Posted by BrianYarvin, August 29, 2008 at 11:00 AM
"Morning coffee" for most of the worlds´ caffeine addicts doesn´t come from a brewer, a dripper, or even a fancy espresso machine. Instead, hundreds of millions of people all over the world turn to moka pots—stovetop devices that produce a brew stronger than a press pot and weaker than espresso. To coffee drinkers in southern Europe and Latin America moka pots say "home cooking," and the purr of coffee bubbling up into the top bowl is the most beautiful of gastronomic sounds.
Living as I do in the land of electronically controlled brewing devices and two thousand dollar espresso machines, I´ve come to learn that my love of moka pots is viewed as irrational by most. Serious enthusiasts call them "steam toys" and the average joe crowd prefers a pot with a built in alarm clock and two USB ports. I´ve stuck to my guns and I drink coffee from one of my many moka pots as often as I can.
There´s a store on Ferry Street in Newark that reminds me that I´m not alone; it´s called Socafe and you can find it at number 156. Like so many Ferry Street storefronts, it´s a beacon of hope for lost gastronomes in search of something or other—the perfect charcoal grill, top-notch salt cod, or in this case, a real moka coffee pot.
Continue reading »
Posted by BrianYarvin, June 27, 2008 at 3:45 PM
Inside The Bent Spoon.
Before I say anything further about the town of Princeton, New Jersey I have to dispel two rumors that always seem to pollute any discussion of the place. The first one states that you will become so intimidated by all the local brainpower that you will actually lose I.Q. points just by strolling down Witherspoon Street. The other optimistically says the very opposite: even a few hours wandering through the town will bring you that much closer in level of intelligence to Princeton's most famous resident, Albert Einstein. If only this were true.
Wandering around Princeton will make you hungry and while people here don't starve, they sadly often wind up in places that we Serious Eaters would prefer to avoid. When mealtime comes, your best bet is to head up Route 27 (called Nassau Avenue here) towards all those Brunswicks (North, South, East, West, and New), where you'll find an almost endless string of dosa shops, authentic Chinese, and pockets of African, Oaxacan, and soul (see my post on King's Village for one example). However, Princeton does offer some snacks that will tide you over.
Continue reading »
Posted by Brian Halweil, May 14, 2008 at 1:45 PM
"... The beans whirred through pneumatic tubes overhead, sorted by the Selectifier (yes, Willy Wonka references are common)"
Strange brew. (Photographs from roastingplant.com)
The Roasting Plant, at 81 Orchard Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side, is an essential destination for any one who cares about good coffee. Or anyone who wants a glimpse of how we will drink coffee in the future. It was recently Slashdotted for "using new thinking and methodologies to something that was previously regarded as a black art." Gizmag.com called it the world's first "walk-in coffee machine." And a cover story in Design News praised the "real-time distributed control system" for democratizing and streamlining the coffee-making process so that the trip from green bean to creamy cup takes less than 30 seconds and never yields bitterness.
Remember, we're still talking about coffee. And despite the Terry Gilliam–like devices, the Roasting Plant is about the next iteration in American coffee culture, stripping away confections and condiments to reveal a very good cup of Joe. The Ethiopian Harrar Longberry cappuccino that I enjoyed there recently was as beautiful for its cupping qualities—with pleasant blueberry notes—as for the space-age process by which the beans whirred through pneumatic tubes overhead, sorted by the Selectifier (yes, Willy Wonka references are common), and dropped into an Egro brewing machine, guided by selections on a touch screen and the wizardry of the custom-designed Javabot (international patent number PLT/US03/02069). You've got to see it to believe it.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 3, 2008 at 1:00 PM
I was already running late this morning, and the Root Hill Cafe is, technically, out of my way as I make my morning beeline to the subway station. But I had a feeling. A thought slowly started to nag at me—What if they have a Clover machine?
Over the last few months, I've been watching this space on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Carroll Street in Brooklyn transform from a spottily run car service to a hip little coffee house with lots of thoughtful architectural details. And given that it opened just last week—at just the right time to have possibly snagged one of the last non-Starbucks Clover brewers—I didn't mind adding a few minutes to my commute by crossing the street to find out and put that nagging thought to rest.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, November 4, 2007 at 2:15 PM
Seth Kugel plugs into New York's best coffee bars. Add this to Peter Meehan's picks from a year ago (the first four of the following guide) and you have a pretty comprehensive list of where to get a serious cup of joe in New York. Notice I said pretty comprehensive. Add your own favorites to the list and we'll try to put them on the map.
View Larger Map
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, October 9, 2006 at 9:18 AM
I don't even like espresso 
(in fact, I don't drink hot coffee of any kind.), but reading Peter Meehan's terrific story in the Times a few weeks ago made me think I should start downing double espressos at every opportunity. Meehan reported that a few New York-based baristas are markedly improving the New York coffeescape:
Ninth Street Espresso: 700 E. 9th Street (Avenue C), 212-358-9225
Gimme Coffee!: 495 Lorimer St. (at Powers), Williamsburg, 718-388-7771
Cafe Grumpy: 193 Meserole Ave. (at Diamond), Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 718-349-7623
Oslo Coffee Company: 133-B Roebling St. (N. Fourth), and 328 Bedford Ave. (S. Third St.), 718-782-0332
It's not surprising that all the serious espresso joints are in hipster havens. Read the whole story
