Drinking coffee is just as much about the ritual as it is about the flavor.
The imagery of escaping a hectic world to a calm coffee shop, nestling into an oversized chair, and sipping a drinkable work of art is the most inexpensive and cathartic 5-minute vacation money can buy. The added euphoria from high concentrations of caffeine is just icing on the cake.
However, good luck finding a seat in New York. Many of the newer coffee shops worth mentioning, like Abraço and Zibetto Expresso Bar, adopt the Italian stand-up counter-style concept of espresso whereby lingering is discouraged. And for the great shops with seats, like Joe the Art of Coffee and Ninth Street Espresso, it’s either tough to find one or the boisterous atmosphere doesn’t warrant productivity. This isn’t a bad thing, per se, but there are times where I’d like to have an intimate conversation, or conduct a meeting, and the above shops aren’t necessarily conducive to it.
Stumptown is different. Adjacent to the Ace Hotel in midtown off Broadway, Stumptown shares its seating with the hotel lobby. Yes there is still a counter for Italianophiles. But with the impressively fast complimentary wireless internet and abundance of seating in a dimly lit room, the Stumptown/Ace Hotel lobby is quickly becoming an entrepreneurial hotspot. As evidenced by the sea of glowing white apples, tight jeans, and headphones, the young atmosphere is opportune to both work and relaxation.
The coffee is excellent, too. The shop roasts its beans daily just across the east river in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The debonair baristi, dressed with rolled-up sleeves and fedoras, are well-trained with a low tolerance for imperfection. During my first visit, the barista threw out my macchiato twice before finally approving the third (heck the first two looked perfect to me).
The house espresso blend is called Hair Bender and is served as a double ristretto, fourteen grams of espresso per twenty-five second shot. The aroma is of semi-sweet chocolate with hints of toast and notes of roses. All milk comes from Hudson Valley Farms which is sweet enough on its own, not calling for the addition of sugar in a macchiato or cappuccino. All of the equipment is La Marzocco, accurate to within a tenth of a degree to extract as much natural oils from the beans as possible in twenty five seconds without burning.
The staff, so it seems, is genuinely kind too. Aside from conversation starters asking how my day has been and where I’m from, I once made a fool of myself by dropping my iPhone into my cappuccino, and without asking, replacement cappuccino was made immediately. I still felt pretty stupid, but they definitely didn’t have to do that.
And so Stumptown is now a member of my three favorite coffee places in the city, right alongside Joe the Art of Coffee and Ninth Street Espresso. But the comfortable seating and radiant energy makes me go there much more regularly than anywhere else. The environment is perfect for enjoying an espresso with a group of friends, or for sipping a cappuccino while coding with headphones. It is one of the first spaces in New York that, upon entry, transports me to San Francisco. And I highly recommend it.
14 Comments
Well written. I love the part about dropping your iPhone in your coffee. I have done that at places before (drop my drink) and there’s this awkward second where first I am embarrassed then I am looking at them thinking “ok this is a test, how are you going to react?” I am always impressed when they fix the situation immediately without a second thought.
What camera are you using to film the video?
Stumptown is such a great addition to the blossoming coffee community here! I feel especially blessed, because the Ace Hotel is practically around the corner from my office. (Yes, even though I work with coffee every single day, I still like to have a cup of the stuff made for me.
Next time you’re in the neighborhood, you should come up to visit us on W 26th St! We have free and open-to-the-public cuppings on Friday, and I love zipping down for a Hairbender macchiato afterward.
@sygyzy — Thanks! It was pretty embarrassing with all sorts of glances ranging from “that’s what you get for taking photos of coffee” to “that’s happened to me too.” But the iPhone and I survived; I suppose these are the risks for culinary pornography. I was ready to buy another coffee I was just hoping they would let me skip to the front of the line since I’d already waited … but they had a second coffee ready to go! For these videos I used a Canon EOS 5d Mark II with a 50mm f/1.2 lens.
@The Nervous Cook — Sure is! I envy your ability to hop next door for such a fine cup of coffee whenever you want. My god thanks so much for the invite! I will definitely stop by the next time I am in NY. You don’t have to ask me twice!
Stumptown must have some kind of affiliation with the Ace Hotel. I’ve stayed at the Ace in Portland, Ore. and there’s a Stumptown in their lobby too. Great coffee indeed. I’ve mail-ordered it once or twice when I was feeling particularly nostalgic for the Pacific Northwest.
I am constantly looking for a new coffee shop w/good coffee + SEATS + comlimentary wifi. Stumptown sounds just perfect. And it’s right in my neighborhood! Can’t wait to try it!
Subtletea (on 30th and Mad) also has complimentary wifi, but I am a coffee person. The lighting is also too bright.
great review – i went to Joe based on your review and it was pretty solid (i will admit to being a neophyte to the art and appreciation of coffee.) what are your favorite SF spots? Blue Bottle & Ritual have the coffee but BB is a loud room and Ritual plays the worst atonal electro-clash-whatever-it’s-called-these-days music that it’s impossible to think for 10 seconds.
@Adrian — I think you’re right. There definitely is some kind of affiliation. Great combination, espresso bar and inexpensive trendy hotel. I’m on a bi-weekly subscription for Stumptown Hairbender … I love how they tell me when the coffee was roasted in the e-mail.
@HHContessaNYC — Great! Let me know if you like Stumptown!
@ChuckEats — Thanks! Glad you liked Joe. They’ve changed their beans since I wrote about them … they no longer use Barrington Roasters and instead use another company (can’t remember the name). I preferred the old beans (more caramel and hazelnut flavor) but it’s still one of my favorite spots. I really like Ritual coffee, though I totally agree with you in reference to the hipster music. Horrible. The ritual up in Napa was much more reasonable in terms of atmosphere. I also didn’t particularly like their seasonal “snow cone” blend — too fruity. But I very much like “Sweet tooth” which I believe they always serve. Not such a fan of Four Barrel. I’ve had great espresso at Blue Bottle (all of them) but it’s always such a scene. The best solution is to just pick up a Rancilio Sylvia and make this stuff at home
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i went in Jan and i remember a lot of caramel flavor – so possibly had the “old” beans. i did remember there’s a coffee shop/cafe directly diagonal from the train station that also serves Ritual. it’s pretty laid back, though more cafe than coffee shop. worth checking out if you are taking the train down to palo alto or something.
when you are next in Tokyo, goto Le Chocolat de H in Roppongi. the chocolates are my favorite in the world – sit down in the small cafe and have one of their espressos – still my benchmark for quality anywhere – excellent body & deep caramel taste on my last trip.
(ooops – “went in Jan” for Joe – “coffee shop/cafe diagonal from train station” is SF
Very well-written. Surprised (but relieved) to hear the iPhone survived a dunk in cappuccino!
While at the Ace Hotel, did you get a chance to dine at The Breslin? If you haven’t already, I highly recommend their French Onion soup (with bone marrow) and lamb burger. They are to die for.
great knowing about these coffee places in NYC when i visit in October.
Stumptown is also one of the select places that sells Mast Brothers Chocolate bars, they even use the liquid chocolate in their hot chocolate drinks (which is to die for). Mast Brothers are one of a handful of Bean to Bar chocolate ‘factories’ in America. Their chocolate is amazing and they also look just as cute as those Stumptown guys
Thankyou Adrian! Adam – very well written article. BUT I must admit I was so drawn to this piece’s title due to the fact that Stumptown is a nickname for Portland, OR, and it is also an indie brewing company from the city. And yes, the coffee shop and neighboring lobby lounge-spot at the Ace are frequented by mellow scenesters in Portland. Credit where credit is due
Looking forward to snooping around this site some more!
Elizabeth
(‘the city’ in this instance referring to Portland)