9.30.2010

Appreciating Coffee Coast to Coast

As of late it feels like NYC has been going through a coffee revolution. More and more specialized independent coffee cafes are opening, and less time is being spent in Starbucks. I try and go out of my way whenever I can to try a new coffee spot, and they always seem to be better than the last. So far my favorites in the east village are:
But as the NY Times points out a lot of the NYC coffee renaissance is happening in Brooklyn, especially Williamsberg, so I need to start jumping on the train.

This week I traveled to SF for work and found an amazing spot called Sightglass.  It was opened by two brothers and right now it's a big empty garage with only two things: a giant on-premise bean roasting machine, and a small bar where they sell the freshest coffee you could possibly get anywhere.  The place is dead simple, focusing on pouring the perfect smooth flavorful cups of coffee and nothing else.


As awesome as Sightglass is, though, I wonder if it would be successful in New York.  It takes a while to make every cup fresh grinded and drip-brewed, and it costs $2.50 for a 10 oz. cup.  Is there enough love of Coffee on the east coast for someone to bring such an enthusiast place to the east coast?