The New York City Coffeehouse Tour has begun! I am excited to give you my reviews of local roasters and coffee houses in NYC, from my viewpoint as a Seattle native. Before I post my first review, I thought I would share a little background about the coffee tour.
What made me decide to start this tour? It all began in the Fall of last year as I contemplated the direction I wanted to take BaxtronLife going forward. I started to ask myself questions like, "what am I really passionate about?" "What are the big themes in my life that I can share?" And undeniably one of the first things that popped into my mind was coffee. You see, I'm sort of a big coffee snob, having grown up in Seattle - the home of an endless plethora of local roasters and coffee hangouts. I got spoiled with rich coffee flavors, warm and inviting cafes and rarely a mainstream coffee establishment.
Then, I moved to New York City. Within weeks of being here I became a Starbucks loyal. Side note - let me just tell you that Starbucks, while okay for the occasional Frappuccino, was never on the list of regular places I frequented in Seattle. And I believe that 95% of Seattle natives will agree - it is almost a crying shame to frequent there when you have so many amazing locally roasted brew houses all over the city. I don't say that to knock Starbucks - hey, like most of the bloggers I know, I get excited for the seasonal favorites, Salted Caramel Mocha anyone?
Well, after my first few tries of what I like to call "coffee water" in New York City, I was discouraged by the lack of coffee brewing skills I encountered. I mean, cart coffee is pretty disgusting. (No offense if you like that stuff, but seriously!? How CAN you like that stuff?) I started googling coffee houses in my neighborhood, and was stunned to find virtually nothing that appealed to me. How could the biggest city in the U.S., the center of the world (lol) be lacking in the art of coffee appreciation? So, I began investing hundreds of dollars in Starbucks without the benefit of profit sharing.
So what is different now? Over the last couple of years there has been a growing influx of coffee lovers, Seattle natives and people who are just realizing that New York needs help to raise its standard of coffee appreciation. The coffee puritans have arrived! There are so many new local coffeehouses popping up all over Manhattan, and it made me realize that it is time to give New York City another chance. It is time to put my Goldcard away and go on the search for the best coffee in New York City!!
How will the tour work? I am starting my tour at the top of Manhattan and working my way to the bottom! Every weekend I will visit a coffeehouse that meets my criteria - uses local roasters or specialty coffee beans, coffeehouse vibe and has received word-of-mouth recommendations. I will be basing my review on comparison to my absolute favorite coffee roaster in Redmond, WA - Victor's Celtic Coffee. I am excited to share my love of coffee with you as well as have fun opportunities for you to experience some the tour for yourself (giveaways - coffee exchanges - coffee of the month, etc.)
Come on the tour with me - with new review posts on Tuesdays! Have a coffee house you'd like to recommend? Own/work at a coffee house you'd like me to visit? Email me!
Check back this Tuesday for my first stop: Darling Coffee in Washington Heights!
