter/astringent maybe from light roast and not so clean coffee. Joe was very nice, balanced, the place is warm. Grumpy was ok, I remember having a better coffee 4 years ago. Finally, Gregory's seems fine, kind of a better shaped to coffee chain, but not specialty. The coffee was pleasant, but more roasted and flat.

I hope I can stop by Stumptown, Intelligentsia and Boxkite. Maybe more, I have 7 more days... And still going to Brooklyn.

Interesting to see at least 3 Strada machines. Two wete MPs, so I imagine the profile was more like pre infusion and full pressure, but at Toby's they use an EP. I would ask about the profile, but there was a line and I couldn't talk much to the Barista...

User avatar
shawndo
Posts: 1013
Joined: 14 years ago

#96: Post by shawndo »

Carneiro wrote: I hope I can stop by Stumptown, Intelligentsia and Boxkite. Maybe more, I have 7 more days... And still going to Brooklyn.
Wow, you can probably weigh the amount of caffeine in you with a gram scale!

These 3 are definite must do's. Intelligentsia as a couple of EPs (one outside and one in) and they are definitely using the profiling features, Boxkite has a cool custom Synesso Hydra (also profiling) and Stumptown on broadway has a couple of LM Mistrals and the one on West 8th has 2 Strada MPs and a GS3 in a separate brewbar that is open on a more restricted schedule.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

User avatar
Carneiro
Posts: 1153
Joined: 15 years ago

#97: Post by Carneiro »

Not so much coffee, mostly 2 per day, but today I had 4, high dose for me.

I went to Stumptown at 8th and loved the place. I had one Hairbender at the shop and one single, from Guatemala, at the brew bar. The Barista was dialing e shot at a Mazzer Jolly and GS/3, weighting everything, and having some trouble with the flat grinder. But the shot was very good.

I went to Kaffe 168 and had a bad shot, bodyless and sour, I don't know if it was the roast or the extraction. And at La Colombe I had a bitter one, definitely the roast.

Advertisement
User avatar
shawndo
Posts: 1013
Joined: 14 years ago

#98: Post by shawndo »

Little Collins is also now on my top 5. THey have a mod bar setup and were pulling Counter Culture Kilenso Mokonisa. The label says "dried apricot and berry" and that was exactly what I tasted. So good.

Current top 5 in order of preference and recent visits:

1. Boxkite
2. Little Collins
3. Stumptown on 8th
4. Kaffe 1668
5. Joe Pro Shop

There are obviously many other good places that I just haven't been to in a while. Not to mention this is only Manhattan. I don't even get out to Brooklyn or Queens. At this point, there are enough great places in the city that's its not worth trying to be completist about it. I think I'm going to calm down with the idea of systematically tring all the new places opening up.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

User avatar
TheSunInsideYou
Posts: 253
Joined: 12 years ago

#99: Post by TheSunInsideYou »

Carneiro wrote:I went to Kaffe 168 and had a bad shot, bodyless and sour, I don't know if it was the roast or the extraction.
I'm sad to hear you had such a bad experience. Which location did you go to? The one at 275 Greenwich is typically more consistent on a quality level considering the one at 401 is usually swamped with lunch nonsense. And the Midtown one is just managed loosely and set up poorly (no excuse there).

-Dave-
Caffeine is proof that God loves us.

User avatar
Carneiro
Posts: 1153
Joined: 15 years ago

#100: Post by Carneiro »

The one at Greenwich. I didn't know the other locations.

Intelligentsia was OK, but kind of flat blend. I was wanting to bring the organic black cat to taste it, but I got the classic by mistake. And here at home I can confirm, the blend is not much interesting... It seems the coffee from Brasil is the body part, but I think it was roasted a little bit too much and is not so sweet. And maybe the Costa Rica should give it more acidity but again, too roasty...

I went to Boxkite and it was great, but the coffee was a single origin from Ritual. Blue Bottle at Brooklyn was great, with their Faema Urania. I tasted a single made at it, I think from Ethiopia, and it was very good, reminded me the type of shot I got here at the Velox. Makes sense... :mrgreen:

The trip was so good... For us, who live in São Paulo and like big cities, NYC is very interesting and fun.