Coffee tasting/flight in NYC?

[weetara]

I was a coffee-hater until a recent trip to Costa Rica, where a few cups of excellent, locally-grown coffee piqued my interest. Now I'm interested in learning more about different kinds of coffee to find out what else I like before I invest in some to enjoy at home. Are there any coffee shops in NYC that will let me taste a small bit of various coffees from around the world? I'm thinking of a "coffee flight," kinda like a wine flight at a wine tasting--does this exist anywhere?

[weetara]

Thank you very much! Turns out Cafe Grumpy is right near my office, and I will definitely find out about their weekend tastings. I'll keep the other spots mentioned in mind as well.

[evening]

Even if Grumpys isnt having a tasting, you may want to stop by. Their knowledge of coffee, and that cool Clover machine make it worth a trip.

[danoots]

I've been once, and thought it showed promise, even if the execution wasn't there. Had wonderfully poured cappucinos that were unfortunately only lukewarm (not sure if the milk had sat for a few minutes, or whether our cups weren't heated). Plus, had a couple just okay one-bite (really small!) cookies that ended up being almost $2 a pop.

It's fairly close to work, though, so I'll give it a few more tries...

[danoots]

This is a terrific idea! Some cocktail places do small "flights" of cocktails (eg. Flatiron Lounge), and the same concept would apply perfectly to coffees. Might be hard to execute (keeping all coffees hot and fresh) if you didn't have the right equipment, but I'd personally love to try something like this.

[nyclibkat]

You should stop by Porto Rico Importing Co., which sells many varieties of beans and has a small counter in the back where they feature a few different varieties every day. You can buy a cup or two, and it you find something you like you can buy a lb. while you're there.

Its on 6th Ave and Bleecker (there may be another store somewhere else too, anyone know?)

[erin07nyc]

Watch for the Blind Tiger to re-open in their new Bleecker St spot. While they were open, they were very much getting into imported coffee and different ways of brewing it (the word vaccuum comes to mind...). They are currently closed, waiting for their liquor license.

[JeremyEG]

Cafe Grumpy on 20th St. has coffee tastings on some weekends. You should call them and ask for the details but I've heard good things.

[chipman]

this might help to get an idea what different beans taste like. Just go to the list and see what you might like.

http://sweetmarias.com/prod.greencoff...

[weetara]

I did mean brewed coffee samples. Is that a crazy idea?

[chipman]

this might help to get an idea what different beans taste like. Just go to the list and see what you might like.

http://sweetmarias.com/prod.greencoff...

[a_and_w]

Do you mean bean samplers, or actual samples of brewed coffee?

[jakew8]

I think that coffee shop = the kind that brews and serves coffee. I doubt the OP wants to "taste a small bit" of just the beans.

[a_and_w]

Upon rereading, you're right about what the OP wants. Still, many coffee shops (e.g., Oren's) offer small samplings of beans from around the world that you can brew yourself. That's far more likely than finding a place that will actually brew small samples of coffee.