Irving Farms : Flying Donkey Espresso

Irving Farms is a local(Millerton NY) coffee company with roasting facilities on their farm. They only have one coffee shop in Manhattan near Union Square. I stumbled upon their beans at Whole Foods. All their beans were on sale at the time, and honestly my expectations were not so high. But when I tried their Flying Donkey Espresso, I was soaring through the air squealing donkey sounds. Full-bodied and medium roasted with a complex mixture of flavors, this along with Joe's, has become one of my favorite blends. The blend is a combination of Brazilian, Guatemala, Sulawesi, and Yrgacheffe beans.

Oren's daily roast : Beowulf Espresso Blend

This place had rave reviews at Yelp, especially for their lattes and iced-coffees, and was conveniently located near Columbia University(112th and Broadway). I bought their Beowulf Espresso Blend, which was a mix of French Roasted Kenya & Viennese Roasted Colombia beans. Maybe their specialty lies in drip coffees, but this blend of beans, while having a smokey aroma, was light-bodied in taste and relatively plain compared to some others I have tried. The price was also relatively high.

Joe the art of coffee : Espresso

My friend at the business school and a fellow espresso addict Rodolfo Chiari recommended Joe's coffee, so I visited their Columbia University shop. Their beans are roasted by Ecco Caffe, a Californian institution, but nevertheless Joe's espresso blend has become one of my favorites. The coffee is full-bodied and full of flavor(hints of chocolate) and has exactly the right amount of acidity. I had to wait in a long line to get the beans but the wait was worth it. They have shops in seven different locations in NYC.

Fairway : Italian Roast

Since it is within walking distance from where I live, I go to Fairway now and then to stock up on groceries. This supermarket chain roasts their own coffee and I tried their Italian Roast beans. The bitter taste overpowered any other flavor and left me disappointed. I hope I will have better luck with some of their espresso blends.

Dallis Bros Coffee : New York Espresso Blend

One of the New York coffee brands I found at Whole Foods. The beans took me by surprise. Strong and full-bodied with no acidic taste some coffees have, the roast was medium and not a dark Italian roast. Definitely one of the better beans I have tried in New York.

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine

The Breville Barista Express semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in grinder has been by far the most used appliance in my household. While some people prefer to have separate grinders, the lack of space in my kitchen left me little choice. Why I became addicted to espresso is a story I will save for another time. After two months of use, the machine started to malfunction and produce huge quantities of espresso shots but I was promptly sent a replacement. The machine is a good value for money and I have been thoroughly enjoying the freshly brewed espresso from the machine.

Intro

I have decided to come out and admit that I am an Espresso addict.
I will be using this blog to ramble about my search for the quintessential blend of Espresso.
My posts about Tech and Entrepreneurship can be found at http://joonseokoh.tumblr.com/