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“Let Me Tell You” is a series of columns from our expert editors about NYC living, including the best things to do, where to eat and drink, and what to see at the theater. They publish each Tuesday, so you’re hearing from us each week. Last time, Food & Drink Editor Morgan Carter talked about how bars and restaurants are going beyond rainbow drinks for Pride this year.
Not too long ago, I’d tell you that I wasn’t the biggest coffee drinker. But then two things happened. One: I moved to New York. Two: In the same year I arrived, I won free coffee for a year (shout out to Burly Coffee in Bed-Stuy), which, at the time, was a good five steps away from my apartment door. Let's just say it is easy to pinpoint when my love affair began.
Yet, many, and I mean many, lattes later, I fully maintain that I am no coffee connoisseur. I don’t wax poetic about the origin of beans and I can’t fully tell you what a flat white is. Yet, one of my treasured weekend rituals is taking my dog to the park for off-leash hours in the AM and bopping around to one of the many nearby coffee shops on the walk home, truly a treat for both of us. Nowadays, my tastes still lean toward lattes over a more reasonable cup of just black coffee, making for a habit that runs me $7 to $8 a visit, tip always included. So, color me surprised when I found out that my overpriced latte was actually a steal, especially when the hot new cup in town sells for up to $52 for a pour-over.
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One of the most expensive cups of coffee in New York can be found at WatchHouse. The second outpost of the U.K.-based import made its debut last month (the first opened on Fifth Avenue last spring). The price certainly fits the packaging, as the shop sits at the base of one of the most iconic skyscrapers to grace the Manhattan skyline: the Chrysler Building. Certainly taking a page from its Art Deco landlord, the interior features brushed stainless steel and a nine-foot oculus that overlooks the espresso bar. There are standing tables for a quick cup on the go and booths upholstered in a soft yellow, with marble tables before them, welcoming a sit and stay. If you post up near the rear of the shop, you can peek out onto the Chrysler’s grand marble lobby without the security guard yelling, “No pictures!”
Among its everyday program of espresso, flat whites and cold brew, plus teas, matchas and the like, the menu is also home to a Rarities program. Once an exclusive offering available only at the Hanover location, all U.K. and U.S. outposts feature a curated collection, offering exclusive coffees sourced from around the world. These limited-edition beans come at a cost, ranging from $14 to $52. When I visited the location, the highest cup of joe clocked in at $28, and since I’m not planning on buying a house anytime soon, I ordered it. But before you blanch at the cost and call me an elitist, I am here to tell you that the tasting goes beyond what you find in the pot.
The staff really made the overall experience. On my visit, coffee lead Sachi Patel guided me through a tasting. While her everyday deals in roasts and beans, Patel is the first to admit she wasn’t a coffee drinker. Five years ago, she didn't really drink it when she started working at a specialty coffee shop in Florida. But as she learned about the background and the history of the beans, she grew an interest in everything coffee, drawn to the combination of science and the art of the pour. Moving to New York to make coffee her career, Patel began working at Midtown’s coffee shop and roastery, Little Collins, where she spearheaded their coffee ordering and tasted multiple varieties along the way. Last year, she joined the WatchHouse team as a barista to prepare for their first U.S. location, and now she oversees both coffeehouses as lead. Among day-to-day coffee making and training, Patel's role is to instill the same drive for coffee that she once experienced, including ensuring each barista is well-versed in the beans they brew, including Rarities.
“So for each Rarity, everyone needs to know the process—the origin, the varietal and the tasting notes—to understand the experience,” said Patel. More than the technical side of measuring beans and heating water to optimal temperatures, Patel’s function is to involve the guest in the story behind the bean. “We want to talk to guests about the coffee, we want to share the stories. It's not just tasting it, it's also learning about it.”
A quick chat with Patel yielded plenty of info about the program as a whole, from how the beans are frozen to preserve aromatics and acidity to the scores attached to coffees—80 and above is specialty, anything below is commercial. But on the specific bean I selected, the La Negrita, she was just as well-versed, speaking about the Colombian farm from where it was sourced to how the flavor would blossom through the tasting as the temp would eventually drop from hot to cold.
Post-educational chat, she presented the tasting on a wooden tray, which came with one cup for enjoying, a palate cleanser of a light green tea and my $28 investment poured in a glass vessel. The tray also came with a small black card featuring a QR code on the back, which told the story of the region and included tasting notes accompanied by images of the farm and the workers who cultivated the cup. The only thing left was to actually try the dang thing.
Fresh and hot from the pour over, it was a light, fruit-forward roast, with jammy blackberry on the nose and palate. As it cooled, even more profiles came to a head, including kiwi and raspberry. I tried my best to taste gingerly, counting the dollar signs per sip in my head, while also trying to appreciate the cup in front of me. Yet, like I said, I am no connoisseur. Near the end, the fruit and growing acidity notes all blended together. Regardless, I spent a good 20 minutes simultaneously enjoying and deciphering the contents of my cup before draining it.
Bottom line: Is the $28 coffee worth it? If your idea of coffee is a lukewarm cup of bean water that caps at $3, probably not. And that’s okay, too. However, if you are even slightly curious about what goes into your coffee, then absolutely. For me, it was nice to sit a spell and actually take in the cup in front of me instead of sucking it down in between train rides and meetings. Not only that, but the educational aspect guided by a well-versed staff gives a needed perspective, surely to entice coffee newbies and connoisseurs. Therein lies the point for Patel, as she hopes guests leave the experience wanting to learn more about their daily ritual.
“It's very similar to wine, in the way that there's so much detail and there's so much hard work that goes into the product,” said Patel. “Coming away with a little bit more respect and a little bit more curiosity to it is one of our goals.”
Check out the video of the tasting below: