When in New York, do as the New Yorkers do. New Yorkers just love coffee.
During a trip to New York, we decided to go do a coffee circuit. We were looking to visit as many specialty coffee shops as possible during our stay.
After more than 30 visits in a period of 45 days, we came up with the following shortlist:
1. Coffee Project New York
From my point of view, a well-trained certified barista is a vital element to the Specialty Coffee experience, not only in the procedure but also in telling the story of the beans. If you visit Coffee Project New York and are unsure what to order, don’t hesitate to ask for their recommendation.
The Coffee Project New York founders share their passion for coffee with New York City’s East Village neighborhood. They are also interested in developing their business partners; therefore, they purchase directly from producers and/or cooperatives. This structure secures price transparency and traceability, conditions that supersede most, if not all, coffee certifications.
They have a broad portfolio, which includes Single-Origin, Single-Estate, and Micro-Lot. Options from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Peru.
The variety is represented in the source and the processes used (Natural, washed, and Anaerobic with fermentation. I’m a fan of the natural drying process. If you are too, are willing to try it, you can find it here!
Caturra? Catuai? They got you covered! – If you are not familiar with Caturra, we have an entire article on this specific bean.
Have you ever heard of the “deconstructed latte”? This is the place!
Coffee Project New York is much more than just a Specialty Coffee Shop; they are also a premier training campus in New York State, certified by the Specialty Coffee Association.
Within the City of New York, the have following locations:
239 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003
78 Rockwell Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11217
155 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio.
2. La Colombe
Having over 30 branches in the U.S., including Boston, California, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., my first visit was on a New York venue, Bryant Park, to be precise.
La Colombe is considered by many a complete third-wave coffee shop. If you are in the mood for a well-prepared pour-over, La Colombe should be a great option.
When visiting La Colombe, you will have the option to select from their pour-over and drip methods available to the visitors. Also, they have a variety of beans roasted by them for your drink. La Colombe always has options from single-origin, and sometimes even single-estate for you to choose, from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Honduras, Colombia, among others.
La Colombe baristas are well trained and care a lot for the quality of your pour-over drink.
The venue is terrific, carefully decorated to make the perfect complement to your coffee experience and blend with the neighborhood.
Within the City of New York, the have following locations:
1045 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018
601 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001
319 Church St, New York, NY 10013
400 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003
270 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012
75 Vandam St, New York, NY 10013
Grab & Go Only:
154 Prince St, New York, NY 10012
67 Wall St, New York, NY 10005
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio or find them on Amazon.
3. Blue Bottle Coffee Company
Blue Bottle Coffee Company is also a key player in the Specialty Coffee Shops niche. They have been in the market for almost 20 years and have locations in the U.S. and Asia.
From their menu, you will get the chance to try a wide variety of specialty coffee beans, and depending on the season, you can get lucky and try special micro-lots with prolific notes from their pour-over selection.
During my visit, I had the chance to buy SL-28 from Guatemala. We have also seen Ethiopia Agaro Kata Maduga, among other single-origin and single-estate.
If you are in a hurry, you can use their app (iOS and Android) to order and pick up.
Within the City of New York, the have following locations:
Amsterdam Ave, 279 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023
Broad Street, 22 Broad St, New York, NY 10005
Bryant Park, 54 W 40th St., New York, NY 10018
Dean Street, 85 Dean St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
Gramercy Park, 257 Park Ave South, New York, NY 10010
Grand Central Place, 60 E 42nd Street, Suite 140, New York, NY 10165
Hudson Yards, 20 Hudson Yards, #228, New York, NY 10018
Midtown East, 10 E 53rd Street, Entrance is on 52nd St, New York, NY 10022
Midtown North, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105
Morningside Heights, 2901 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
Moynihan Train Hall, 441 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001
Park Slope, 203 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
The Walker, 396 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
University Place, 101 University Place, New York, NY 10003
Williamsburg, 76 N. 4th Street, Store A, Brooklyn, NY 11249
World Trade Center, 150 Greenwich St, NW corner of Tower 4, New York, NY 10007
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio or find them on their Amazon.
4. Oslo Coffee
They were founded in 2003 to serve neighborhood locals with the best coffee the area had to offer.
Well-trained baristas at the shop will brew your cup to perfection, including single-origin options available depending on the season.
Having all-year-round blends available also is a way to enjoy a perfectly balanced cup of coffee.
Oslo only works with premium coffee beans from farmers with socially sustainable practices. They import green beans to roast within their facilities.
Within the City of New York, they have the following locations:
328 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
422 E 75th St, New York, NY 10021
133 Roebling St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio.
5. Third Rail Coffee
Brooklyn Specialty Coffee Shop with a seasonally rotating selection of sweet & balanced single-origin coffees.
Within the City of New York, the have following locations:
240 Sullivan Street, New York, NY 10012
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio or find them on their Amazon.
6. Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Each Stumptown venue demonstrates the time invested into creating a unique coffee experience, starting with design and ending with unique aromas from their cup of coffee.
Space is minimal, but if you happen to get a seat, your visit will be memorable.
Their options include several Single-Origin presentations from Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Indonesia.
Regarding variety, I’ve had the chance to try one bourbon and Caturra (If you want more information on Caturra, we have a special article about it here.)
They also have some blends, where they mix beans from Latina America with beans from East Africa. You should try some!
Within the City of New York, the have following locations:
30 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011
18 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001
212b Pacific St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio or find them on their Amazon.
7. Gregory’s Coffee
A specialty coffee brand was first founded in Manhattan, New York, in 2006. To honor their motivation, they strive always to have a single-origin option for pour-over.
In my experience, I’ve had the chance to try the Bourbon and Pacas varieties from their portfolio of options.
Additionally, you would find blends with different processes, such as washed (lavado) and natural.
They roast all the coffee they sell and work directly with producers to develop their business partners across the coffee regions.
Within the City of New York, the have following locations:
100 Wall Street, New York, NY, 10005
122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10168
649 Broadway, New York, NY, 10012
8. Intelligentsia
Intelligentsia is a Chicago-born company that cares a lot about quality. If you happen to be near the New York High Line Hotel, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a special cup of coffee. My go-to option is brewed to order. On my latest visit, I had: Guatemala La Soledad Catuai (5 stars rating). On another occasion, I had Costa Rica La Pachuca.
Other origins available from their site are El Salvador, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
You can complement your specialty coffee with some baked goods,
Within the City of New York, the have following locations:
180 10th Ave at 20th St New York, NY 10011
One Idlewild Drive New York, NY 11430
If you are in a hurry, you can order ahead.
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio or find them on their Amazon.
9. Think Coffee
Think Coffee. It makes me think about producers and think about quality. This Coffee Shop has a very compelling story through its FULL SUPPLY-CHAIN TRANSPARENCY. On their website, you would see their suppliers, product features, and even pricing. This speaks to developing your business partners. If your partners produce great quality specialty coffee, your customers will enjoy an exceptional cup of coffee.
From their menu, you would be able to buy pour-over coffee depending on the available options. From my experience, I have tried Single-Estate coffee from Colombia, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua. We are talking about coffee with a quality score of 83 and 87 on the Specialty Coffee Score scale. If you want to read more about the score, feel free to jump to my article about specialty coffee.
Venues are elegant and spacious. You can match their great coffee with their breakfast or baked goods.
If you can’t visit personally, you can also shop online on their site for their select portfolio or find them on iOS or Android (you would be able to order for pick-up!)
471 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
350 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
280 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10010
568 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
123 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003
1 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10003
73 8th Ave, New York, NY 10014
500 W 30th St, New York, NY 10001
248 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012
208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011
10. Abraço Espresso
Abraço is a very niche coffee shop. They were designed to make you feel like everything is homemade. They roast their coffee and have select options for pour-over.
Within the City of New York, the have following locations: