Consistently good coffee shops in NYC - Revived

Talk about your favorite cafes, local barista events, or plan your own get-together.
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Fullsack
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#1: Post by Fullsack »

Had a great Kinyari shot at Little Collins this afternoon: complex, just the right amount of acidity. (Was wary, at first, when I saw the soda fountain style group heads). Also, the chicken, arugula, squash salad was excellent.
The two shots I had at Culture had a splash of creme, the rest tasted like your average brewed coffee.
Gregory's version of an espresso shot was bland, tasteless.
Looking forward to trying Abraco, Box Kite and Zibetto this coming week. Liked the Ninth Street shot, at the Green Market, I had the last time I was here.
Thanks to all who contributed to the original, now deceased, thread.

Consistently good coffee shops in NYC
LMWDP #017
Kill all my demons and my angels might die too. T. Williams

LukeFlynn
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#2: Post by LukeFlynn »

Mod Bars.. I don't like them.. I just like the idea of having an actual cased in espresso machine.. I find those mod bars to be too simple. Anyways, onto the topic. I find a lot of the cafes serving primarily Counter Culture (And are often CC trained) are pretty consistent. Some of the mom and pop shops that serve a load of roasters tend to vary from barista to barista.

Checkout Third Rail Coffee too, they have two shops, one in East Village, another in Greenwich.

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shawndo
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#3: Post by shawndo »

Boxkite, Little Collins, and Gimme are still my favorites in that order. There are so many now, it's tough to keep up.

I heard of one in midtown "Frisson Espresso" thats supposed to be good, serving Dallis Coffee, which I haven't seen in a cafe yet, despite being a NY roaster. That is the next one on my list.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

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Fullsack (original poster)
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#4: Post by Fullsack (original poster) »

Thanks Shawn, I'll give Box Kite and Gimme a try. So far, my most memorable shot was the one from Little Collins.

Zibetto: European style blend. Large base of Brazil, a small Ethiopian accent. If there was a middle coffee, in the blend, I couldn't taste it. Flat tap water to wash it down.

Third Rail: Not as much viscosity as I like in an espresso shot. Nice flavor, but not a lot of complexity. No sparkling water as a chaser, just tap.

Joe's: Can't be objective about this shot, because I don't care for Mexican coffee. They were serving a Mexican blend, though not their house blend, that also has Mexican coffee.
LMWDP #017
Kill all my demons and my angels might die too. T. Williams

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Fullsack (original poster)
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#5: Post by Fullsack (original poster) »

Frisson serves a Brazil, Kenya blend that is heavy on the Kenya; nice apple pastry also. The place has a good vibe, much like Box Kite - small with a neighborhood feel.
The Box Kite shot had some nice citrus notes; I can see why people like it so much. Box Kite was the only place I encountered that gave me the choice of bubbly or still water, to go with the espresso.
The Gimme! Leftist blend shot had a good mouthfeel, thick and chocolate.
The Kaffe 1668 coffee was average, nothing worth going out of the way for, in my IMHO.
I walked out of Kahve, after 15 minutes, without having an espresso. During that time, the Barista made the shots without ever turning on the grinder; shots were prepared from what was already ground in the filter baskets and doser.
Abraco is closed Mondays, so I didn't get a chance to sample their coffee.
LMWDP #017
Kill all my demons and my angels might die too. T. Williams

cpreston
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#6: Post by cpreston »

I stop by Little Collins regularly every couple of weeks. They consistently pull a quality of shot from Big Trouble (not usually a coffee that I think of as having a strong character) that is better than I have had anywhere else or been able to duplicate myself. I like their "piccolo latte" which is a small cortado.

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shawndo
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#7: Post by shawndo »

Fullsack wrote: I walked out of Kahve, after 15 minutes, without having an espresso. During that time, the Barista made the shots without ever turning on the grinder; shots were prepared from what was already ground in the filter baskets and doser.
There was one person at Kahve who knew anything about espresso. When I went previously, they would call him from the back even if there were 2 people behind the bar so it looked like no one else was trained. When I went the last time, he wasn't there anymore and I had the same experience as you, except I did drink a shot, yeck. Coffee on the rack was also more than a couple months old.

Last I heard about Kaffe 1668 is that they were still trying to make their house roast consistent since they moved away from Black Cat.

If you are still running around, Stumptown on W 8th, or in the Ace hotel is worth a visit, as is Everyman in SOHO (West Broadway)
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

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Fullsack (original poster)
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#8: Post by Fullsack (original poster) »

shawndo wrote:If you are still running around, Stumptown on W 8th, or in the Ace hotel is worth a visit, as is Everyman in SOHO (West Broadway)
Forgot to mention Everyman. Had a nice even shot there, but my top 3 are the still same as yours Shawn: Box Kite, Little Collins and Gimme! Went to Stumptown and Ninth Street when I was here last month. Those two would round out my top 5.
LMWDP #017
Kill all my demons and my angels might die too. T. Williams

kwantfm
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#9: Post by kwantfm »

I'm an Aussie who gets over to NYC about four times a year for work. My favourites: Little Collins, Bluestone Lane near Bryant Park, Blue Bottle at Rockefeller, Stumptown and Everyman. Met Sam Lewontin when I was at Everyman and congratulated him on his USBC performance, lovely guy. He had the presence of mind to say good things about Sasa Sestic.
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NelisB
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#10: Post by NelisB »

We spend our fall break in New York. I had two nice cappuccino's at http://www.joenewyork.com/locations/grand-central/ and a very nice espresso at https://bluebottlecoffee.com/cafes/rockefeller-center

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