Want to see some great design? The Specialty Coffee Association has put out a platform celebrating design in coffee.
If you haven’t seen it before, here you go!
Here are some recent ones:
Actually, Kishi Bashi is an artist I regularly listen to; and I haven’t shared the New York Coffee Newsletter Playlist in a while. How often does a music artist collab with a coffee company?
Hit that “shuffle” button, or skip to the end to hear Kishi Bashi.
Or, just, you know:
I got my checkers out, chess, Parcheesi…
…Oh, Honeybody, whatcha doin’ Sunday?
Maybe sipping a Coca-Cola with me, babe
What are you doing Sunday?
Let’s get to the newsletter:
This week’s coffee shop spotlight!
The Equinox of NYC Cafés: Bougie, expensive, and you’re supposed to network, I guess?
Laobra Café
A photography studio Sunday–Friday, Laobra Café hosts a coffee and co-working space, five hours a week, for $35 a person (if you want a treat and coffee). It’s marketed as a networking event [amongst ‘creators’], and it seemed like those that didn’t chat with a stranger had a lackluster time.
It’s complicated to get in; the entrance is signage-free except for a buzzer which you can enter a code into. There’s a lot of buzzers on this building, so good luck—I didn’t see anyone new that wasn’t confused when walking in.
To get access to get in, you have to act quickly; the e-mail for reservations arrives at a random time and you gotta reserve fast.
If you do get in, you are given an “entry window” from 12–5pm, and can stay until close (6?).
If you’re a “meat-only-at-the-buffet” type of person, you can have as many coffees as you want within your time; serving Sey coffee and Rishi tea [and Kettl matcha]. Get your money’s worth!
As you’re served, you may be met with “excited about coffee” and “ew, stop talking to me” at the same time…still better than my experience at Sey.
I got a drip (Sey coffee roasted, Colombia), a shakerato (??), a Peach Blossom tea (Rishi), and a vanilla latte (??).
I definitely would recommend the shakerato or the tea, but all in all I suppose it was around the price I would’ve paid for four hand-made drinks at a specialty coffee shop.
Would I recommend it?
Nah, unless you live nearby and have an extra $35 bucks lying around.
Instead, for $10, you can walk to Loveless coffee or Dayglow and chat with the baristas, people inside, and whomever—which is exactly what we did after.
And if you see it in a post on TikTok, it’s okay. Keep scrolling.
What’s new, Jude?
Olive Coffee, Astoria. I can only drink so much coffee 🤢
Also in Astoria, Under Pressure Espresso is opening a new branch.
Also in Astoria, Cafe 9. Look at this pretty matcha!
Coffee @ 5BP [5 Bryant Park], at 5 Bryant Park. Looks like Moak Coffee (?) and Teapigs tea.
Drip Coffee has a new location in FiDi.
Postcard in West Village. You can read more about Postcard and some other places on Coffee Klatsch’s website. I find some, CK finds some, and a few cafés are never found.
Break time!
Hey you, Honeybody
When you coming out for game play?
I got my Checkers out, Chess, ParcheesiAnd if you want to bring your dice
That'd be real nice
Six-sided, dodecahedron, it doesn't matter
And now…
Coffee news!
Legislation & Events
Big win: the European Parliament has approved the “due diligence” directive, which makes sure upstream and downstream partners aren’t having an adverse impact on human rights and the environment. Yay!
The World Barista Competition in Busan, South Korea, crowned its champion yesterday: Mikael Jasin from So So Good Coffee Company in Indonesia.
The Starbucks Supreme Court Unionization case is leaning in Starbucks’s favor, as per Reuters. Apparently there are around 10,000 unionizing employees.
The Northeast Coffee Festival is happening May 10–11 in Concord, NH.
Hawai’i’s legislature to protect Hawai’ian origin for coffee, making sure Hawai’ian labeled coffee is at least 51% Hawai’ian origin. This will go into effect 7/1/2027. This is great news for Hawai’ian coffee!
NYC Employees will have access to 20 hours of prenatal healthcare leave atop their existing sick+vacation leave benefits, starting in 2025.
Brands
A competitor to Luckin Coffee in China, Cotti Coffee, [pushing prices down to as low as $1.37 per cup) opened their first store in the US (Hawai’i). They’re coming for you next.
Luckin Coffee, in China, is now at 18,500 stores after opening an incredible 2,340 stores just in 2024 Q1. What!!? Here’s their new roasting facility.
Nespresso has a new global CEO.
Nguyen coffee supply is entering Target with Ready-to-Drink drinks.
AI, AI, AIIIIIIII!, an “AI-conic” blend has been created by Kaffa Roastery in Finland—it’s a roast developed by AI.
Coffee Experiments
UC Davis Coffee Center analyzed how various roasting sequences affected acidity in coffee with commercial roasters, whereas previous studies were done with laboratory roasters [not as accurate for at-scale roasting].
Chiefly, peak acidity always coincided with first crack [around a light roast] and by second crack [medium-dark], acidity was at almost exactly the initial value [0 min roasting time].
Two profiles associated with defects, such as “Flick” and “Negative Rate of Rise” were very similar to the “Medium Speed” roast profile.
The origin of the coffee and roast profile have very little impact on the maximum acidity you can get.
It does mention the end acidity to be different across roasting profiles, but that’s likely because they didn’t roast all samples past second crack for the same amount of time/heat.
Individual acids are not measured, just total concentration.
Two Chinese universities studied cold brew extraction in a negative pressure environment.
Generally, our cold brew extracts with 1 atmosphere’s worth of pressure. That’s what we’re feeling now. They extracted their coffee in 0.1 atm, an assumption that less pressure means all the stuff inside will want to expand.
It determined that 5 hours was the ideal time for this brewing method.
Additionally, they analyzed cold brew in refrigeration for 3 months and found how the flavor profile changed.
SoundPrint has completed a survey around noise in major coffee chains. Panera is the quietest that they surveyed and Le Pain Quotidien the loudest. Coffee shops are quietest around 1-4p.m. and before 8a.m.
Trendy Stuff
Snapchill creates ‘cold brew’ out of your hot brew. They will send you 12 cans for free if you send them 3 lbs. of beans.
The papayo varietal is the new kid—here’s an article about the varietal.
A new compostable coffee bag, “Compost+” has hit the market; from Savor Brands. Why not check it out?
Aeropress now has more colors. For every holiday!
The Recipe Section
This recipe comes from my brother’s suggestions, when I was first starting to make interesting simple syrups and coffee recipes. He’s a bartender and mezcal ambassador out in long island; he does some really cool stuff.
Red Bell Pepper
It’s fresh and time to bring in Spring. Even though it’s May.
It’s time to bring in Summer*!
Red Bell Pepper is a secret ingredient in a lot of cocktail bars’ repetoires, and for good reason.
For the syrup
5 red bell peppers, fresh and plump [take off the stems]
1 ½ cups sugar
0.56 cups water
BLEND! BLEND!!!!!!! BLENENENENENEND!!! Annihilate it in a blender.
If you don’t have a blender, you can place a red bell pepper in a mason jar with 1:1 simple syrup [warm], and steep until cool (about an hour), then remove the red bell pepper.
Strain
For the drink
Try this with a shot of espresso and go from there. Espresso Romano is an espresso shot with lemon, and bell pepper is also acidic [although not nearly as much, it’s slightly more alkaline than coffee].
Mix a latte with red bell pepper syrup, and enjoy your brighter, acidic coffee. I wouldn’t serve this to customers, but I’d try it if you’ve made this syrup; it gives a great idea of how it works with milk and espresso.
Red Bell Pepper Americano
You ever had a peach americano? This is that.
Americano
1.5oz Red Bell Pepper syrup
Mix the syrup with the espresso first
Add hot water to complete the drink [6–8oz]
Some excellent additions
Porcini mushrooms (just not in the same syrup with the peppers)
Red pepper flakes
Black Pepper
Black Salt [maybe don’t do both. Also, black salt is very sulfurous; an eggy, acquired taste]
Lime and Orange, in any form that isn’t going to curdle your milk
Vanilla [not vanilla syrup unless that vanilla syrup is very strong]
Cardmom Bitters [not for coffee drinks; don’t put secret alcohol in your customers’ drinks]
Some more reading
Home Speakeasy’s “South of the Border, West of the Sun” cocktail.
Thirsty Camel Cocktail’s “Dreams of Summer” cocktail.
Mary Robinette Kowal’s Amal’s Hospitality mocktail.
Thanks for tuning in!
Enjoy your coffee!
Red bell pepper syrup! 🤯 An idea I might just be crazy enough to try.