Yesterday was the first available Friday I've had off of work in many, many months and I made sure that a visit to Counter Culture Coffee's New York Training Center in Little Italy was in order, so I could attend one of their weekly coffee cuppings. Referred to as Tastings @ Ten, due to their every Friday at 10:00am occurrence, these clean cuppings take place at all of Counter Culture's regional training centers and have specific themes each week. Yesterday's theme was a tasting journey across three continents: South America, Africa, and the continent or ecozone I'd never heard of before, Oceania (you and I know this continent as Australia). The coffees we sampled were all single-origin offerings from those continents that Counter Culture currently offers: Jarama (Rwanda), Tairora (Papua New Guinea), and Cueva de los Llanos (Colombia).

All three coffees had incredible aromas and delicate flavors all their own. It would have been tough to choose a favorite, as all three have what I look for in a good coffee, but I initially went with the Tairora for its unusually savory characteristics. Brewed as pour-over, it got more difficult to choose and I decided I liked them all, but started to favor the vanilla bean and banana-y characteristics of the Cueva de los Llanos as it cooled.

Behind each coffee was a beautiful story of the relationships that Counter Culture always looks to create with small or large, yet eager and quality-driven coffee farmers looking to make a living and share their coffees with the world. Ryan, the presenter for this cupping and customer relations rep at Counter Culture Coffee, described the effort that the farmers at Jarama in Rwanda, Tairora in Papua New Guinea, and Cueva de los Llanos in Colombia put forth to create the specialty coffees with all their desirable qualities and delicate nuances. In order to be considered specialty, these producers have to take the feedback and advice that roasters like Counter Culture give them and grow from it to make ever more impressive coffees. Ryan described how a simple request like increasing the drying time of the beans by shading them from constant sun on raised beds can create a world of difference in the coffee's characteristics and their overall market value. If these coffees aren't the evidence of their hard work and those production tweaks, then I don't know what is!

Ryan had some time after the cupping to chat with Samson and I while we sipped each of them brewed pour-over style and we got to talking a lot about coffee (duh!) and Counter Culture Coffee around NYC as a whole and some great shops that source their coffees in neighborhoods we frequent. Samson and I both work in Midtown East, so Ryan's mentions of for:ground, on 41st St between Fifth Ave and Madison Ave, and Taylor St Baristas, on 40th St between Madison Ave and Park Ave, were very welcome as Counter Culture Coffee in Midtown is rare. Since I had the day off and Samson was heading to work after the cupping, I thought it would be a great idea to tag along and visit both to try their takes on Counter Culture's coffee. As coffee was all we had consumed that day, a stop by Mimi Cheng's Dumplings next door to the CCC Training Center was definitely in order. I could feel the shakes coming on.

Our first stop was at for:ground. Samson had been before as it's right around the corner from his work, but this was my first visit. It's is a fairly new shop that opened up this past summer and offers tons of seating, chill music, and delicious baked goods and Counter Culture Coffee-based beverages. They also offer fancy toasts, bagels, sandwiches, and a very tidy restroom. I enjoyed relaxing there while admiring the space and thinking about what I'd write about in this micro-review, while devouring a super-soft matcha blueberry scone. If you're in the area and in need of caffeine, a place to sit and relax, and sustenance in the form of delicious pastries, make sure to stop in to for:ground.

Samson had to leave for work, but I wanted to explore this new Midtown coffee scene a bit more and consume my fifth and sixth cups of coffee ☕️😳, so I stuck with the plan and visited Taylor St Baristas. I didn't stay nearly as long, as I wanted to get home to eat more actual food and start laundry, but I stayed long enough to fall in love. Taylor St Baristas is originally a London-based coffee company that was, as they say "conceived in Australia", so you know it's good.

I'm kind of amazed that I never visited this shop before now. They serve up a healthy array of drip coffees, espresso drinks, baked goods, and breakfast and lunch items. Their drip coffees are part of a self-service type setup across from the counter and allow you the choice of classic, delicate, wild, or decaf coffee (all of which can be sampled before choosing at no cost). I went with wild, as it was labeled as an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and Ethiopian coffees are my favorite (don't you dare call me basic 😠).

Their baristas are exceedingly friendly and did not hesitate to introduce me to their unique loyalty card program that gets you one free drink after just four drink purchases. Their space is also beautiful, although I did not venture up to their second floor, which judging by the Yelp photos, offers a lot of seating. If you're in the Midtown area and looking for some seriously good coffee or maybe a flat white, Taylor St Baristas has got you covered.