NYC guide for coffee snobs

Generally speaking, the coffee in NYC is pretty awful.

Growing up in Olympia, WA, I was used to Batdorf & Bronson, Tully's and yes, Starbucks (as one among many regional coffee chains), as well as scores of independent coffee shops and espresso stands every few blocks.

When I moved to NYC, I found that there were considered to be three main options for coffee: 1) Starbucks 2) Dunkin' Donuts 3) deli. And I didn't like the three options...

Now that I've lived in the city for three years, I have gradually found that there are, in fact, places here where you can enjoy good coffee: two spots that I know of that serve Batdorf (from Olympia), numerous spots that serve Illy coffee, Italian (and maybe French..) cafes that serve good espresso (because, well, they often cling to standards that other nyers don't, perhaps?), a few Dominican places....the list goes on....But when you're new to NYC or you're just visiting--it's hard to know where to go..and for someone that is as much of a coffee snob as an addict..the lack of information can cause your life to crawl to a slow (and yes, pathetic) halt.

(Full disclosure: within my first few months in NYC, I once paid $$ for a latte at Starbucks--it was, as it had often been previously--lukewarm and totally lacking in foam..I had myself a cry.)

My goal with this blog is to list places I have discovered that serve great coffee and to add to the list as I discover more. If you're a fellow coffee snob reading and you have a good place to share--whether it be a small independent shop in Queens, a university cafeteria, or the restaurant of a hotel or a museum--please let me know, so I can add it to the list!

Compared to most NYers, I may seem like a coffee connoisseur. But within the world of coffee connoisseurs, I am far from a connoisseur. I am picky, finicky...(I was once a barista and knew how to make good foam, to adjust the grind, to steam the milk fresh, not to let the shot sit out...). I have since forgotten most of this and have probably become more tolerant of mediocre coffee.

Comments as to your opinion of and experiences of the various coffee shops listed (and especially of specific drinks and baristas) are welcome and encouraged--it will make this blog that much more useful to all of us.

It seems most logical/helpful to post by neighborhood, so that's how I'll try to organize the listings, rather than confusing the labels with types of coffee. I'll have to think of another way to include a way to search by coffee served.

Tally-ho..