I’m thrilled to know I live near one of the best coffee/espresso shops in New York. Gimme! Coffee is located on 228 Mott Street in Manhattan and 495 Lorimer Street in Brooklyn with five other locations upstate New York. So why is it so good? GQ featured Gimme! Coffee as “Coffee’s Next Wave,” as the roasters are giving the same attention and care to their coffee as winemakers do to their wine. Their artisan style of roasting means a person (not a machine) runs the roast in small portions at a time, allowing a more even roast of the beans. Gimme! Coffee also runs off of a new way of trading called “Relationship Coffee,” meaning the roasters and growers meet in person to make an exchange, allowing the farmers a more prominent role in the trading process and determining a market value. In addition to the effort taking place behind the scenes, the care and meticulousness is evident even in the coffee shop. Milk with coffee is steamed to order and each latte is carefully poured so that the crema is shaped as a delicate leaf. The baristas are informed about their coffee-making to the exact temperature used to brew a particular roast. Every detail counts to the point where brewing coffee is more like gourmet cooking. You can check out more information on brewing and Gimme! Coffee locations at http://www.gimmecoffee.com/ –Courtney Centeno, account executive