Primer: EA does NYC

Backdrop

We landed at Newark ready and eager to embark on the Espresso Adventures: New York Edition. 
A large urban playground, 5 boroughs to explore, musicals and be caffeinated.... come on --we weren't sure what would ensue. My eyes lit up at the chance to have an espresso focused trip with not tooo many tourist attraction, but just enough to fill the time and re-cooperate from caffeination overload.

Next Destination: Penn Stn. With a 7-day unlimited pass ($27) and 2 trusty sidekicks (MTA Subway map and pocket sized Lonely Plant), there would be endless possibilities to romp around town. We quickly gathered out carry-ons and started what would be an epic exploration of 15 cafes in 5 days.

New York isn’t particularly known for their coffee roasting, but as we’ve seen in YYZ, local micro roasters are popping up faster than you think. We’re in the US - that means strict by-laws, health and safety enforcement officers everywhere, and spot checking neighbours complaining about excessive smoke. Who can blame them, New York is the epicentre of EAST COAST rush, and if it’s bothering you –complain. (This will need to be another post). I wasn’t expecting too many roasters, but was surprised at who I was about to discover. Since the introduction to prominent west-coast favourites, along with USPS shipments of other roasters…. Heavy competition with bean availability. How does NYC put themselves on the map?

Espresso Adventures usually happen on a whim, but for a mega trip like this, countless hours of research and prep needed to happen. It’s always hard to decide upon which locations are worth the trips, but there had to be a limit. Time would not be on our side, but our mission was to immerse ourselves into the local minds. In any event, there is always an opportunity to visit again, but what could we pack into our itinerary….

We’re about to find out….


View New York Espresso Adventures in a larger map

I'll be uploading a chronological visit starting with Stumptown's ACE Hotel location.