Abraço is the tiny little cafe situated on 7th Street, near First Avenue.  Translated from Portuguese, abraco literally means “an embrace”.  It’s not uncommon to walk by and hear the sounds of Brazilian jazz dancing through the front windows, with a line of people waiting patiently for their caffeine fix.  The coffeehouse is set up like a traditional Italian espresso bar, with large windows overlooking the street.  You order your beverage and drink it while standing.  It’s the perfect pit stop on the way to work, in between errands or on your way to your next adventure.

I have become a Cortado queen here, and rarely opt for anything else.   It’s an espresso cut with a small amount of steamed milk, with a little bit of creamy foam at the top.  The strength of the espresso and its acidity is tempered by a small amount of milk.  I think adding too much milk to any espresso beverage takes away from the depth of flavor of the espresso.  While I’m no coffee geek, I do know that the quality of ingredients and the way the coffee beans are roasted and brewed has everything to do with it.  There is also an art to steaming milk!  Abraço does a great job of serving up strong and flavorful coffee.  They keep it simple by using whole organic milk for all of their specialty drinks.  So if you’re looking for one of those tasteless sugar-free non-fat lattes, you might want to venture somewhere else.

View Abraço on NYC Mugged