DUMBO, in that delightful NYC real estate parlance, stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Originally a ferry landing and industrial zone, today it’s home to a thriving tech and arts scene, some pretty nice restaurants, and a lot of lofts that people were either cool enough to buy early, or rich enough for it to not matter. Add to that mix a new location from Bluestone Lane, offering coffee all day, foodstuffs, and cocktails come evening time. This cafe is now open!
As told to Sprudge by Jai Lott, Coffee Director at Bluestone Lane.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Bluestone Lane has 12 locations between Manhattan, Montauk, and Philly, with Dumbo being store 12. The brand focus is providing customers with an authentic Melbourne coffee experience, bringing a taste of Australian coffee culture to the US.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
The DUMBO store will be a new look Bluestone Lane location. It will be a slightly “sexier” space with a strong focus on our first cocktail bar and evening drinks as well as an amazing new daytime menu.
What’s your approach to coffee?
Although we have very adhered to brew ratios and drink recipes, we also understand that locals like to “tweak” their daily coffee. We will always cater for changes while trying to educate them on alternative options to stay true to our Australian roots.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
For this location we have one of the US’s first-landed La Marzocco Strada AV. We had all equipment custom brass-plated by our friends at Liemco Ltd.
We are showcasing cold drip Yama glass towers to complement our other summer offerings and also have a super fun AeroPress bar to showcase some very unique single origins being done especially for us by our mate Buck at Coffee Mob.
Finally, we have seven coffee-based cocktails on offering. Utilizing cold drip, espresso, and cold brew depending on your drink of choice. Two personal favorites are the “Honey, I’m Home”, cold brew, Maker’s Mark, Kahlúa, and honey simple syrup, or “Orange Is The New Black”, espresso, Grand Marnier, Godiva chocolate liquor, and steamed milk.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
We officially open August 15, 2016.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
This space was a collective in-house effort. It evolved as we moved through the process and it was fantastic to brainstorm interesting ideas on how we could approach our first Brooklyn location.
Photos courtesy of Jai Lott.
