Discovering Gregory's Coffee
Surprises are best when they're unexpected - obviously. But I say that to emphasize how pleasantly surprising it was discovering one of my new favorite coffee shops this past week. And in this case, I truly believe it to be a favorite because it falls outside of my "Coffee Crawl" series. I had such a refreshing experience at this shop that I thought it deserved to be positioned differently from the coffee houses I have intentionally prospected. Something tells me that I may introducing this place in my typical fluffy and confusing way - so I'll get to the point.
As I was thoroughly enjoying my time off this past week, casually exploring Manhattan and taking in the beginnings of warmer Spring weather, I wanted to take advantage of my free time to visit a new coffee shop for the blog. I was wandering around Soho and didn't scope out any specific shops in the area - I wanted to be more spontaneous and see what I just happened to bump into. I was looking for a graphic logo/sign to signal a shop I might be interested in looking into. I had actually walked for at least 10 minutes with no coffee shop in sight, until I looked to my left walking down Hudson St. and saw the hipster oasis - Gregory's Coffee.
Overflowing With Cool
I feel like someone told me about Gregory's Coffee (we're going to call it "Greg's") shortly after I moved to New York - I believe it may have been one of my coworkers. But I wasn't at all familiar with the style of this shop, which was fine because it only helped me to appreciate this lovely place even more coming in blind. I think the photos speak for themselves here - this coffee shop has the kind of aesthetic that I absolutely adore. From the lanterns hanging down from the ceiling, to the deep and rich colors, to the music - I was being given all of the smooth vibes I could ever ask for. The shop is spacious with plenty of room to exist during slower times, which is a huge plus in my book. Shoebox coffee shops - please step aside.
Sweetening The Experience
As always, had to get a closer look at the pastries. No carb lover could ask for any more than this; Greg's has brownies, cookies, muffins, croissants, everything. Not only that, but you can tell they're quality and more than likely bomb as hell. I of course wanted to get all of these beautiful treats, but when I looked up at the menu and noticed their variety of toasts, I decided to go with an Almond Berry Toast. Kinda wish I would have gone with a muffin instead - and we'll get into that.
As far as coffee, I decided to get one of their Aeropress coffees: Santa Isabel. It turns out this Aeropress style of coffee was almost the same thing that I had at Blue Bottle last month. This is a really pure way of getting the coffee with all of it's great flavor - I highly recommend you try it out. Also, just want to say how nice the barista was - super helpful and very friendly!
Do It For The Art
Like I was saying, I actually wish I would have gotten a pastry instead of the toast. I'm not sure if it was just the nature of the ingredients, or the fact that I spent almost 10 minutes taking photos of the food before eating it, but the bread was harder and drier than I would have cared for. Especially with the chia seeds on top, would have enjoyed a bread that was softer or not as dense. The flavor was okay, but because almond butter, whole grain bread and chia seeds largely lack rich flavor, I feel like the toast was relying on the strawberries to sweeten things up. I don't know, maybe overanalyzing it, but I was just hoping for something tastier. It wasn't bad by any means - I just wouldn't get it again.
The coffee on the other hand was perfect! As expected, it had a zesty flavor and was so tasty. Since I drink my coffee black, I can appreciate these flavors even more with no other interference. The only thing with the Aeropress coffee is it takes longer to prepare because of the special process involved, and you don't get as much coffee as standard press. Nevertheless, I still think it's worth it and hope that more coffee shops start to offer this kind of brew.
Find Me At Greg's
There you have it folks - another fav coffee shop on this approved list. It was honestly a short and sweet visit; I didn't spend as much time there as I usually would because it was a mid-day visit and I didn't have any blogging to do on the spot. But on a day where I just want to chill somewhere and take in some good vibes, good coffee and get some good work done, I know this will be one of those great places to go for all of it. I also really want to check out Greg's other spots around NYC - I know the offerings won't be different, but I am just curious to see how locations vary (similar to Brooklyn Roasting Company). Now can anyone tell me - who is the Gregory behind all of this?
