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For those of you think it’s not OK to buy coffee off a cart, or consider Starbucks the fast food for caffeine (sorry, I’m not sorry), wake up and smell the Blue Bottle Coffee!
Blue Bottle Coffee started off as a small roaster in Oakland, California, “for people who were clamoring for the actual taste of fresh coffee”. The coffee label has now grown to a network of cafés, espresso carts, pop-ups, and expanded to several locations in California, New York and even Japan. Although you can now find Blue Bottle coffee in various Manhattan stores, the Berry street location in Williamsburg is the East Coast flagship. It’s a destination coffee shop, and a must when “visiting” Williamsburg. Welcome to hipster coffee Mecca!
Cool baristas!
Blue Bottle serves the best organic, micro-roasted coffee in its simplest form. Their specialty is their drip coffee, made a cup at a time and hand-poured into individual filters using a Japanese kettle with a delicate spout that delivers a thin, precise stream of water. True coffee connoisseurs will say that drip is the simplest and cleanest way to draw out a coffee’s best qualities. And of course, the coffee is best drank black, but no judgment will be made if otherwise.
Try their original selections of African drips
The Williamsburg store is a staple just as much for its space, design and atmosphere than for the quality of the coffee. The huge warehouse-type store has an industrial appeal, with high ceilings, tiles and polished wood. There is a limited seating area, with a few bar stools at high communal tables, and a common bench by the window. But the main attraction is their background open space where the coffee is roasted onsite, in which you can see the baristas in action, working on their commercial machinery and their vintage brewing machines. The coffee is served on a variety of unique gadgets including the coolest looking coffee drippers, and a custom Slayer espresso machine. Their star devices are their Kyoto slow cold drip coffee makers from a Japanese company called Oji.
Oji slow drip coffee maker taking up most of the wall space
Hot coffee is ground and made to order, and iced coffee (get the New Orleans or Kyoto) is brewed cold. This is not for impatient drinkers – each cup of coffee is prepared individually, which can take up to five minutes. Be prepared to wait, although it’s rarely a problem since you’ll be spending your time chatting with the super hip and friendly baristas. Ordering coffee becomes a true experience. Which also explains why you pay $4 to $7 for your cup of joe!
Free public coffee cupping on Thursdays at noon!
Brooklyn Bootleg S’mores
Their sweet treats are just ok, except for the Brooklyn Bootleg S’mores, and their Mochas are made with Brooklyn-based Mast Brothers chocolate (which you can also visit on the way on North 3rd St.)
Blue Bottle is for coffee geeks, but also for anyone willing to enjoy a quality cup of coffee in a welcoming, hipster vibe. This is not the coffee shop to sit all day and work on your laptop, but a great place to people-watch and simply enjoy a stellar cup of joe amongst other caffeine snobs.
For you non-commuting Manhattanites, you can find Blue Bottle Coffee in different locations:
Bryant Park – 54 W 40th St
Chelsea – 450 W. 15th St
Dean Street – 85 Dean St
Hell’s Kitchen – 600 11th Avenue
High Line – 10th Avenue and W 16th St
Rockefeller Center – 1 Rockefeller plaza
