Every morning that we are in New York City, you will find us at 7 a.m. sipping our morning coffee at our favorite coffee bar, joe, on Columbus Avenue.  Although we have tried the 4 other joes around town, this remains our favorite – probably ‘cause it is just around the corner and has the most engaging group of young baristas – many of whom have become our friends.  Plus, all of the morning regulars greet one another as though we have lived in a small town all of our lives.  What a great way to begin the day!

In the past when our son, Chris, came home for a visit all we heard were complaints about the lack of a decent cup of coffee – for him, espresso.  San Francisco, his home, has long been known for its excellent coffee bars with Blue Bottle the drink of choice at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.  joe has become one of the carrots at the end of the stick to lure him home more frequently.  Even he agrees that they make a mean cuppa joe.

joe is owned by Jonathan and Gabrielle Rubinstein (a delightful brother/sister team) who are among the leaders in the growth of the specialty coffee movement in the United States.  Although it took awhile for great coffee to find a home in New York City, their small chain of joe coffee bars have been named one of the 10 best coffee bars in the United States by Food and Wine Magazine as well as one of the 10 outstanding coffee bars in New York City by The New York Times.  The coffee is so, so delicious – rich, slightly sweet, and satisfying –  that I now drink mine black.

Through our morning coffee klatches we have learned that the artisanal coffee community is a tight-knit group of committed growers, buyers, roasters, entrepreneurs, baristas, and drinkers who are determined to source, purchase, roast, serve, and drink the world’s finest coffees.  The specialty coffee trade is a now a global, dynamic, and exciting industry with dedication to combine cup quality with sustainability and social and economic responsibility.  It is a marvelous feeling to know that your morning cup has been brought to the market with such ethics in tow.