Coffee shops in NYC are not worth it anymore. (Collins: to buy, restaurants)
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It is generally $4 for a coffee to go plus $1 tip and you get no smile from some unsociable young barista. Or it is a $6 cappuccino to go plus $1 tip. It is made by an arrogant young barista with no social skills, and a $1 tip is not enough for them. Want to buy yourself a mediocre $6 scone to go? No thanks anymore. At cheaper places it’s $3 and cross your fingers that the milk or a cup rim does not make you sick due to no hygiene knowledge.
Coffee is huge profit margin business and the price keeps rising? The baristas today lack social skills and having conversation is part of their job. Unfortunately for them, I am done with these places. My money and generosity is going elsewhere.
Savings:
$5 per day!
$35 per week!!
$259 per month!!!
$1,800 saved per year!!!!
I very rarely purchase coffee out and about. I enjoy making it at home, to sit at my table reading every morning for 30-40 minutes before starting my day.
For someone who’s NotInNYC he sure seems to buy a lot of coffee, supposedly *in NYC* since he’s posting his rant on this forum. And doing it every single day according to the posted “math”. makes me wonder about OP’s deal.
It is generally $4 for a coffee to go plus $1 tip and you get no smile from some unsociable young barista. Or it is a $6 cappuccino to go plus $1 tip. It is made by an arrogant young barista with no social skills, and a $1 tip is not enough for them. Want to buy yourself a mediocre $6 scone to go? No thanks anymore. At cheaper places it’s $3 and cross your fingers that the milk or a cup rim does not make you sick due to no hygiene knowledge.
Coffee is huge profit margin business and the price keeps rising? The baristas today lack social skills and having conversation is part of their job. Unfortunately for them, I am done with these places. My money and generosity is going elsewhere.
Savings:
$5 per day!
$35 per week!!
$259 per month!!!
$1,800 saved per year!!!!
There's only one place that I frequent that hasn't stopped making their coffee as strong as it was pre-COVID, and it's an Italian place I frequent in Manhattan. I know all of the baristas and they know that I either go for a macchiato or if I want something longer, a cappuccino, but only in the morning. Any other time, it's a macchiato (doppio). Lots of regulars too, some who have been to Italy.
There are some other Italian places that I frequent, but haven't in a while and those are usually good, with the exception of Zibetto, which was an embarrassment for an Italian place. I've been to a few of their places and even with Italian baristas, some of them can't pull good shots. Macchiatos were just a mess.
Now with the specialty/hipster places, I've noticed that some of them seem to have cut back on how strong their espresso drinks are. If I'm in one of my spots like Blue Bottle, Birch, La Colombe, etc., I usually go for a cortado since any sort of double espresso or macchiato feels so tiny that I feel that I'm being pranked. Problem is some baristas don't know to make it properly. It's supposed to be equal parts steamed milk and espresso and around 4 oz, but some places act as if they are trying to give me more. I had to stop one lady because she was putting in too much steamed milk, which makes it more like a latte or something. Then there are those that seem to be cutting back on either the length of the pulled espresso shot or how strong it is, as if they have changed the blend that they use. Some months ago a barista asked me what coffee I wanted, which I had never been asked before, so I asked her which coffee was the most popular that they used and she pointed me to a blend, so I went with that, which tasted like my usual cortado.
To ensure that I get equal parts steamed milk and espresso, I usually get my cortado to stay in a Gibraltar glass. If it's to go, you don't get it consistent. I would say around half of the baristas make it properly and it's the actual size that it should be. The others don't but I rarely complain. On occasion, I do have them re-make it if it's just terrible, and when that happens, I bluntly tell them that I can't drink this and have another barista make it. LOL
As you noted, just about every coffee shop has jacked up their price. Blue Bottle is $5.17 now. Joe Coffee, La Colombe and I think Bluestone Lane and Black Fox (Aussie places) are still just under $5.00 for a cortado (or as they call them a "piccolo"). I went to Birch today to a location I hadn't been to before. Decent cortado but not as good as the Birch on 62nd St. Most of the baristas make it properly. You're right though... If you get a pastry and tip, you're paying around $11.00 at most places. Little Collins is one of the few exceptions. I guess they do enough volume to keep prices down, though their food is not cheap, but the pastries and espresso based drinks are reasonable.
For me, tips are earned. You have to show me that you can make my espresso drink consistently and impress me, and given that I used to drink coffee in Italy at a fraction of what we pay here, I know damn good coffee. I tolerate what we get here as "specialty" coffee, but it's only occasionally that I say damn that was a good coffee, and even then it would not compare to what you get in Italy. With tip, maybe you pay 2€, which is what I did with my regular barista who was down the block from my flat. Every morning I would go in and get my macchiato. 0,85€ then!
Years ago I was in a hurry to get to a meeting, and stopped by Gregory's since it was there and I needed my fix. Well it was terrible. Overly acidic and tart. I have never drank their coffee since. Café Grumpy is another one that is over $5.00, with snobby baristas. Their blend seems very similar to the blend Partner's Coffee uses, but they charge less. The barista at Café Grumpy was quite arrogant and I thought $5.17 for this? It was just ok. Nothing mind blowing. Usually I drink my cortados without sugar since they are not super strong, but depending on the blend, I'll go for a packet of Sugar in the Raw. They didn't even have sugar out. Those sorts of places usually think that coffee should be drank without anything added. In my opinion, if it's really made properly, yes it can be. Bluestone Lane used to make very very tart, acidic espresso drinks that needed sugar, but they have changed their blend after I complained. lol
Speaking of good coffee places, Tarallucci e Vino always had good espresso drinks because the baristas always came over from Italy. Been a while since I've been to one of their locations, but I used to eat there some frequently, that the owner, Luca, knew me by name.
Last edited by pierrepont7731; 03-22-2022 at 07:35 PM..
For years, I used to buy coffee every mornings but lately I find that they make me nauseous. I tried several places and I get the same nauseating feeling. Someone then told me that it's because restaurants don't clean their coffee maker properly. They said that they get explosive diarrhea every time they drink coffee outside.
I finally listened and bought my own coffee maker which I clean every single day and I no longer have that sickening feeling. I find French presses to be the best as they're easier to clean and I never get the sick to my stomach feeling.
For years, I used to buy coffee every mornings but lately I find that they make me nauseous. I tried several places and I get the same nauseating feeling. Someone then told me that it's because restaurants don't clean their coffee maker properly. They said that they get explosive diarrhea every time they drink coffee outside.
I finally listened and bought my own coffee maker which I clean every single day and I no longer have that sickening feeling. I find French presses to be the best as they're easier to clean and I never get the sick to my stomach feeling.
It could also be that you don't eat anything when you get coffee out. I get that sensation if I get coffee and don't have anything to eat for several hours, so I try to eat something now when I have my cortado, even if it's shortly after.
I very rarely purchase coffee out and about. I enjoy making it at home, to sit at my table reading every morning for 30-40 minutes before starting my day.
Same here. Never buy it out, enjoy it at my own place.
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