TampTamp Blog

So I forgot to write the blog post for last week’s cupping, but that’s okay because this week we cupped one of the coffees again and found some interesting results, so I get to share them with you here. So last week, we had 3 coffees. 2 from Dallis Coffee and 1 from Flat Black Coffee Co.

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Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 9:00pm
Joe
141 Waverly PL
New York, NY

View The TampTamp Coffee Map in a larger map

In 2008, as Neil and I started TampTamp Inc., we published a tour and map of shops we thought were worth visiting in Manhattan, South Brooklyn and North Brooklyn. That map has been viewed over 20,000 times and has become a resource for all sorts of people looking for a place to get good coffee in their neighborhood. We have now updated the site with our most current listings (additional suggestions are always welcome in the comments), and the list of shops has grown from under 40 to over 60. While this map is something we update as part of our “free time,” and so very often goes neglected for a few months at a time (cost of owning your own business), we do try to keep it relatively up to-date so it remains a useful tool to all New Yorkers.

This year, Neil and I have decided to write the “Top 9″ of 2009. These cafes, simply put, are our favorites of 2009 at TampTamp. They are the shops that we believe set the standards of achievement for cafe-owners to be, and we frequently recommend them as examples to watch and learn from. These are the shops we want to visit even after we’ve visited ten other shops in a week, the shops we consider must-see for those coming from out of town. They are the ones we find to be the most innovative and adaptive as the once tiny NYC specialty coffee market expands and grows, year after year. Another key consideration we made when curating this list was the customer experience – these places all provide knowledgeable, quick, and courteous service, which we strongly believe is key to a truly successful coffee business. Some really interesting growth and change has taken place this year – especially with Stumptown as the newest big player on the scene – and we at TampTamp can’t wait to revisit this list again next year to see how much has changed. So please, enjoy this list, share it with your friends, and we wish you the best coffee experiences for you in 2010. Happy New Year!

The Short Tour:

1. Southside Coffee
   652 6th Avenue at 19th St. Brooklyn
2. Cafe Grumpy
   383 7th Avenue btw 11th and 12th St. Brooklyn
3. Abraço Espresso
   86 East 7th Street, New York, NY btw. 1st and 2nd Aves
4. Ost Cafe
   441 East 12th Street at corner of Ave A
5. Everyman Espresso
   136 East 13th Street btw. 3rd and 4th Aves.
6. Third Rail Coffee
   240 Sullivan Street btw W. 3rd St and Bleecker St.
7. Ground Support
   399 West Broadway btw. Spring St and Broome St.
8. Stumptown Coffee
   18 W 29th St btw Broadway and 5th Ave.
9. Joe Upper West Side
   514 Columbus Ave btw 84th and 85th Sts.

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Today’s cupping was huge! We had 10 people show up, which was very exciting. Thanks to everyone that showed up, and to Dallis Coffee, Flat Black Coffee Roasters, and Dilworth Coffee for supplying us with our cupping samples for today.

Coffee #1: Dallis’ Brazil Otaru (not yet available). This is the coffee that comes from the farm that owns Dallis Coffee.

Dry Aroma: Milk Chocolate, chocolate, spicy, blueberry, earth, plum, loam
Wet Aroma: chocolate, cinnamon, earth, wheat, raw nuts, yeasty
Break: Chocolate, legumey, wheat, acidic, nuts and chocolate
Brightness: neon, medium, lively
Flavor: vanilla spice cake, baker’s chocolate, fruit, cashew, jasmine tea, bourbony (like the variety), wheat, nuts
Body: medium, polite
Aftertaste: light, sour, pleasant, nutty

Coffee #2: Dilworth Coffee’s Ethiopian Sidamo (not available online): This coffee hails from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia.

Dry Aroma: ripe cherries, buttery, woodsy (x2), peppery, marshland, orange
Wet Aroma: fruity, beets, caramel, orange, leather
Break: geranium
Brightness: highest, apricot, orange, lemon, sparkly
Flavor: orange juice, chocolate (x2), cherry, lemon zest, apricot, blueberry, very sweet, fresh cantaloupe (x2)
Body: light to medium
Aftertaste: sour, bitter, tart

Coffee #3: Flat Black Coffee’s Ethiopian Harrar Longberry.

Dry Aroma: tobacco, raspberry, berry bog, blueberry, earthy, fruity, tomato juice, red wine, bitter
Wet Aroma: berry, vanilla, earth, wet cardboard, cookies
Break: earthy, chocolate, berry, tobacco
Brightness: mild, lower
Flavor: charred banana, berry (x2), mossy, beer, tobacco, merlot, walnuts, smoky
Body: heavier
Aftertaste: bitter, spicy, pleasant red fruit, smooth w/a kick

Happy Holidays!

Today we cupped four great Holiday coffees, all of which cupped well and proved they’d make excellent gifts as well as a welcome sight brewed up on Christmas morning. I typically don’t cup samples from Intelligenstia and Counter Culture Coffee, since both companies regularly cup their coffees at their labs in the city, but I always love to try each of their Holiday coffees from year to year, so here they are:

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