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McDonalds? $1 and it does the job.
If you're really into it, why not get a Jura machine?
I think more people are into the idea of being coffee connoisseur's than actual being coffee connoisseur's.
So few people even have Nespresso machines. My wife's into coffee and we have a Jura E8. It's worth the investment if you spend at least $5/day on coffee.
McDonalds? $1 and it does the job.
If you're really into it, why not get a Jura machine?
I think more people are into the idea of being coffee connoisseur's than actual being coffee connoisseur's.
.
McDonald's does have good coffee.
But it's McDonald's. You can't enjoy the coffee there because of the McDonald's aesthetic, sticky floors, the smell of burgers and fries and tons of kids.
So I prefer a better environment for enjoying the coffee, personally.
Black Gold - local coffee/record shop here in Carroll Gardens. Their black hot or iced coffee is consistently the best
Hungry Ghost - a local NYC chain with a few outposts and more opening up. A good iced coffee, as well as espresso/capp/latte etc
East One - local to Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill, a good coffee flavor overall and super chill spot with a rocky mountain coffee house sort of vibe
Nerd Be Cool - local chain to Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill--incredible mochas, lattes, cappacinos. Consistently high quality
Variety - a good cup of coffee. Sometimes hit or miss, but overall flavorful
Devocion - consistently good--several locations all over NYC
La Colombe - flavorful, consistent, good overall
Disappointments I've had:
*Blank Street - not as good as the hype would want you to believe. Average.
*Blue Bottle Coffee - I've given them 3 shots--one was a terrible hot black coffee. Just awful ugh--over-rated and over-priced
*Gregory's - not very good in general, and over-rated
I'm not sure what gave you the impression that Blank Street was so amazing. I never thought of it as being hyped up either. It's just a decent coffee chain that is below what the more higher-end places charge and provide. I've never gone to any location thinking I'm getting something similar to say Birch or La Colombe, but for the price, I am not offended per se and finish my drink satisfied. All of the locations I've frequented have been small, so the message is get your drink and get out. No nonsense no fuss no pretentiousness. When I just want a decent (notice I didn't say great) cortado and I want to walk with my coffee, I go there and get out.
If I were paying almost $6.00 for a cup, then I would be more demanding, as I am when I'm in Blue Bottle. The places I really like, I always get my espresso drink to stay in a proper coffee cup so that I can relax and enjoy the drink. It's also worth nothing that I only get certain drinks in certain places. Not every place provides the same quality with every drink they put out. For example, you noted Variety Coffee. It's a good product, but the baristas can't pull good shots there to save their lives. The end result is an espresso based drink that is too tart for what it is, so I would never get just an espresso there (that is sometimes what I get when trying a place for the first time because you can really taste the quality of the coffee without anything extra and if the shot is pulled poorly, you'll know) - just espresso based drinks because the sweetness of the milk addresses some of that tartness.
I have to say that I have been shocked lately with some Blue Bottle locations. The baristas are clearly "in training" and it shows because the quality of the drink has not been there. When you get a barista that knows what they are doing, Blue Bottle is one of the best out there. My drinks there are almost $6.00 or sometimes north of that, so there have been occasions when I have asked to have my drink re-made if it isn't done correctly. I agree with you about Gregory's.
There are a number of other places I frequent on occasion that I have not mentioned. Several Aussie coffee shops - mostly decent, but a few not so good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jen5276
WOW I love it
I usually am one to give second chances, but that espresso that day was so bad that I still remember it every time I pass a Gregory's location and I have not walked into one since. The snack I got with it also was unmemorable. There are a few other places that are pretty bad. MACCHIATO ESPRESSO BAR... I've been to a few locations and have not liked either. Not only is the product blah, but the pretentiousness of the baristas for what is an inferior product is comical.
I would also avoid Matto Espresso. Their coffee has always been crappy. The food is actually decent for the price (in other words decent considering how cheap the price is), but it almost seems like they get some stuff from Costco or some place. lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Esacni
McDonalds? $1 and it does the job.
If you're really into it, why not get a Jura machine?
I think more people are into the idea of being coffee connoisseur's than actual being coffee connoisseur's.
So few people even have Nespresso machines. My wife's into coffee and we have a Jura E8. It's worth the investment if you spend at least $5/day on coffee.
There is coffee and there is coffee. It's like saying you love beer and drinking Bud Light. I think the idea here is talk about specialty coffee, not just mass produced crap. A Jura machine is fine, but a really great machine is La Marzocco. A buddy of mine bought a used one for a few thousand dollars (the commercial ones new are insanely expensive) and pulls excellent shots and makes excellent drinks.
I'm not sure what gave you the impression that Blank Street was so amazing. I never thought of it as being hyped up either. It's just a decent coffee chain that is below what the more higher-end places charge and provide. I've never gone to any location thinking I'm getting something similar to say Birch or La Colombe, but for the price, I am not offended per se and finish my drink satisfied. All of the locations I've frequented have been small, so the message is get your drink and get out. No nonsense no fuss no pretentiousness. When I just want a decent (notice I didn't say great) cortado and I want to walk with my coffee, I go there and get out.
If I were paying almost $6.00 for a cup, then I would be more demanding, as I am when I'm in Blue Bottle. The places I really like, I always get my espresso drink to stay in a proper coffee cup so that I can relax and enjoy the drink. It's also worth nothing that I only get certain drinks in certain places. Not every place provides the same quality with every drink they put out. For example, you noted Variety Coffee. It's a good product, but the baristas can't pull good shots there to save their lives. The end result is an espresso based drink that is too tart for what it is, so I would never get just an espresso there (that is sometimes what I get when trying a place for the first time because you can really taste the quality of the coffee without anything extra and if the shot is pulled poorly, you'll know) - just espresso based drinks because the sweetness of the milk addresses some of that tartness.
I have to say that I have been shocked lately with some Blue Bottle locations. The baristas are clearly "in training" and it shows because the quality of the drink has not been there. When you get a barista that knows what they are doing, Blue Bottle is one of the best out there. My drinks there are almost $6.00 or sometimes north of that, so there have been occasions when I have asked to have my drink re-made if it isn't done correctly. I agree with you about Gregory's.
There are a number of other places I frequent on occasion that I have not mentioned. Several Aussie coffee shops - mostly decent, but a few not so good.
.
Also, I'd add in Partner's as one of the best all-around, in NYC. I forgot about their absolutely incredible coffee--and their branding and cafes are super nice. I was in the one in Williamsburg last weekend. The only issue was that it was absolutely packed.
I've heard ppl talk about, and seen Blank Street sort of hyped up a bit online, and folks seem to talk about it. It's ok, but not in my top spots, personally.
As for Blue Bottle, I have yet to have an impressive cup of anything there. I've gone to the one in Cobble Hill 3 times, and it's all been poor to fair (coffee black, latte, mocha).
Where can I get a delicious MANHATTAN instead? Coffee is for waking up, not drooling over or paying $5 for.
Jesus, how standards have fallen.
I’m a big fan of what you just wrote. As you say, splurging on coffee at all times of day is not a good idea. I need my two cups of coffee in the morning, but anything more than that affects my level of energy negatively.
The only time I ever bought a Starbucks coffee was when I met someone there who was selling me their used Macbook. Lol.
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