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Landmarks: Café Culture
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From San Francisco to São Paulo, coffee shops are stepping up their game
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BY HANNAH WALLACE
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| Behind the bar at Stumptown Coffee in New York City; coming right up at Copenhagen’s Coffee Collective. |
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As any traveling coffee connoisseur knows, a bad brew—be it a weak latte or a too-bitter espresso—isn't hard to find. Thankfully, cafés and roasters who show an attention to detail are cropping up everywhere. Here, our favorite independently owned spots that have the freshest beans, the most luscious cappuccinos and the best baristas-with no attitude.
SANTO GRÃO
São Paulo
Santo Grão has five cafés throughout this Brazilian city, but the original location—on the tree-lined shopping street Rua Oscar Freire—is where the beans are roasted, guaranteeing freshness. Stop by for an espresso and some Parmesan grissini (breadsticks). The knowledgeable staff will guide you through the coffee menu, which includes Orgânico, Mogiana and the full-bodied, caramel-y Cerrado de Minas. 413 Rua Oscar Freire; 011-55-11-5051-8069; santograo.com.br
PRUFROCK COFFEE
London
A decent cup of coffee was once a scarce commodity in London—you were better off drinking tea. Thanks to the guys behind Prufrock, Gwilym Davies and Mattias Björklund, those days are over. Three different single-origin beans are brewed each day by a different method, such as vac pot/syphon, cloth filter or AeroPress (like a French press crossed with a Melitta filter). Two types of espresso are on offer as well. Prufrock's latest location is in the Clerkenwell neighborhood; the other two are in men's clothing boutiques: Present in Shoreditch and Woodhouse in Notting Hill. 23-25 Leather Lane; 44-7853-483-479; prufrockcoffee.com
STUMPTOWN COFFEE
New York City
A few years ago, when Manhattan got an outpost of the Seattle-based Ace Hotel, New Yorkers rejoiced about its capacious lobby (with free Wi-Fi) and, at last, the arrival of Stumptown Coffee. This indie Portland company is renowned for its medium-roast beans, expert baristas and commitment to paying farmers higher than fair-trade wages. Order a cup made in the Chemex, an hourglass-shaped coffee pot designed in 1941. Don't leave without one of Momofuku Milk Bar's compost cookies or a Payard brioche. 18 W. 29th St.; no phone; stumptowncoffee.com
49TH PARALLEL ROASTERS
Vancouver
It used to be hard to find 49th Parallel coffee outside Vancouver, except at indie cafés in Brooklyn. But word of this Canadian roaster's meticulously sourced beans has spread, and now the coffee is served from L.A. to Boston. The company still has just one café, though—an airy space in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighborhood. Of the 10 coffees on the menu, most are single-origins that highlight the terroir of certain farms, such as El Salvador's El Manzano, on the slopes of the Santa Ana volcano. Besides espresso drinks, you can choose from a couple of brewing methods at the “slow bar”-siphon or the Brewt, a hybrid pour-over infuser originally designed for tea. 2152 W. 4th Ave.; 604-420-4901; 49thparallelroasters.com
CAFÉS VERLET
Paris
Few cafés in Paris tout any single-origin espressos, let alone 31 of them. But this is no ordinary café. Owned since 1880 by the Verlet family, the light-filled space evokes another era-coffee beans spill from burlap bags and trays of candied fruit beckon from the window. The coffee, though, is decidedly 21st century. Settle in with an espresso from Ethiopia, Thailand or Cuba, expertly pulled on a Marzocco machine. 256 Rue St. Honoré; 011-33-1-42-60-67-39; cafesverlet.com
SANT'EUSTACHIO
Rome
There are hundreds of coffee shops in Rome, but people in the know make a pilgrimage to one spot: Sant'Eustachio. More like a coffee parlor than a café, it has operated since 1938 in the same location-just steps from the Piazza Navona—and has a suitably old-world atmosphere (mosaic tiles, original furniture). Second-generation roasters Roberto and Raimondo Ricci buy their beans from fair-trade co-ops and roast them in a wood-fired machine. You can also buy edible souvenirs here, like a box of chicchi di caffé—addictive chocolate-covered coffee beans. 82 Piazza Sant'Eustachio; 011-39-6-6880-2048; santeustachioilcaffe.it
RITUAL COFFEE ROASTERS
San Francisco
This microroaster's flagship Mission District location is an ideal spot to linger, with free Wi-Fi and nearly 2,000 square feet of lounging space. Coffee is brewed two ways, using either the espresso machine or the V60, a Japanese-made ceramic cone filter. The café always has three to five seasonal coffees and two espresso selections—one seasonal blend and one single-origin, nicknamed “sweet tooth.” If you're in the Hayes Valley neighborhood, check out Ritual's new pop-up café, housed in a shipping container. (That's how coffee beans reach the United States from their countries of origin.) 1026 Valencia St., 415-641-1011 (Mission location); or 432 Octavia St., Unit 1B, 415-865-0989 (Hayes Valley location); ritualroasters.com
THE COFFEE COLLECTIVE
Copenhagen
Scandinavians drink more coffee per capita than anyone else, so it's no surprise that this part of Europe is at the epicenter of the quality coffee movement. There's plenty of evidence at the Coffee Collective, whose team includes a two-time World Barista Champion and an internationally acclaimed roaster. The café (which is also a microroaster) has up to six varieties brewing every day, in addition to espresso drinks. It also offers barista classes and public cuppings, or tastings. A second shop opened this fall at the new food market on Nørreport Street. 10 Jaegersborggade; 011-45-6015-1525; coffeecollective.dk
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: Winter 2011-2012
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Photos: Jenny Simmons; The Coffee Collective
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