Notes

The Reasons You're Not Successing At Coffee Bean Shop
Five Brooklyn Coffee Bean Shops

If you're an avid coffee drinker, then you should consider visiting a coffee shop. They offer a wide selection of whole beans from all across the globe. They also have unique trinkets and kitchenware.

Some of these shops offer subscriptions to their coffee beans. Others sell them in bulk at their retail locations.

Porto Rico Importing Co.

Veteran coffee shop that specializes in international brews, as well as a variety of loose teas

The scent of freshly roasting beans fills the air as you enter this West Village shop. The shelves are lined with jars, sacks and dark brown beans, along with coffee-making equipment, tea accessories and sugar.

The first restaurant opened in 1907, Porto Rico was founded by Italian immigrant Patsy Albanese. Greenwich Village at the time was witnessing a surge of Italian immigrants, who opened businesses to cater to their food requirements. Albanese named her shop after the well-known Puerto Rican coffee she imported (and sold) - - a drink that was that was so well-known at the time that even the Pope took a sip.

Today, Porto Rico sells 130 varieties of beans from all over the world at three locations in New York City including their Bleecker Street location, Essex Market and online. Porto Rico also roasts their own beans and offers wholesale distribution to 350 restaurants in NYC, Brooklyn and Brooklyn.

Peter Longo, the current president and owner of the business was raised on the top floor of his family's bakery located on Bleecker Street where his father was the owner of Porto Rico. He continues to run the shop in the same way as his father and grandfather.

Sey Coffee

The shop is located along Grattan Street in Morgantown, Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, Sey Coffee is both a cafe and a roaster. Co-founders Tobin Polk and Lance Schnorenberg, both 33 started roasting in the fourth-floor loft around the corner from their new location in 2011 under the name Lofted Coffee (with local clients including Greenpoint's Budin and Soho cart service Peddler).

Sey's preference for buying micro-lots, and even whole harvests, from single farmers has earned it the respect of New York City coffee enthusiasts. In 2011, Sey purchased a six-bag micro lot of Danilo Dones Sitio Catucai from Brazil's Espirito Santo region. The beans were harvested at their peak of ripeness and then steamed to eliminate any defects. They were then dried on the farm following a 36-hour dry fermentation. The result is a coffee that is a little the melon and berry.

Sey's commitment extends beyond its shop to improve the overall wellbeing of staff and growers, and customers. It makes use of biodegradable disposables and composts, preventing waste from the landfill and converting it into substances that help reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and feed the soil. It also prevents gratuities. This allows baristas to concentrate on their work and help sustain their livelihoods.

La Cabra

La Cabra is a modern specialty coffee business that was founded in Aarhus, Denmark in 2012. They started with a small store and a dedicated team. Their honest and innovative approach to providing a superior coffee experience has earned them a devoted following, not just in their own town but also around the world.

La Carba has a rigorous method of identifying their ideal beans, going through hundreds of different varieties each year to identify the ones that fit their ideals. They roast them light, adjusting the desired flavor profile. This results in more clarity and a better taste.

The East Village store, which was opened in October of last year it has been praised for its high-quality pour overs as well as its baked goods, which are overseen by Jared Sexton. He previously worked at Bien Cuit, Dominique Ansel as well as other coffee establishments.


The shop is equipped with the La Marzocco Modbar, and the cups, plates and bowls are designed by Wurtz ceramics, a father/son studio in Horsens. In a recent interview, Atlanta Coffee Shops General Manager Ian Walla revealed that La Cabra serves 250 different types of coffee per day, and has usually seven or eight varieties available at any time.

Coffeee Roasting Plant Coffee

The Roasting Plant is the only multi-unit coffee retailer that roasts on-site and brews to order with every cup of coffee being roasted and brewed according to your preferences in less than minutes. It searches the globe for the highest-grade specialty beans that are sourced directly providing customers with choices and high-quality.

Their on-site roaster utilizes fluid bed technology which is a bit different to traditional drum-type machines found in many UK coffee shops. The beans are blown inside a heated box with high-velocity, circulating air. This keeps the beans in suspension and allows for a constant roasting rate.

I tried the Sumatran Coffee and it was incredibly rich and velvety with a rich and velvety taste. Dark chocolate was evident in the aroma. As you sipped the coffee, you could detect subtle citrus fruit aromas.

The roasted coffee is then whisked to the Eversys super-automatic brewing equipment and you can have your coffee brewed to your specifications in just a few minutes. Customers can select from nine single origin selections and a range of blends.

Parlor Coffee

Parlor Coffee was founded in 2012 in a barbershop with a single espresso machine. It has since morphed into a bustling coffee roastery, with beans that are sold in top cafes, restaurants, and home brewers throughout the city. Parlor Coffee is committed to sourcing the highest quality beans that have all undergone a long journey before arriving at its roasters.

The owners, who are self-described as "passionate about their craft and believe that great coffee should be available to everyone," have created a space that is down-to earth and has chalkboards, compost bins, up-cycled handmade products, and minimal decor.

They roast and create their own blends as well as single-origins (there were six at the time I was there) However, they also do cuppings Sundays, which are open to the public. Think of it as an artisanal tasting room in which you can smell and taste the beans, from chocolaty to earthy (one was very tomato-like!). It's a bit off the beaten path, but well worth the trip.

Here's my website: https://www.coffeee.uk/categories/coffee-beans