Ever since my son was in the cast of Matilda on Broadway, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with coffee in New York.  There’s a bunch of great spots, but there’s also a ton new new places that are trying to capitalize on the coffee bandwagon and have good looking shops but make crap coffee.  My stop on this trip was Bird & Branch.

Every time I go back, I make it a point to try the new places and patronize the smaller shops.  Bird & Branch is on 45th near 9th (across the street from Schmackary’s).  The owner is a nice young guy who cares about what he’s doing.  My wife had visited the store 6 months before, and apparently was talking about my home roasting, and the guy recognized my son and asked if I was the home roaster!

They don’t roast their own, rather serve Saint Frank, a San Francisco based roaster.  The Espresso is 3rd wave-ish, but not overly acidic and pairs well with Milk.  They are using a “Slayer Steam” for espresso extraction, and it’s a beautiful machine.  If you’re a pour-over fan, the Guatemala is excellent with hints of milk chocolate.  The shop is small. clean and bright and I will go back.