Living in Astoria, if you want "caring preparation and presentation" for your coffee, you MUST go to Astoria Coffee. It is cozy yet trendily decorated with a strong emphasis on great ingredients. I complimented Dennis, the Ohio-born owner, on his ingenuity: the shop's name will always bring top "online search results" for "Astoria" and "coffee"!
This divinely lovely gem is nestled just around the corner from bustling 30th Avenue. It's located under a clocktower.
The shop gets a lot of traffic--especially high-energy on weekends. Astoria is famous for its coffee culture. The great thing about shops in Astoria is that they don't "step on each others' toes". They look different, purvey different coffees/roasts, and create different ambiance. They sell different snacks/sweets. Thusly, they share the client base. But, I come here for my brew because they're the best--and always striving to remain so.
Pushing through the glass door, Astoria Coffee has an organic "feel": potted coffee bushes on each table, bright sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows (probably the sunniest coffee shop here),
a service/seating counter, small tables for 4, a communal table, and shelves of organic wares. They even positioned hooks by every seat, for your coat or bag. How thoughtful.
Fair prices for hand-prepared coffee and teas are attractive. The roasting dates are written on the bags--often only a few days old. Each cup is ground fresh for you. Their Chai latte is aromatic, the Matcha is ground/blended fresh, and the Mugicha is tastily toasty.
I pulled out a yellow stool at the counter and sat beside a mustachioed fellow studiously focused on his laptop (with one hand) and his mug of coffee (with the other).
The smiley barista with blue hair asked, "What is your pleasure today?" A Matcha Latte (seen below). When she asked how creamy I wanted it, I was tempted to say "96.3%", ha ha!
I enjoy dialogue with baristas; they tend to have unique insight into the world. I liked their options of soy, almond and organic milk or cream (fresh from a local creamery). You have to consider your coffee as a true pleasure. Harmony. Choices allow you to design the coffee you like.
Speaking of harmony, I've often admired the background music that the baristas play: Nat King Cole, Argentine tango, big band, 1960's jazz, Mozart symphonies, R&B, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, 1950's Doo-Wop.
While she expertly foamed my milk and heated the large cup (always a nice touch of professionalism), I admired the display case of pastry. I selected a golden slice of carrot bread. Buttery-moist, just sweet enough, and tidbits of carrot glistened in the morning sunshine!
Like other people, I enjoy the warm tactile feel of crockery or porcelain for my hot beverages. It's soothing to wrap your fingers around a real mug or cup/saucer, instead of a paper cup. I prefer paper/plastic when I'm going to "sip & go".
Isn't that a perfectly-flaky croissant? (Recently, I blogged about a nearby café, Madame SouSou, which sells delicious French pastries from NYC's famous Balthazar. If you don't want to traipse all the way downtown to Balthazar, you can sprint around the corner to SouSou). Similarly, all the mouth-watering pastry at Astoria Coffee comes from NYC's well-esteemed patisserie, Ceci-Cela in NoLIta.
Beside the tamper and tamping pads, he has a cup/pitcher rinser handily located beside the Synesso espresso machine. Very spiffy.
Of note is that high-grade Synesso: mirror-polished shot timers, individual brew boilers, programmable pre-infusion capability, removable heat exchangers, lever-activated steam, auto back flush, and it's the most temperature-stable machine in the industry!
Sometimes, I watch new baristas get trained.
Some have been there for years! Ones who move elsewhere still return as customers! Dennis gives immensely helpful training. The result is Integrity. e.g.: a lovely barista named Don (below) was tamping freshly-ground beans for my espresso. His arm accidentally bumped the counter, and a sprinkle of grinds spilled out. Any other place wouldn't care. But Don threw it all away and made a fresh batch... because he wanted my espresso (dose, grind, distribution, tamp, and temperature) to be perfect!
Prompt and professional, baristas work as a team and inquire of each arriving customer, "Do you want me to leave room for any kind of milk?" or "Do you prefer that I mix everything for you?"
And they offer glasses of water with each order.
As an added bonus, they have a VERY CLEAN spacious subway-tiled public restroom (always a good indication of cleanliness behind the scenes).
Equally attractive is the hand-painted "window art" that changes with the seasons, as well as the chalkboard on the sidewalk that changes spontaneously.
Even the wall art varies by local artists (sometimes sold for charity).
All these reasons sum up why I walk seven blocks for coffee--all through the year. It has always been pleasurable: a rainy Sunday, a wintery evening,
a frosty autumn before work, a quick chat/shot after work,
grabbing something "to go" as I go back the way I came to get to the parks.
It's always worth the trip. It gives a refreshing pause to any day.
Note: two years after posting this, the shop was still humming on a Thursday at 2:30pm (see below)! A great sign of a winning formula for success.
I hope you visit this amazing place soon.
Favor Ceci anyway than having to wait in line at Balthazaar.
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