Our little neighborhood is home to a lot of cafes—from your quick go-to spot (that’s you, Cup) to your second-home-away-from home (thank you, Cafe Grumpy) to everything in between. If you’re a freelancer, however, some of the cafes are better for you than others because they consistently offer the essentials (like free WiFi, an empty seat, good coffee, and decent music). Some may have it all but come with baggage (like spotty WiFi, sparse seating, bad music, or lots of babies). And some don’t have anything to offer you (except for good coffee on your day off). So, where should you go? Check out this quick freelancers’ guide to see what fits your vibe. Continue reading →
An excellent espresso is a cafe’s best business card. On Sunday October 2, 2011, Rebecca from I love Greenpoint, Mike & Charlie from Brooklynauts and I tasted a total of 19 espressos from every cafe* in Greenpoint in order to determine the champion of the Greenpointers 2011 Espresso Tour. The density of outstanding espressos in this neighborhood was impressive and made the tour difficult to judge, but we have a winner!
Each cafe was notified and generously donated 3 espressos. We judged using the following score sheet adapted from the World Barista Championship:
TASTE EVALUATION OF ESPRESSO: • COLOR OF CREMA (hazelnut, dark brown, reddish reflection) 0/10 ___ • CONSISTENCY & PERSISTENCE OF CREMA* 0/10 ___ • TASTE BALANCE (harmonious balance of sweet/acidic/bitter) 0/10 ___ • TACTILE BALANCE (full bodied, round, smooth) 0/10 ___ • TEMPERATURE** (hot but not too hot to drink) 0/10 ___ 0/50 ___
BEVERAGE PRESENTATION: • CORRECT ESPRESSO CUPS USED (60-90mL w/handle) YES/NO • SERVED WITH ACCESSORIES (spoon, napkin & water) YES/NO /2 ___
After judges’ individual scores were added, the highest possible score was 156. Results ranged between 97-142. (Only the top 3 scores are revealed.)
*We were unable to contact Ashbox and the cafe was closed on Sunday.
