AWESOME ALERT: Free coffee in SoHo from Cafe Bustelo all week!

Need a boost for your week? Café Bustelo is hosting a Pop-Up Café Experience this week and wants to ply you with free coffee :)

Starting today Oct. 20 through Sunday Oct. 25, stop by the SoHo cafe (168 Bowery) for complimentary Café Bustelo ​espresso, ​regular ​and decaf brews, and K-Cup’s served in a lounge with free wifi and phone charging stations. There will also be swag giveaways, live band performances (10/24 @ 2 p.m. Janelle Kroll & 10/25 @ 2 p.m. Jukebox The Ghost), and an i​nteractive photo booth.

Deets:

• What: Café Bustelo Pop-Up Café Experience
• When: Tuesday (10/20) – Friday (10/23) 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday (10/24) & Sunday (10/25) 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Where: 168 Broadway
• Why: FREE COFFEE!

Celebrate Coffee Culture at a Buzz-Worthy Event

I don't know if you've noticed this, but coffee has become a very diverse thing in the past few years. A cuppa joe is no longer just a cuppa joe, if you know what I mean. The flat white has been imported from Australia by Starbucks, Portlanders (from Oregon) encourage roasting your own beans, and San Franciscans have been pushing 500 different ways to brew your coffee. But whether or not you can tell a Chemex from a French Press, there is something for everyone at The New York Coffee Festival.

This inaugural event will be taking place September 25th-27th at the 69th Regiment Armory (Lexington Ave & 26th St) will celebrate the ideology behind the coffee industry--from the farmer to the barista, and all of the steps in between.

The 3-day festival is being launched by Allegra Events Ltd. as part of Coffee Week NYC, and will be highlighting over 70 innovative exhibitors, including Starbucks Reserve, La Marzocco, La Cimbali, Pacific Foods, La Colombe, Steampunk, Joe, Toby's Estate, Irving Farm, and more. It will also feature the Coffee Masters NYC barista championship, sponsored by leading US artisan roaster Counter Culture Coffee.

The Festival will also feature live music as part of the Coffee Music Project, The Coffee Art Project gallery, gourmet street food, and The Espresso Martini Bar. Additionally, The Lab sessions will give attendees the opportunity to participate in in-depth educational workshops and seminars given by some of the industry's most influential leaders..

Half of ticket proceeds will be donated to charity: water via the Allegra Group's Project Waterfall initiative. Through these donations, Project Waterfall will be able to continue bringing clean water to coffee counties such as Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.

To purchase tickets, click here. Standard passes start at $20 for a single morning or afternoon session and VIP tickets start at $45 and include fast track entrance, all day access, a free espresso martini and a tote bag.

AWESOME ALERT: Free Coffee from CUPS All Week Long!

Attention coffee fanatics: NYC coffee app CUPS is celebrating its first anniversary in the city and giving away free java all week long!

Check their Facebook page all week for details on which coffee shoppes around the city will fuel your caffeine addiction (20 each day!) and click here to download the app and top yourself off with a $10 credit to be used after this promotion ends.

Free Coffee To Keep You Shopping on Black Friday

With all the shopping you plan on doing this Black Friday, sleeping in is not an option. Lavazza wants to make sure you stay awake and wants to help you fight the effect of the copious amount of tryptophan you are bound to consume alongside your cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie the night before.

Starting on Friday, November 28 from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, November 29 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, the Lavazza mobile café will be posted in the Meatpacking District and hand delivering their coffee from Lavazza branded Fiat 500’s to everyone in need of a pick me up. Tired shoppers in NYC will also be able to receive a complimentary coffee delivered right to their doorstep by tweeting @LavazzaUSA using the hashtag, #LavazzaDelivery.

For additional delivery details and product discount codes, follow @lavazzaUSA on Twitter.

A Buzzworthy Happy Hour

Don't get your beans in a bunch, but Monday 9/29 is National Coffee Day! So prep your percolator, clean your Chemex and be ready to celebrate and enjoy some delicious brew (preferably while reading a novel in a cozy wingbacked chair under the comfort of a fuzzy blanket and curled up with a golden doodle...just sayin').

If a fuzzy blanket is not in the cards for you on Monday, the second best option would be to check out the Coffee Happy Hour being hosted by Hudson Valley’s own Crown Maple syrup and Irving Farm at the latter's Grand Central Terminal kiosk from 7-9am.

For $2, they will be serving The Crown Maple Medicine Man--named for a classic cocktail, the drink will include a blend of Crown Maple, lemon and sage and Irving Farm’s Los Lorios coffee blend. The drink will be available after 9am for $4.

Coffee, Tea, and Me

A couple weekends ago I was invited back to the NYC Coffee and Tea Festival, which I've been privileged to attend now for 4 straight years. It was weird being back in the 69th Regiment Armory twice in one week for yet another food/drink event, but that wasn't going to stop me from having an awesome time.

Walking in to the armory, you're suddenly warmed by the aroma of, well mostly coffee because let's face it, tea doesn't really have that much of a standard smell. Weaving through the aisles, I found myself trying all sorts of new brews and learning a heck of a lot. As someone who goes against the norm and doesn't actually drink that much coffee, I'm constantly befuddled by all the different coffee mechanisms and varieties.

NYC Coffee and Tea Festival 2013

Our first stop was Cafe Mami, which was serving Puerto Rican coffee from a thatched roof hut! People were flocking to this booth and it took two walk-bys to finally get a taste. It was good, but honestly a bit too strong for my taste. A few tables down was Harney & Sons, which I discovered at my first ever Coffee and Tea Festival. Since then I've become a bit of a Harney & Sons nut, and my desk drawer currently holds 3 different tins of their tea -- pomegranate oolong, English breakfast, green tea with thai flavors, and white peach.

Cafe Mami Puerto Rican Coffee was mobbed!

Harney & Sons, one of my favorite tea purveyors

Two drinks in and I was already ready for some sweets. Good think Kilwins was giving away chocolate and peanut butter fudge samples!

Kilwins Fudge

The next coffee booth was my favorite of the festival. Roast Coffee & Tea Trading Co., based on long island, was sampling their signature roast in two different manners, French press and Chemex. Everyone has seen a French press before, but I wasn't really sure why someone would choose one manner of brewing over another. While the coffee was the same, the sample brewed in the French press was strong and delicious. However, I then tried what was made in the Chemex and that tasted almost like pure hot water. Supposedly the filters used in the Chemex absorb most of the oils, which I guess some people like, but I know now that I'm a French press fan.

Roast Coffee & Tea Trading Co.

As a honey fanatic, I was very happy to see so many honey purveyors at the festival. One of my favorites was Bumbleberry Farms Heritage Select Honeys, mostly because of their salted caramel honey sauce -- amazing stuff people!

Selection from Bumbleberry Farms

Next I tried some coconut chai from Chai Diaries and more honey from Bee Raw, which was sampling totally raw unfiltered honey (you know the white stuff that looks kind of gross but is actually super delicious).

Chai Diaries

Bee Raw Honey

Speaking of things that look weird, have you ever tried aloe drink? We likened Ralph & Charlie's pomegranate aloe drink almost to bubble tea, but rather than bubbles, smaller seed like things. As you can tell, I'm having a really hard time describing it, but it was rather refreshing. Not sure I'd drink more than a small cup though.

Ralph & Charlies Aloe Drinks

Another favorite from the festival was my sample from PRESSTEA. Instead of steeping tea with the traditional tea bag or loose leaf style, these guys actually press tea leaves to make the hot beverage a la coffee. They will be opening their first Manhattan storefront on 7th Avenue soon and I'd highly recommend you go check them out.

PRESSTEA

Vitamix demoed at the coffee and tea festival and, honestly, they stole the show regardless of having absolutely nothing to do with caffeinated drinks. We stood there for a good ten minutes watching Mr. Vitamix liquify a few vegetables to make tortilla soup (the friction from the speed of the blades actually heats whatever is inside the blender, crazy right?!). Although I couldn't reach my hand out in time for a sample, I did get a sample of the non-dairy "ice cream" he made in a matter of 30 seconds using a handful of cashews, cocoa powder, agave nectar and ice. Sorry I don't have a picture of it because it was gone in even less time than it took to make. Seriously, if I had $500 to blow, I would pick up one of these puppies. I think the mesmerized crowd that stood around me would agree.

Vitamix Demo

Our last stop was the illy booth (for a second time). Their cold bottled coffee drinks really are delicious!

illy cold bottled coffee drinks

So how was your experience at the Coffee & Tea festival? Did you make it to any of the presentations or try any of the same things I did? Did you walk out feeling like you could conquer the world and/or bounce off the walls?

Brooklyn's Best New Coffee

If there's one thing that New York City runs off of, it's coffee. And you can never, never, never, never, never have too many coffee places. Good thing too because a certain chain...ahem, Starbucks...seems to sometimes have a monopoly. However, another Seattle chain is seeking to change the game, opening it's first full-on cafe yesterday in Brooklyn after a super successful (we're talking 3,000+ people) family and friends preview day on Wednesday.

Of course the company at the heart of it all, Seattle's Best, couldn't open just another storefront. They recently went through a menu revamp and came up with some pretty awesome new stuff. I was invited to come check out the new store and was pleasantly surprised. First of all the place is huge. There's plenty of space to relax, plug in your computer to do some work, or catch up with friends. The staff were incredibly friendly and treated me to a Hazelnut Creme Iced Latte ($3.49 for a small). With choices like Birthday Cake Latte and Caramel Pretzel Mocha, I had a pretty tough time making up my mind.

Hazelnut Creme Latte

Then it was onto the pastry case. The new menu was designed with the commuter in mind. Whether you're walking, taking the subway, or driving a car, all of the pastry items should be fairly easy to eat. I opted for the Very Berry Handheld Pie ($2.49) which also comes in caramel apple. I also sampled the cinnamon roll ($2.49), sour cream coffee cake ($2.39), and warm oatmeal raisin cookie ($1.99)

Handheld Pies

Coffee Cake and Cookie

Cinnamon Roll

To celebrate their grand opening the new Seattle's Best cafe will be giving out FREE COFFEE!  Swing by the Brooklyn retail location (253 Livingston Street) from 5:30am – 11pm on Wednesday, June 27, for a free small 12 oz. hot brewed coffee – a perfect perk for New Yorkers!

Color Me (Locally) Caffeinated

Strolling through Nolita, you might find several of your average bodegas, a one-off pizza place and other quotidien storefronts, but then you wander down Mott Street and something slightly new and different catches your eye. Nolita Mart & Espresso Bar, just about six weeks new, is the brainchild of the super passionate James Wong and his effervescent wife Selina Ho.

Not your average market, you enter and are warmly greeted by a beautiful coffee bar made from reclaimed wood out of an old barn from Albany, artfully decorated for the holidays with the most elaborate and professional looking paper snowflakes you have ever seen. You walk past the display case filled with delectable croissants and pastries from Colson Patisserie and discover a bounty of gourmet and local food finds in the market section at the back of the store. With everything from McClure’s Pickles, Feather Ridge Farm eggs, Anarchy in a Jar jams, Rao's pastas and sauces and Ciao Bella gelatos, this store is a haven for local foodies.

Now, there's something I've left out but really I just wanted to save the best for last. Nolita Mart & Espresso Bar is one of few vendors in the city, and the only one in Nolita, that sells Stumptown Coffee and employs Stumptown-trained baristas. These people take their beans seriously. With coffee as a New Yorker's life-sustaining elixir, it's no wonder that Stumptown, the Portland-based roaster, has risen to the top of the pack as one of NYCs most cherished coffee producers. I was invited to Nolita Mart to try a latte, made with super creamy milk from Battenkill Valley Creamery (a brand also sold in the back of the store), and I must say that I'm converted. Easily the most awesome latte I've ever had in my life - no joke. It even had what looked like a fern drawn into the foam on top.

Next time you develop a taste for awesome coffee, which let's face it is always since you live in the city, I'd highly recommend a trip over to Nolita Mart & Espresso Bar for a nice cup of joe and buttery croissant. While you're there tell James and Selina I say hello!