Coffee In Park Slope, Brooklyn

Park Slope is within the borough of Brooklyn and just few subway stops from Manhattan but if you live there, it feels like an oasis from the stress and fast pace of the urban living.  Lot's of young families call "The Slope" home amongst the brownstones and tree-lined streets.  The neighborhood abuts Prospect Park, a 600 acre park designed by Frederick Olmsted and Calvert Vaux  after they completed Manhattan's Central Park.


[caption id="attachment_419" align="aligncenter" width="560"] 7th Avenue Donut Shop[/caption]

Gentrification and high rents make it difficult to afford this enclave, but there are still signs of the old guard.  Not far from the F train resides 7th Avenue Donut Shop, a local favorite since 1977.  Here you can get coffee, oj, eggs, potatoes and toast all for only $3.75  Sure the coffee is lousy, but it's an honest meal for an honest price.

[caption id="attachment_418" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Crespella[/caption]

Directly across the street you'll find an example of the new Park Slope, Crespella slinging Stumptown and offering exquisite crepes.  It's a modern twist on the classic Italian espresso bar.

[caption id="attachment_415" align="aligncenter" width="392"] Cafe Grumpy[/caption]

A few blocks away resides Cafe Grumpy, a coffeehouse with five locations who roasts their own beans.  Here you'll get a sense of the Park Slope vibe, relaxed, warm and inviting.  Local artwork lines the wall.  There's a few seats for reading the paper and a bench outside.  The coffee is well executed.

[caption id="attachment_416" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Gorilla Coffee[/caption]

As I sat on the bench outside I decided to head down to 5th Avenue.  Back about 100 years ago when I lived in the Slope 5th Avenue and South was a no man's land.... Kind of dicey and not that safe.  Things have vastly changed.  There's an explosion of great clothing stores, restaurants and coffee shops with Gorilla Coffee right in the middle of this renaissance.

Gorilla's approach to coffee roasting is a bit different.  I sat with co-owner Carol McLaughlin and discussed her philosophy.  To Carol, roasting great coffee is not about establishing a specific house style (say a lighter vs darker roast) but rather understanding the individual lots and roasting that optimally expresses the beans.

[caption id="attachment_417" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Results from a barista challenge[/caption]

Barista training is extremely important so that there's optimal expression each time a cup is ordered.  Carol believes in constant training using in-house challenges as a learning tool.  Baristas go toe to toe preparing V60s or Chemex and then their results are voted on.  The goal is not only to decide who made the better cup but why and use it as a learning tool.  Senior baristas are expected to constantly train newer one.   It's also the reason Gorilla doesn't do wholesale accounts.  They feel quality control is too easily compromised.  While this is an unorthodox view, I do understand the argument.  There's been times when I've ordered from an independent who grinds a great roaster but they do it sub par.

During my two weeks revisiting old haunts in and around NYC, I discovered that as much as I love the energy of life in Manhattan, I prefer the calm laid-back attitude of The Slope.

Support CoffeeGuru download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

7th Avenue Donuts Luncheonette http://www.7thavenuedonutsanddiner.com

Crespella: http://crespellabk.com

Cafe Grumpy: http://cafegrumpy.com

Gorilla Coffee: http://gorillacoffee.com