There’s a great article in the NY Times about the current renaissance of coffee taking place in the city that never sleeps. (I guess now it really doesn’t ever sleep.) It includes a comprehensive list of places with good beans and fancy machines, as well as a few choice cuts that are good information for anyone curious about telling the best from the rest.
The elaborate designs in the cappuccino’s foam at Third Rail Coffee in the West Village aren’t just to show off, but are a sign that the barista properly steamed the milk so that it holds its form …
These shops use only beans that have been roasted in the past 10 days (though some say two weeks is fine), so the flavors are still lively …
The beans are ground to order for each cup …
Today, most of the chains use about seven grams of ground coffee for a two-ounce shot. Espresso pods are filled with around five grams.
Baristas at the best places in town, like Bluebird Coffee Shop or Joe, tamp down between 19 and 21 grams. Often the espresso is even more concentrated because it’s pulled “short,” with less water, so that the final volume is a thick 1.5 to 2 ounces.
As I said, the list of shops is very comprehensive, here I’ll cut-and-paste a few that I know and love: ABRAÇO, CAFÉ PEDLAR, LA COLOMBE TORREFACTION, GIMME! COFFEE, JOE (AKA Joe: The Art of Coffee), NINTH STREET ESPRESSO, STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS.
Incidentally, I had a pour over cup of Ndaroini, a Counter Culture bean from Nyeri, Kenya today. (At Luck Bros, of course.) Definitely rated in my top 3 cups ever.