It was after the third “act of violence” at Ninth Street Espresso in the East Village that owner Ken Nye held a staff meeting. The strict policies of the coffee shop — including the refusal to sell espresso to go — had so enraged one customer that he threw a tip jar across the store in protest.
Now, the to-go espresso “is not a die-hard rule — it’s just a very strong suggestion,” says Nye, who may be the city’s original “coffee nazi,” as he was dubbed by the press when his shop first opened in 2001.
Yes, coffee can incite near-riots for caffeine-starved New Yorkers who want their brew exactly how they’re used to it — and fast. Just ask Alec Baldwin. Last week, the actor threw a tantrum in a Starbucks on 93rd Street over the apparent “attitude problem” of an “uptight barista” who couldn’t get his order right.
But serious — some might say uptight — coffee culture, which has roots in the Pacific Northwest, has been picking up steam in New York. Often referred to as “third-wave coffee,” its proponents take roasted beans as seriously as wine. At these serious locales, you don’t want to order your coffee light and sweet, deli-style. Or commit the sin of drinking your espresso out of a paper cup. (Both ordering habits ruin the flavor.)
Nye, who now operates three Ninth Street Espressos (the first at 700 E. Ninth St.; plus two other locations), is proud to be an early adopter of the specialty coffee movement. “[Ten years ago] there was no commercial coffee culture in NYC,” says the native New Yorker. “Not a single high-end specialty coffee place. It was chain places, delis, diners.”
Still, not everyone appreciates the passion of the self-professed “coffee geek.” When the store opened, “I literally got called a coffee nazi!” he exclaims, still sounding slightly hurt.
“Which, I guess there was truth to, because I would definitely say no to customers on a pretty regular basis. I would say no [to something] every day. But not to be elitist — I would be willing to share my understanding and explain to them why I thought that.”
His most famous “no” was espresso to go. “Espresso over ice was another one. Then there’s just all the clichés created by the big-chain coffee companies, where you can ask for 40 specific things, like ‘tall skinny half-decaf, extra-hot . . .’ We’d just listen to them, let them finish, and we’d just say no. And [then] we’d explain why.”
Alec Baldwin, consider yourself warned.
No more Mr. Coffee!
Eleven Madison Park (11 Madison Ave.) introduced a tableside siphon service about a year ago, the components of which look almost like a chemistry set. Coffee program director Jim Betz says he wanted to introduce the third-wave coffee movement — meaning treating coffee seriously, or “post-Starbucks,” as he puts it — into a formal dining-room setting. Betz also happens to be the nephew of Ninth Street Espresso’s Ken Nye. “It creates an event at the table,” says Betz of the setup. “There are generally some oohs and ahhs.”
And then there’s the Slayer. Not the metal band — the $18,000 espresso machine. RBC NYC in TriBeCa (71 Worth St.) was the first coffee shop on the East Coast to have one.
“Basically, it’s all about manual control versus an automated machine,” explains RBC coffee director Cora Lambert, who says it usually takes at least six months of training to master. “Our barista is using the [machine’s] tools to eliminate unpleasant flavors, which you can’t do with a regular [automated] machine. We believe that with longer shots you get a lot more subtleties in the coffee, add additional body and flavor, and eliminate bitterness.”
Meanwhile, Blue Bottle in Williamsburg (160 Berry St.) has five Japanese slow-drip machines. “The drippers are a cold-brew, slow-drip process for making single-origin iced coffee,” says fulfillment coordinator Emma Blankinshiop. “It takes about 12 hours. It is a clean, highly controlled process meant to bring out the flavor profiles of the different varietals.”
No milk!
If you order a super-strong “Kyoto” coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee (160 Berry St., Williamsburg), a San Francisco import that’s expanding to Rockefeller Center, be prepared for it to be served black. “The purpose of brewing coffee through a process like the Kyoto drippers is to uphold the delicate, subtle flavors of a single-origin bean,” explains Blue Bottle’s “fulfillment coordinator,” Emma Blankinshiop. “While milk and sugar make things delicious, they are in themselves very strong compounds and would mask the nuances we are trying to achieve.”
Blankinshiop insists, however, that the cafe’s just trying to provide a better experience, not intimidate customers with rules. “ ‘Snob’ is not a term I think most people in the industry feel comfortable with!” she says.
No grandes, ventis or talls!
“There’s just one size for everything. Latte is one size. Cappuccino is another size,” says Elizabeth Quijada, co-owner of tiny East Village coffee shop Abraço (86 E. Seventh St.). “Our drinks aren’t huge.”
You won’t find decaf, tea or anything but whole milk, either — partly due to extreme space and refrigeration restrictions. “We don’t have anything against [those things]. It came out of necessity. Coffee places in general have gotten a little reputation for being snobby, and we’re not coming from that place,” she insists. But still, “we wanted to keep everything focused. We want quality control over absolutely everything.”
No decaf!
Don’t even think about ordering a decaf latte or cappuccino at TriBeCa coffee shop RBC NYC (71 Worth St.). “We don’t have decaf espresso,” says Cora Lambert, director of coffee at the shop. “The decaf process is really violent on the actual coffee. We’ve never tried a decaf espresso that’s met our standards.”
The same rule applies at Ninth Street Espresso — with a caveat. “Unfortunately, each store still has a few pounds of decaf around at all times,” grumbles Nye.
“We will pull a shot of decaf espresso. But it is only there for people who are restricted from drinking caffeine and don’t want to miss their daily experience of having coffee. For a long time I removed [the decaf], but the pushback was amazing. It’s not on the menu, but it you ask for it, we will do it.”
. . . and no flavored syrups!
Flavored syrups are also no-nos at “third-wave coffee” shops such as RBC and Ninth Street Espresso.
“The only experience I don’t offer in any form is artificial flavors,” says Nye. “No syrups or things like that.”
Still, he admits to keeping “one box of Splenda” on hand. “We just do that for dietary concerns — the same way I keep soy milk because some people have dairy issues.”
Like the decaf, it’s not actually advertised. You have to ask for it.
No laptops!
A note on the Web site for the Park Slope location of Café Grumpy helpfully says “No WiFi,” as if to say: Finally, a coffee shop that’s not filled with dead-eyed zombie-patrons staring into their laptops! Of course, you might not feel that way if you’re a freelancer, unemployed or otherwise need to work outside your office or apartment.
Part of the reason is the small size of the store, but “we did consciously design it like that,” says Grumpy owner Caroline Bell. The lack of wireless and therefore, laptops, “encourages more talking, hanging out, interaction. It’s the size and the atmosphere we were going for.”
While you won’t find any Wi-Fi in the store’s Chelsea and Lower East Side locations, the larger Greenpoint space does offer wireless and, for better or worse, is filled with the laptop brigade most days.
No bean grinding!
You can pick up a bag of beans at Blue Bottle — but the barista won’t grind them for you.
“We only sell beans within 48 hours of roasting because of the freshness,” explains operations manager Kathleen Nuffort. “We don’t grind them [for you] for the same reason.”
In short, they want people at home to have the same experience they have at the store, where beans are ground immediately before brewing. “We get asked about that a lot,” she says. “But I think people are learning. We do sell grinders, though.”
No to-go!
“We don’t offer espressos or macchiatos to go,” says RBC’s Lambert. “They are intended to be consumed immediately. There’s a very short window where [the drink] is in the range of perfection. We also think paper affects the flavor. [Espresso is] just a very delicate beverage, intended to be drunk immediately.”
Nye of Ninth Street Espresso agrees. “As soon as things start to cool, it all changes — the flavor, body and texture — and often not for the better. Cooling has a very souring effect on espresso and coffee.”
Same at Blue Bottle: “Generally, not,” says Blankinshiop of to-go espressos. “Our espresso is a double ristretto, which means it is a short, compact shot. The delicate structure would get lost in a porous paper cup.”