NYC Mugged - Exploring all the best coffee in New York City

I had no idea what really went into pulling (aka brewing) an espresso shot.  So I decided to take a class at Joe, one of my favorite coffee purveyors here in town.

Charrow and Kenya led the class and were super knowledgeable and clearly passionate about their coffee.  Here are some of my big takeaways from the class:

Espresso is not a type of bean but is another method of brewing, like french press or drip.

Lots of factors influence the brewing process: water purity, water temperature, timing and cleanliness of the machine.  Even the temperature of the room matters.

Brewing time matters alot – and needs to be adjusted according to the humidity in the air.  The more humid it is the slower the shots will come out.

Contrary to popular belief, coffee doesn’t have to be stored in the fridge.  In fact that’s not recommended because coffee is water  soluble and every time you open that freezer/fridge door condensation occurs and helps deteriorate the flavors of the bean.

Oily beans are bad beans.  Oils hold the flavor of the coffee, we want that inside the bean.

I learned a lot in this class, from basic terminology to all of the factors that can influence coffee (there are lots!), to actually pulling some shots.  The fun never stops.

Joe offers classes all summer!

I recently stumbled upon these weird old ads for Wilkins coffee.  The puppets looked vaguely familiar,  and then I came to discover that the Wilkins and Wontkins characters were created by none other than Jim Henson circa 1957.  The ads hit it big back then, but the muppet violence would most definitely cause a stir today among puppets’ rights advocacy groups.

See for yourself!

It might be kind of touristy, but Cafe Sabarsky is a Viennese cafe that makes a really good cup of coffee.  It’s named after the co-founder of the Neue Gallery, which houses the famous Klimt paintings in a beautiful Upper East Side townhouse.  This would be the perfect place to take out of town guests, after visiting museums in the area.  There’s also a full menu with a nice array of desserts to choose from.  Be prepared to wait in line.

Got latte art fatigue?  You could be feeling lazy, or maybe you’re just not that good at it?  Coffeestencil is taking the art of coffee to another level.  There are variety of stencils to choose from, both graphic and textual.  Once  you make your cappuccino, all you need is some cocoa powder and a fine sieve or tea strainer, and…Viola!

Ok, so the novelty might wear off pretty quick but that first time will be fun.

Turn your coffee table into a New York street with these heavy duty coasters fashioned from actual NYC manholes. These coasters are handcrafted with great attention to detail and make for excellent gifts.  This 1st edition set comes in a set of four, each one having its own unique design.

$80 at artez’n.