Could this well be what your summer dreams are made of? A Manhattan tiki-temple with really wonderful coffee service? We sat down with Sam Penix, proprietor of Everyman Espresso and picked his brain on this new project, which will run June 22nd to August 31st.

 Aileen Oser is the longtime co-owner, now owner of Bikini Bar  – how did you all meet in the first place? How did that connection come about?

I met Aileen a few months back when she visited my Soho location on a coffee crawl. Our relationship developed after recent visits to her spot Bikini Bar, where I became dance partners with her parrot a cockatoo named “Kava”. (See .gif)

Talk to us about the aesthetic at Bikini Bar. What makes you excited about making coffee in that space?

For me, I became deeply obsessed with mid-century design – specifically color driven mid-century and Tiki – while building out Everyman Soho. I reconnected with the design style and era that had a huge impact on me growing up – as I am from Sarasota, FL, which is home to many famous mid-century structures, such as my alma matter Riverview High School. This school was designed by Paul Rudolph, and his Wikipedia page has photo of my high school proudly displayed as one of his famous works.

When mentioning where I was from to my architect Jane Kim, she replied, “No way, did you go to school in that building!?” It hit me then where this fascination, so deeply rooted in the culture of my birthplace, first started. That is part of the reason I am so excited to work with BIKINI BAR founder and Hawaiian native, Aileen Oser. Her love of mid-century tiki design is rooted in celebrating her own culture with her neighbors in Tribecca.

There are Pinball tables. (Tomas Diaz via Facebook)

We know there’s going to be a “signature drink” component to what you’re doing with the space – any early recipes you want to share?

The program will be tightly wound around the specific coffees that we will be offering. The idea will be to create exciting new sensory experiences with coffee in order to celebrate the diversity and overall deliciousness of coffee. Specific recipes, we can’t share at this time, but we do plan on involving fresh juices, aromatics from citrus, ginger, stuff like that. There will be a fixed menu seasonally and there will also be a “bespoke” or dealer’s choice option. The idea would be for us to train ourselves with all of our ingredients so as to whip something up right there on the spot tailored to your cravings and with the additional element of surprise!

This coffee concoction was featured in our 6 Thoroughly Modern Cocktail feature with Alex Negranza, served in a classy Tiki vessel.

Both you and Everyman Soho manager Sam Lewontin have extensive barista competition experience. How has competition informed how you’re approaching the new space? Talk to us about ingredients beyond air, water, milk, and coffee.

Competition forced me to create drinks that went beyond the usual scope of ingredients one associates with coffee. i.e.  air, water, milk, and sugary syrups. Over the years, I’ve made several adventurous and successful signature drinks that scored very well, as well as some gastro monstrosities that I won’t claim. But the criteria for a signature beverage in competition is based on achieving a harmonious balance between ingredients. I came to understand that creating complexity and balance takes intention and skill. These are skills that both myself and Sam Lewontin have been sharpening for years now, and we’ll be putting these skills to work in in a new cafe setting. We get to share our work with customers; this is the most rewarding part of our jobs.

What will the service be like at Bikini Bar?

The service will be similar to our Soho shop with an even greater focus on table service. All drinks will be built from start to finish by the barista- this means no condiment bar, yay! We like to think of the removal of condiment bar as a reclaiming of a service that should be the responsibility of the barista.

Customers will have the option to take certain drinks to-go, but most of the menu will be drinks served in specific glassware. Drinks will be accessible but interesting, made with care and intent. This is our chance to refine our service just a notch finer. Imagine the smell of jasmine and a tiny orchid on your saucer transporting your mind far away from the pace of New York. Everyman at Bikini Bar: The Real Coffee Break.

Bikini Realness. Talk to us about your involvement in the Coffee & Cocktail Mash-Up and how that influenced this new bar.

I participated in and won last year’s Coffee and Cocktails event with my partner John Debary of PDT, so I know firsthand how this event really put baristas in touch with the best bartenders in NYC. In my opinion, this kind of collaboration with the cocktail world is going to be a turning point in the NYC coffee scene. It has bridged a gap between two communities with aligned interests and, frankly, a dependency on one another. The drink John and I decided to go into battle with, a tiki drink Oro and His Princess, won because it was balanced, complex, delicious and was served with flare (actual fire). Also we had a ukelele player.

Everyman at Bikini Bar opens to the public June 22nd, and will be located at 148 Duane St in Tribeca, Manhattan.

The post NYC: Everyman Espresso Teams With Bikini Bar For Tribeca Tiki Pop-Up appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Your 2013 United States Barista Championship finalists, featuring original photography by Charlie Burt for Sprudge.com. For a complete look back at the 2013 United States Barista Championship cycle, including photos of every regional competitor, join us on The Road to Melbourne.

Sprudge.com’s coverage of the 2013 United States Barista Championship was made possible by direct support from Counter Culture Coffee and Nuova Simonelli.

Charles Babinski, G&B Coffee, Los Angeles – 2nd Place Overall.

With his second consecutive second place finish on the national stage, it’s tempting to trot out one of those old cliches about bridesmaids and brides, but that sorely misses the point of what Charles Babinski continues to accomplish with his competition routines. If you follow barista competitions, you know – and have known for some time – that Charles Babinski is one of the very best and most respected competitors in the world. It’s the sincere hope of this publication that Mr. Babinski will some day earn the chance to prove this fact on the world stage. It just won’t be this year.

Mr. Babinksi’s began his routine by reciting for the judges a wrote, clinical definition of espresso, and then upending that definition by declaring that  “to me, espresso is any wondrous thing that comes out of that machine over there.” He competed using 49th Parallel’s Colombia El Descanso, a coffee that yielded espressos with notes of “blackberry acidity & sweetness, cane sugar, and honey.” In a unique twist, Charles pre-dosed and pre-ground his espresso during his 15 minutes of prep time, storing the grounds in little silver canisters on stage; this is similar to the style of espresso prep that folks can expect at the new incarnation of G&B Coffee. He made two distinct signature drinks: the first with an uber-luongo 70 grams out shot, paired with orange blossom honey and meant to express “espresso as a canvas” for a beverage’s deliciousness; and the second, a more standard 30 grams out shot mixed with pomegranate juice and sparkling water.

Charles Babinski (LF) year-end stats for the 2013 season: 489 ABs, 119 runs (NL-1st), 159 hits, 33 2B, 4 3B, 21 HR, 65 SB, 97 BB (good eye), .439 OBP (NL-1st), .577 SLG, 1.016 OPS, 189 OPS+, 1st in National League MVP voting.

Trevor Corlett, MadCap Coffee Company, Washington DC – 3rd place overall

Since packing up their lives & families and shipping out for Washington DC in late 2011, the folks at MadCap Coffee DC – Trevor Corlett and Colin Whitcomb – have enjoyed pronounced competition success both regionally and nationally. Let’s review, shall we? In 2012 Mr. Corlett made USBC Semi-Finals; in 2013, Mr. Whitcomb was edged out from winning the SERBC outright by just a half point (by Lem Butler), and both Corlett & Whitcomb made appearances at the Semi-Finals round in Boston. Mr. Corlett advanced on to finals, and wound up placing third nationally in an historically competitive field. Oh, and Trevor was featured by Good Morning America and the New Yorker.

What we’re saying is, success at USBC is measured by a number of metrics, only one of which is points. We were captivated all three times by Mr. Corlett’s finals routine for a variety of reasons, including its exploration of “past crop” and “fresh crop” terminology, his stunningly sparse and mannered stage setting (our Twitter feed called it “Midwestern minimalist”), and Trevor’s ability to compete with a resting heart beat that never rises above a leisurely chat. His routine featured two distinct harvests of MadCap’s Didier Reinoso Colombia, one from July 2012 and another from December of that year. Mr. Corlett’s signature drink layered shots from both harvests with grapefruit, maple syrup & egg whites.

Sam Lewontin, Everyman Espresso, NYC – 4th Place Overall

Now in his third of competition, Sam Lewontin has emerged as one of the major talents on the US Barista Championship circuit. Winning the NERBC will do that for you, especially in this day and age, as New York City continues to establish itself as one of the world’s specialty coffee capitals. But this reality has a quirk; as New York has became a major destination for coffee talent and high-level work, it has remained a real bastion of barista community and closeness within the ebb tide of that massive, anonymous city. Specialty coffee can make strange bedfellows – that’s part of why we love it so much! – but it can also make dear friends, and watching Sam Lewontin carry the cheers and adulation of his peers on stage at USBC was living proof.

Sam Lewontin competed at USBC using Counter Culture Coffee’s Burundi Mpemba – click that link for featured tasting notes written by Mr. Lewontin himself. Sam’s routine included the second appearance of his “choose your own adventure” signature drink, in which his sensory judges were asked to choose flavor notes they might expect from a washed Burundi. These notes were used to tailor a sig drink with more than a dozen possible variations – you can read more about this aspect of Mr. Lewontin’s routine here.

At times a stream of consciousness mumble, or baseball statistics in-joke, or mad reporter dash, every once in a while we get something right in our live barista competition Twitter feed. Of Sam’s finals routine, we wrote, “You are watching just one shining moment in a coffee career so bright, it requires shades.” If you don’t mind us saying so, that’s about exactly right.

Charlie Habegger, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago – 6th Place Overall

There’s something in the water at Intelligentsia – perhaps added in directly via their filtration systems, who knows – that creates top-flight barista competitors year after year, in regions all across the country. This year was no different, as Chicago’s Charlie Habegger took his automatic Semi-Finals bid from North Centrals all the way to his first-ever appearance on Finals Sunday.

Mr. Habegger’s stage setting was perhaps the most visually striking of any competitor: each judge sat down to gracefully arranged white ceramic fruit bowls, full of vanilla, white chocolate, blackberries, basil, and other flavors found in Mr. Habegger’s coffee, a little number from Huila, Colombia marked by Intelligentsia as Tres Los Santos. His signature drink focused on the “lot building” practice common at origin, where different flavor characteristics are pulled coffees grown in a geographically contiguous set of farms. Charlie pulled different pieces of fruit from his judges’ table setting – a piece of vanilla here, some blackberries there – to visually anchor the flavors and ingredients they’d find in his signature drink, which included espresso shots pulled directly on top of blackberry and basil jam.

Educator at Intelli Broadway, green buyer in charge of Intelligentsia’s purchases in Peru, and now a USBC finalist… Charlie Habegger may well take over the world out from under us all.

Nick Purvis, The French Press, Santa Barbara – 5th Place Overall

Every Finals Sunday has its dark horse, a Cinderella story, a competitor who’s name may not have made the early predictions of competition watchers and bracketologists. This year it was Nick Purvis, representing a two-shop cafe brand in Santa Barbara called The French Press. Prior to USBC 2013, Nick had never advanced in a barista competition, having bowed out in the first round at two consecutive Southwest Regionals. His Semi-Finals appearance was a first, and there was much joy from the Verve Coffee Roasters delegation at USBC when his name was called for Finals Sunday.

Much joy, sure, but not an ounce of shock. We were lucky enough to watch all three of Mr. Purvis’s USBC runs, and he shone brightly all three times with a service that felt educational, comfortable, and tirelessly classy. Like spending a half an hour with your favorite bartender before the room opens, or enjoying a private dinner at the best table in your favorite restaurant, Nick Purvis was able to make his coffee (Verve’s Colombia Los Naranjos) come alive in a routine that focused on customer service itself, and the power baristas wield as public educators. Nick’s signature drink was drool-inducing, a combination of caramelized tangerine juice, red apple juice reduction, and a liquified coffee cheesecake made with cold brew and marscapone. On paper at least, it was probably the tastiest sounding sig drink of USBC finals, because honestly who doesn’t want liquified coffee cheesecake? Let’s be real here.

The thing about dark horses is, next year they come back as 1 seeds. Should he continue pursuing competition – and we sure hope so – Nick Purvis is one to watch in 2014, and his 2013 USBC run is one we’ll remember for a long time to come.

Pete Licata, Parisi Coffee, Kansas City, Missouri – 1st Place Overall

A huge congratulations to Pete Licata, your 2013 United States Barista Champion! A full accounting of his exploits is available in our exhaustive Pete-focused feature here. Learn more about the coffee Pete used to win it all right here!

The post The 2013 USBC Finals In Words & Pictures appeared first on Sprudge.com.

In our sixth issue we’re celebrating Samuel Lewontin, your 2013 North East Regional Barista Champion. What can we say about Sam? He’s a ferociously intelligent and ambitious young man with a butt that won’t quit. We’ve covered a wide variety of Mr. Lewontin’s endeavors over the last few years, and here’s some of our favorite moments:

Meet The Best Barista In New York City – Everyman Espresso’s Sam Lewontin! (February 23rd, 2013)

Village Voice: New York City’s Everyman Espresso Is The “Best of 2012″ (December 17th, 2012)

Lewontin’s Rebuttal: “Incomplete Unimportance of Brew Methods” (October 11th, 2012)

Live From Medellin: Let’s Talk Coffee Late Night With Sprudge (October 10th 2012)

Build Outs of Summer: Everyman Espresso, SoHo (June 11th, 2012)

Sprudge Guides New York: Crawl Tomorrow’s Parties (December 23rd, 2010)

Lewontin: Seattle Leaves You Wantin’ (January 6th, 2010)

Photography by the unsinkable Anne Boatner.

Peruse back issues of Sprudge Sunday Magazine at your leisure!

The post Sprudge Sunday Magazine – Issue #6 (Samuel Lewontin) appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Samuel Lewontin is your newly crowned 2013 Northeast Regional Barista Competition champion! Mr. Lewontin is the manager at Everyman Espresso SoHo, a dedicated Counter Culture Coffee account located at 301 W. Broadway in New York City. Mr. Lewontin competed and won at the NERBC using Counter Culture’s Burundi Mpemba, from the Kazoza N’Ikawa cooperative.

In his 15 minute competition routine, Mr. Lewontin highlighted this coffee’s fruit and citrus notes, achieved by a unique “eco-pulping” method at Mpemba wet mill in Burundi. Like nearly all Burundian and Rwandan coffees, the coffee Mr. Lewontin served was comprised mainly of the Bourbon variety. The espresso Mr. Lewontin brewed was based on a 1.7 to 1 brew ratio, with an extraction time of 25 seconds. Throughout his routine, Sam focused on simplicity and expertise, culminating in a deceptively simple signature drink. Based on flavor descriptor cards the sensory judges chose, the drink could have been up to sixteen different combinations of ingredients – a kind of “choose your own adventure” signature drink. Ultimately, Mr. Lewontin’s drink combined a ginger syrup spritz, date syrup, a 5% malic acidity solution, and espresso into glassware for each judge, with the lip of said glasses rimmed with fresh cut ginger.

Mr. Lewontin (center) pictured with the 2nd place finisher Brian Gelletly (right) and 3rd place finisher Jordan Barber (left).

This is Sam Lewontin’s first regional barista competition win – he goes on to earn an automatic bye into semi-finals at the 2013 United States Barista Competition, happening April 11th-14th in Boston. Along with a lot of great coffee gear and prizes, Mr. Lewontin wins a trip to Kenya this coming November with the folks at Cafe Imports.

Congratulations to Sam Lewontin, the team at Everyman Espresso, and Counter Culture Coffee!

The post Meet The Best Barista In New York City: Sam Lewontin! appeared first on Sprudge.com.

A heartfelt congratulations to our friends at New York City’s Everyman Espresso, for having their shit-hot new SOHO cafe named “Best Cafe of 2012″ by none other than the Village Voice:

If you’re tired of nerdy coffee shops that deliver great drinks but make you feel like a moron, then get yourself to the super-friendly Everyman Espresso in Soho. The second spot from Sam Penix offers all the specialty stuff, like AeroPress- or Chemex-brewed coffee, along with an ever-rotating espresso menu (with fun blends like the recent Lady Sybil). Besides the great service, cheery space, and dreamy, creamy cortados, you can usually score a fresh doughnut from Dough.

Designer Aeropress stirring devices at Everyman Espresso SOHO.

Everyman in action. (iambatmanda via Instagram)

Everyman Espresso is co-owned and operated by Sam Penix; Mr. Penix’s SOHO shop is managed by Sam Lewontin. They proudly serve Counter Culture Coffee.

From being featured in our Build Outs of Summer series to winning the VV’s “Best Cafe of 2012″ in just 6 short months… that’s impressive work, gang.

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There’s some top drawer fresh content up today via the Everyman Espresso blog, a rebuttal of sorts to the “Unimportance of Brew Methods” feature we highlighted a few days ago on Sprudge. But first, to address some confusion that’s been lingering for a few days: the original blog post from Extractions & Distractions was not written by Espresso Parts’ Michael “Panda” Fernandez – he was mentioned in our original post because his Facebook feed was what originally brought this article to our attention. Sorry for any confusion, Panda.

On to the rebuttal! Sam Lewontin’s written a corker, whose introduction we’ll go ahead and excerpt:

The notion that all brew methods are created equal– or, to soften the rhetoric a bit, that most are of equivalent merit– has been cropping up a lot in recent discussions among specialty coffee folk. Let’s make no bones about it: this is an oversimplification gross enough to make it untrue. It does, however, point to an interesting and worthwhile consideration regarding service.

Let’s start with the nature of the oversimplification. All brewing methods are, indeed, tools for accomplishing the same task: extraction. The theory is: as long as the variables governing said extraction are manipulated properly, one should be able to use any method to near-optimally express the flavors present in any coffee. Hence, the argument goes, equivalence.

Mr. Lewontin goes on to eloquently opine:

Overemphasis on methodology can also directly detract from the “feeling good” aspect of the service. A didactic mode of service serves (just as does any didactic rhetorical approach) mainly to make the listener aware of the inadequacy of their own knowledge. It inculcates in our customer base the notion of baristas as somewhere between snobs and priests, reveling in arcana as a means of self-empowerment at the expense of our audience. While it is indeed valuable to have the answers to questions (when they’re asked!), the practice of focusing up front on specific brew methods and minor differences in technique– in dialog, menu composition and marketing– is at best self-aggrandizing and at worst a serious distraction from what actually matters.

Go ahead and do yourself a favor – read the whole thing here via Everyman Espresso’s blog. There’s also some great commentary up on the original post we ran, so spend some time there too. This discussion is ongoing, so jump in to our comments and sound off below. The water’s fine!

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Summer is a GREAT time to put in all the schmuck work that goes into opening a new cafe. The long Home Depot days, the late paint fume nights, the quirky contractors, the hold-ups, the reclaimed lumber swap meets…it’s a joyful mess, and we love it. All summer long we’ll be featuring build outs and sneak peaks from fab new cafes around the world.

When life takes us to New York City, Everyman Espresso in the East Village is our living room, its staff our dinner dates, its lovely front bench our splendid makeshift stoop-away-from-home. Because of this, we’re overjoyed to share with you these exclusive details and candid photos from the crew at Everyman’s hotly anticipated second location. Last March, owner Sam Penix signed papers on a space located at 301 W. Broadway, the heart of Soho, in a building originally built in 1824 and designed by John R. Murray. It’s a quirky space, to be sure: upon move-in, Mr. Penix and manager / chief lieutenant Sam Lewontin discovered cut-off Jimmy Chu labels and a handbag den in the basement; the electric meter for the space is located in an adjacent t-shirt shop; and a number of celebrities, including Justin Timberlake, own apartments in the building next door.

Everyman Espresso has long been one of the crown jewels in Counter Culture Coffee’s roster of fine wholesale partners, and this relationship will be in full flourish at their new space. Brewed coffee will be offered via Fetco, Chemex and Aeropress; espresso service comes courtesy of the La Marzocco Strada MP; grinders are two custom-painted Robur E models from Espresso Parts – “they look like race cars”, according to Mr. Penix. Patrons can expect two espresso choices on offer each day, one suggested with milk, the other only for shots, and the crew at Everyman will be offering custom blends of production roast coffees and single origin espressos.

For more details, Sprudge spoke further with Mr. Lewontin:

We had extraordinary luck getting permits from the city. In contrast to the usual horror stories about weeks- (or sometimes months-) long waits for permitting, we had everything squared away in less than 2 weeks.

The design process has been a really awesome collaboration between Sam P, Jane Kim & myself, with lots of great ideas coming from all sides.

Many of our fixtures are reclaimed. We’re using St. Charles steel cabinets (acquired from Build it Green in Queens,) and our dish sink is a classic 2-bay cast iron number from a brownstone in Park Slope (it took 3 people and the better part of half a day to get it to the space, no thanks to lower Manhattan traffic.)

The idea behind the space is that it be both fun to work in, and fun to spend time in as a customer. We want it to be less like a traditional cafe (sorry: coffee bar!) and more like hanging out in your friend’s awesome kitchen– only with really, really good coffee.

There’s tons of other pics of the Everyman 2 build out available here, via photographer Julie Robinson’s Flickr feed. Congratulations on the hard work so far, gents, and we can’t wait to visit after you open.

The post Build Outs Of Summer: Everyman Espresso, SoHo appeared first on Sprudge.com.

As if you needed more proof that NYC coffee news moves at the speed of light, the East Village cafe tastemakers at Everyman Espresso have made official their plans to open a second location. They’ve signed papers and acquired keys to a space in SoHo, at 301 W. Broadway (directly off Canal Street). Their new cafe locale is in the John R. Murray building, an historic property originally built in 1824 that is among the oldest in SoHo. Everyman owner Sam Penix spoke exclusively to Sprudge:

We are pleased as punch to announce that today we got the keys to our new space at 301 West Broadway in the SOHo! We are enormously excited to grow and have the opportunity to challenge preconceived notions of what a coffee shop can be.

We would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has shown their love and support for Everyman Espresso, as well as special thanks to the heads of NYC coffee scene who have been extremely helpful with their advice and encouragement. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Some juicy deets: Justin Timberlake reportedly lives in the penthouse apartment next door to the space, and Mr. Penix and Co. will be going head to head against a Dunkin’ Donuts location across the street. Everyman’s new location will be easily accessible by the Canal Street subway stop, serving the A,C,E lines as well as the 1 train. Patrons taking their coffee to-go will have their pick of nearby parks to enjoy, including St. John’s, Albert Capsouto, and Juan Pablo Duarte Square; for those in need of a little lunch (or maybe a housemade celery soda), the Tribeca outpost of Bubby’s is just a few blocks away. Still hungry? You’re a charming 10 blocks away from Torrisi Italian Specialties, raved about by everyone from The New York Times to The New York Times Magazine. Love the neighborhood so much you just can’t bear to leave? The SoHo Grand Hotel is right across the street.

Expect this cafe to truly challenge conventional notions of service, design and flow – from what we’re told, the Everyman crew has every intention to make their new space unlike anything else in New York City. There’s no set opening date yet, though a rough “3 months from now” deadline is floating around on social media; expect a chance to see the space this summer, and look for updates in the interim right here on Sprudge.com.

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Zooey Deschanel, we’re so totally alike. We love to drink coffee – in fact, we love it so much we started this website. So listen, we saw your tweet, and we wanna be your coffee travel agent – that’s why we wrote you a judgement-free, totally not weird New York City Coffee Vacation Guide for you to check out. Pack your ukulele and let’s get some coffee!

There’s nowhere better than the Big Apple, and you can drink awesome coffee here. First up on your list should be Everyman Espresso (136 E. 13th Street, East Village), a caps lock ADORKABLE little shop in the Village where you can drink delicious coffee from a roaster called Counter Culture. They do great espresso drinks, but even better, they offer up some of the best Aeropress brewed coffee in America. Have you seen an Aeropress before? They sort of look like the Swedish Enlarger Pump from the first Austin Powers movie, but they make really delicious brewed coffee. Seriously.

From there, go for a super cute walk through the Village over to Washington Square Park (the BEST people watching), and check out this iddy-biddy little cafe called Third Rail Coffee (240 Sullivan Street). Third Rail is TINY, but it’s super cute, and the coffee is super good – they serve stuff from Brooklyn’s Stumptown Coffee roastworks and Chicago’s Intelligentsia, and the baristas are handsome, and their art and music is choice, and we think you’ll just LOVE it. Take your coffee to go and drink it in the park.

Of course you’re gonna want to hit up Brooklyn while you’re in NYC, because, like, cool restaurants and stuff, and lots of girls totally ripping off your style. Cafe Grumpy (193 Meserole Ave, Greenpoint) roasts coffee, like, right there, in your face, and if you ever wanted to learn how coffee is roasted, talk to Cheryl, and she’d be happy to show you and maybe hula hoop with you. Greenpoint is a super cute neighborhood too and it’s swimming with Polish hunks, with lotsa little pastry shops and places that sell “pyzza”. Cuuute!

You should also check out this brand new cafe called Toby’s Estate (125 N 6th St, Williamsburg). Now, it’s in Williamsburg, but it’s not in the jerky part of Williamsburg, and it’s close to like, Milk Bar (did someone say cookies?) and Pies ‘n Thighs (did someone say fried chicken?) and stuff like that – maybe hire a car? That way you can see all of Billyburg real quick like. Toby’s Estate just got an epic Oliver Strand job from the New York Times, and the space is sooooo super duper cutesy wootsy, and they make something there called a “flat white” – it’s like a latte, but it’s from Australia, and Australians are so hot!

Last but not least, how about some exquisite coffee service at one of New York’s swankiest restaurants? We’ve got just the place: Eleven Madison Park (11 Madison Avenue, Manhattan). Some people say it’s the nicest restaurant in New York. We dunno about that – have you had dessert at Roberta’s? Or done a full pork shoulder service at Momofuku Ssam Bar? Delish. But what Eleven Madison Park DOES have is tableside Chemex or siphon coffee service, prepared for you in the middle of the restaurant and everything! This is pretty top-notch stuff, all from the folks at Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago. You can’t go wrong here – a fantastic meal, a fancy coffee, then off into the Manhattan night air, and who knows what comes next?

Don’t you just love New York City?

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(Editorial note: the following conversation occurred over macchiatos infused with yellow chartreuse provided by Alex Bernson, formerly of Vandaag, now of Joe NYC)

Sprudge: Sam! Talk to us about how Craft Coffee whittles down the roasters you use.

Sam Lewontin: Man, this Yellow Chartreuse macchiato is serious business. Alright, so here’s how it works: we ship 3 coffees a month, but those are chosen out of a batch of roughly 20-30 coffees total, which usually represent around a half a dozen roasters. We do some light solicitation of roasters, but for the most part we’re getting a lot of top quality stuff sent to us – the recent coffee we included from Dogwood in Minneapolis is a great example of that.

Sprudge: So you get the coffees into New York, and then what?

Sam Lewontin: Well, we get the samples, we cup them, and then we narrow those samples down by choosing the standouts from the “first table”. Our favorites wind up on a “second table”, which is where the tough choices are made. We cup all of our coffees blind – previously Craft Coffee wasn’t cupping using an evaluative method, but that’s something we started doing around 3 months ago. After cupping, we brew our favorite coffees in our lab and choose the ones we think standout and compliment each other.

Sprudge: We’re a huge fan of your tasting notes. Are you pulling those notes from cupping, or from brewing, or some kind of metaphysical black magic?

Sam Lewotin: Our notes come out of a variety of brewing methods, but not from cupping. My personal favorite method for brewing notes is the Kalita Wave, but we don’t restrict people to one particular brewing method or another.

Sprudge: So it’s all blind? Or is there, you know, an overarching theme you’re going for each month?

Sam Lewontin: We do cup blind, but it’s important for us to have variety – last month we featured two African coffees, but they’re wildly different coffees from each other. That Kenya from Dogwood is a crazy jammy natural coffee, while the Augie’s Coffee Guji is your classic washed Ethiopian. We don’t like repeating flavor profiles or origins in the same box, or even from month to month.

Sprudge: We gotta admit: we’d never heard of Augie’s before we received last month’s box from Craft Coffee.

Sam Lewontin: Yeah! Augie’s is from Redlands, California – really great coffee, right? We usually feature a couple of roasters that specialty coffee types have heard of, and then some other ones where you’re like “Huh?” – that’s part of the fun. The idea is to be really even-handed and go by coffee quality, but we’re particularly interested in boutique microroasters. Featuring coffees from places like Augie’s, Dogwood, Olympia Coffee Roasters, Paradise, Coava…we want to give these boutique roasters more exposure.

Sprudge: Last question: from a logistics perspective, when in the post-roast cycle do Craft Coffee subscribers typically receive your coffees?

Sam Lewontin: The roasters ship their coffees to us ASAP off-roast; we turn around and ship them to you right away, so that they typically arrive 7 days after roasting. Since we’re shipping 3 4 oz. bags, you wind up up with enough to make a couple of nice coffees for yourself every day for a week, while the coffee is still optimal.

We expect a lot more great stuff from Craft Coffee in 2011 and beyond – learn more by checking them out here.

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