The Greatest Coffees of 2011

Colombia El Paraiso Cappuccino Roasted by Cafe Grumpy
“Being a coffee super-geek affords a lot of rare pleasures, not the least of which is getting to sample seldom available coffee creations during the barista competition season…The coffees baristas select are often among the more special, small lot, too-costly-to-make-financial-sense-as-a-regular-cafe-offering sort, but if you’re in the right place at the right time when a competitor is working out his drink, you might get to try something special. Like, in this case, a cappuccino made with the mapley-cacao El Paraiso, roundly sweetened by one of New York State’s lushest milks, from Battenkill Valley Creamery. The single origin espresso roast’s fresh, raspberry-tart acidity still sang in the cappuccino cup. This one was a winner with me.”

Read the full article by Liz Clayton in Serious Eats.

Best Place to Have an Actual Conversation Over Coffee: Café Grumpy

“In an era when entitled customers expect Wi-Fi, table service and an endless reservation on their chair, Café Grumpy’s no-laptop policy feels curiously antiquated. But while it does drive away over-achieving students and part-time bloggers, it brings in a much preferred crowd…Did we mention they have great coffee?”

Read the full review in New York Press.

Brooklyn is the Coolest City on the Planet: An Eater’s Guide

“Don’t take that as a knock on Manhattan, which is doing just fine. But for the first time since, well, ever, you can spend every New York minute of your trip on the far side of the East River and never feel like you’re missing out. Here’s how to explore the place where everything’s happening before it’s happening…

…you can get a straightforward cup of excellent brew at Café Grumpy (Park Slope or Greenpoint).”

Read the full guide in GQ Magazine.

Fuel for the City That Never Sleeps

“Café Grumpy opened its first coffee shop and roastery at 193 Meserole Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 2005 when “it was like tumbleweeds going down the street,” Ms. Bell said. They chose the location because they lived there, but also because the landlord was willing to take a risk on a new food business.

“It’s a lot easier now,” having proved to be a viable business, she said, which has enabled Café Grumpy to expand into Manhattan, where it also has a shop in Chelsea.”

Read the full article in The New York Times.

In Search of The Source at Café Grumpy

“Café Grumpy has ridden the wave, opening three additional locations (including an outpost in Park Slope). But more impressively, they’ve managed to stay way out in front of the quality curve by sourcing their coffee directly from farmers in Central and South America, and by roasting the beans themselves in their Greenpoint shop — both things that very few other shops are able to or interested in doing. They’ve even opened a bakery at their Lower East Side location that’s now supplying baked goods to all four shops.”

Read the full write-up on NonaBrooklyn.

Staten Island in the House

We had a great time at our Chelsea store working with Vinny Buzzetta and the Staten Island Cakes crew on this fun episode “You Can Take The Boy Out of Staten Island…” Our favorite scene was when the Cake Artist employees protested outside of their store!

Check out the full episode here.