A cup of coffee in New York City used to be a simple thing: cheap, watered-down swill made light and sweet upon request. Starbucks, of course, has now turned America into a country of $4 caramel-latte-drinking zombies, which isn’t much of an improvement over the bitter liquid that can be had for under a buck on every street corner.

But finally, with the opening of several excellent NYC cafes within the last year or so, the city is turning into a great coffee town, with roasters and baristas paying careful attention to every stage of the process, from the seed of the bean in the ground to the grounds in the garbage.

We’re not talking espresso drinks here. Let’s concentrate on regular joe—that is, what you get if you walk into a café and utter the simple words, “small coffee, please.” There are many variables that determine how a cup will taste (time, temperature, grind, water quality), but which method makes the best: French press or Melitta manual, Mr. Coffee or a $10,000 machine?

The following four joints—Abraço, Ninth Street Espresso, Cafe Grumpy and Roasting Plant—each brew their regular coffees using wildly different methods, from a paper filter or a patented super-computer. The result: a perfectly balanced, flavorful cup.


ON TO ABRAÇO —>


Photos by Kate Glicksberg