The Sprudge Report - New York New York
Plus lots of espresso news
The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Lower Manhattan
New York City is one of the world’s great coffee destinations, and has been for decades now. One of the great challenges in writing a guide to a scene as expansive as NYC’s is figuring out who to represent it all without rewriting the entirety of The Grapes Of Wrath. That’s why in 2025, we’re going to rolling out a host of coffee guides to the different boroughs of NYC, and we’re kicking things off with a look at Lower Manhattan. At the end of it all, we’ll hopefully have scratched the surface of what makes coffee in New York second to none.
The jewel cleaning power of the steam wand
Did you know the espresso machine is a multi-use tool? It makes coffee of course, but turns out, it can also clean your jewelry. When you take your precious stones into a jeweler for a cleaning, they use what is essentially a steam wand to shine them back to brilliance. And if you have an espresso machine at home, why pay $50 when you could just do it yourself?
The stove top espresso maker goes to art school
The Moka Pot is one of the most iconic silhouettes in all of coffee. It has gone more or less unchanged for nearly 100 years, so one could argue the stove top espresso maker was due for a rethink. Or maybe we just leave well enough alone. One look at the Anticline and you’ll know which camp you fall in. Is it art? Did it get hit by the bus?
A world map of lever espresso machine collections
The lever espresso machine has an almost cult-like following. There’s a romanticism to it, being able to really drive the machine and have full control over the shot, that many find irresistible. So much so that they collect them. And thanks to a new map, you find if there’s a collection near you. Created by The Lever, a publication all about lever espresso machines, the Map of Collectors feature collections both public and private on six different continents.
Espresso a mile high
American Airlines has quietly rolled out espresso drinks on some of their international and transcontinental flights. The service was discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic but has since made a return and even expanded. Originally only offered to first class passengers, espresso drinks are now available to business class on select flights.
Ready To Go with Klatch Coffee
For our first Ready To Drink feature of 2025, we are checking in with Inland Empire’s Klatch Coffee, who recently released their Ready-To-Go Espresso concentrate. The drink has been in the works for a year and looks to make espresso drinks at home even easier.
The Hachi Coffee Project: Co-ferments and Controversy
Diego Bermudez of Finca El Paraíso in Colombia is on the bleeding edge of coffee production. He is credited with pioneering techniques like double anaerobic washing and thermal shock processing that have taken the coffee world by storm and have been adopted by other producers the world over. With the Hachi Coffee Project, Bermudez applied these techniques to the high end coffee of Panama. Then they got disqualified from the Best of Panama competition. Many producers in Panama and the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama have been vocal about the controversy, but for the first time, we get to hear Bermudez’s side of the story.
The Coffee Sprudgecast: The One With The Sprudge Design Award Winners
A new year, a new Coffee Sprudgecast. It’s 2025 and hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen talk about all of the incredible Sprudge Design Award winners on the latest episode of Sprudge’s coffee podcast. Learn more about the Second Annual Sprudge Design Award winners and find out if Zachary prefers ruffles or flat potato chips.
Roaster’s Village
We’re highlighting outstanding coffees from some of our favorite roasting partners each week here in the newsletter. This week’s selection of tasty coffees are…
Verve Coffee Roasters—Gura AA
Juicy, jammy and expressive, this year’s AA lot from Gura is nothing short of delicious. Tropical guava notes greet your palate with the first sip, followed by a sweet strawberry and fudge finish.
Equator Coffees—Guatemala El Injerto Ethiopia Landrace
This fruity and spicy single origin coffee features a single landrace variety called ET-47 that originated in Ethiopia and is now grown in Guatemala by Arturo Aguirre on his award-winning farm, El Injerto. The resulting coffee has flavors of concord grape, star anise, and cocktail cherry.
Klatch Coffee—Panama Janson Alpes Gesha Natural 20 Lot 552
With an accentuated floral flavor and brighter acidity thanks to the Green Tip Gesha varietal, the Panama Janson Gesha Natural 20 Lot 552 will blow you away with notes of black cherry, blackberry and finishes with citrus. This new Geisha is from the Janson Family Coffee Farm near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, which has given this coffee even more unique qualities you won’t find elsewhere. Order now to receive the Monday, January 27th roast of this delightful Gesha from Klatch Coffee.
Mr. Espresso—Regenerative Organic Certified Colombia ASAPROFUCAL
Mr. Espresso is pleased to offer its first Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) coffee: Colombia ASAPROFUCAL. After having reset the standard for sustainability in the wine industry, Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) is once again setting the gold standard for organic production in coffee. Founded in 2018, this association of growers has standardized their production processes to create coffee that is consistent in the cup and maintains the floral notes, medium acidity and pronounced body that is characteristic of the south of Tolima.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters—Costa Rica Montes De Oro
The beautiful, balanced Montes De Oro boasts notes of crisp red apple, syrupy black cherry goodness and caramel sweetness. The perfect cup of coffee for the cold winter season!
Night Swim Coffee—Illimani – Washed Bolivian
Illimani – Washed is a beautiful coffee that represents the profile that we’ve come to love in Illimani. It’s super sweet with a heavy, syrupy like mouthfeel and displays a taste profile descriptive of the region as a whole!
Passenger Coffee—Ethiopia AGARO
Remarkably complex and subtle, our current Agaro lot is soft and nuanced with vanilla and bergamot aromatics. In the cup one finds citrus, apricot, and a juicy melon character in the finish.
Phil & Sebastian—Bekele Yutute Natural
The Bekele Yutute Natural, newly arrived on our shelves, is bursting with fruity flavor. Coffees from the small region of Bensa are grown at a whopping altitude of 2300 meters and are winning nearly every competition in Ethiopia—it’s not hard to see why. This coffee is clean, intense, fruity, and embodies everything we love about Naturals.
Portland Coffee Roasters—Bridge Blend
The Ethiopia component comes from Mustefa Abakeno – a smallholder producer growing coffee varieties from the nearby Jimma Research Center. This coffee is from the Beshasha mill, which specializes in washed processing utilizing good agricultural practices (GAP). Mustefa ferments the pulped coffee for a short period before he moves it to drying beds, where the result is comparable to a beautiful light honey.
The other half of Bridge Blend is from Peru. In Peru, most coffee comes from small farms owned and managed by indigenous people who follow organic farm management practices attuned to their cultural connection to the land. This particular coffee is from the umbrella Norandino cooperative – who ensure meticulous traceability and quality control throughout post-harvest processing. It is fully washed and dried in the sun – preserving natural tasting notes of green grapes and apple blossoms.
Dune Coffee Roasters—Ethiopia Idido
This lot of coffee is processed as a natural, which receives particular attention for ripeness and sorting before drying on raised beds. At Idido, each lot is coded for traceability and tracked for consistency throughout the process, before the coffee is stabilized and exported. In the cup, Idido is full of berry and fruit flavors, with a sweet strawberry and juicy grape quality. As the coffee cools, black tea and dark chocolate complexity develops.
Madcap Coffee—Lake Effect
When creating seasonal blends like Lake Effect, we aim to capture the feelings and flavors reminiscent of that particular season. In the dead of Midwest winter, scattered glimpses of sunshine remind us that spring isn’t too far in the distance. Lake Effect is inspired by these warm and hopeful moments. Two coffees from Africa were selected for this year’s Lake Effect blend. Gatomboya from Karatina, Nyeri County, Kenya makes up two thirds of the blend. Bright and acidic like a perfectly ripened citrus, this coffee provides a welcomed contrast to rich winter sweets. The remaining third of the blend is Suke Quto from Guji, Odo Shakisso, Ethiopia, chosen for its delicate florality and complimenting citrus notes. Once blended, Lake Effect takes on a deliciously juicy body, with radiant notes of pomelo, apricot, and lemon sugar.
La Barba Coffee—Guatemala | La Senda Arnoldo & Eugenia
This delightfully sweet anaerobic natural from José Arnoldo Perez & Maria Eugenia Escobar is full of tropical fruit notes along with delicate florals and subtle stone fruit (nectarine). The sweetness of this coffee persists from when it’s hot through as it cools, making you want a refill as soon as you finish the cup.
Floral – Passionfruit – Nectarine
Partners Coffee—Honduras – Carlos Damian
Continuing our Honduran offerings this season we have a lovely pacas produced by Carlos Damian. This fully washed selection of pacas was grown on his Bella Vista farm on the eastern side of the Santa Bárbara Mountain. This is a balanced, comforting coffee that we’ve been looking forward to for months. Presenting beautifully as either filter coffee or espresso, we’re tasting milk chocolate, toffee, and almond with a subtle, structured acidity reminding us of yellow peach and red apple.
PERC—Kenya Ndaro-ini
We’re super excited to bring in another stunner from Kenya. This coffee blew us away on the cupping table. It starts with a juicy punch of green apple and transitions to flavors of warm baking spice. It finishes with a sweet brown sugar note that will have you coming back for more before you put down that empty cup. Don’t miss out on this super tasty coffee, y’all.
The Barn Berlin—Volcan Azul H3
At the famous Volcan Azul estate in Costa Rica, producer Alejo has introduced modern fermentation methods to achieve extraordinary flavour profiles. We love coffees from Volcan Azul for their deep, complex flavour. The warm anaerobic process brings delicious character to this coffee, with vibrant fruit flavour. Expect an abundance of sweetness, with fig, blueberry, and blackcurrant. On the palate, this is a coffee with great structure and gentle acidity.
Sightglass Coffee—Winter Solstice
Returning for the fifth year, we’re excited to release something exceptional for the holiday season: our Winter Solstice Blend. Named for the longest night and shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice is the perfect accompaniment to cool weather and changing seasons. A time when we crave comfort, warmth, the familiar, and the surprising. For Winter Solstice, we combine two amazing coffees from Kenya and Colombia to evoke flavors of chocolate truffle, marzipan, and blackberry.
Onyx Coffee Lab—Colombia Tio Conejo Gesha Natural
In the high mountains of Caldas, Colombia, Tío Conejo cultivates coffee with a commitment to tradition, community, and resilience. Nestled at 2,000 MASL on rich volcanic soil, their farm’s high altitude and meticulous practices yield exceptional quality. That quality shows in the cup with pungent fruit characteristics throughout the drinking experience, culminating in pink guava and watermelon candy.
Joe Coffee —Rubí Sisters Catuaí
Perched between the Sierra La Esperanza and Santa Bárbara mountains in Las Vegas, Honduras, lies Finca Ruland 2—a specialty coffee farm as beautiful as it is biodiverse, owned and operated by the Rubí-Landaverde family. Notes of Candied Lemon, Almond Paste, Cinnamon.
Pachamama Coffee Farmers—Guatemala
Grown on the volcanic shores of Lago Atitlán, this is an exceptional single origin medium roast coffee from the Manos Campesinas coop in Guatemala.
Olympia Coffee—Alexander Vargas Pink Bourbon
Alexander Vargas is a Cup of Excellence-winning producer for his Pink Bourbon varietal. He continues to innovate in processing and drying, making his coffees an absolute delight for us to roast. The variety is native to Colombia, specifically Huila, with the name inspired by the cherry ripening with a pinkish hue.
CXFFEEBLACK—Fruit Of Our Labor
A HIGA JUNT -NATURAL RWANDA KILIMBI STATION, 1650-1850 MASL
TASTING NOTES: Strawberry, Dark Chocolate, and Passionfruit
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Greater Goods Coffee Co - Wholesale Customer Service Representative - Dripping Springs, TX
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Senior Manager eCommerce Channel - Portland, OR
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Product Manager - Portland, OR
Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at P.O. Box 3943 Portland, OR 97218.