Grooming and great coffee are a winning combination in my books. Already well established Amsterdam outfit Cutthroat Coffee and Barber has managed to build a bit of a cult following in our home town and we’re certain that there are more concepts like this in other cities like London or Tokyo where men go to get their beards trimmed while sipping on a perfectly pulled espresso.
One such place that I came across the other day while visiting New York is Parlor Coffee. Located inside the Persons of Interest barber shop in Brooklyn, Parlor Coffee is actually more of a whole sale roasting operation today than a coffee bar enterprise. Founder Dillon and his team focus on sourcing and roasting truly oustanding coffees in their beautifully designed coffee roastery in the industrial heart of Brooklyn’s Flushing Avenue. In particular they work with a number of farmers in Colombia who they source exclusive lots from. I had the pleasure to try one of these coffees while visiting the roastery to meet Dillon and his team. Fragrant, full of nuances and deliciously clean is how I would describe Parlor’s coffees.
The coffee corner inside Persons of Interest serves as a way to get Parlor’s coffees into the hands of those who love a great cuppa Joe. On the day of my morning visit, I was greeted by Aaron and Bryce who have been with Parlor for some time and Aaron, who normally looks after other activities within the business, was on bar duty to perfect his Barista skills.
Using a small Kees van der Westen Speedster, the guys of Parlor only serve espresso-based drinks at this location due to limited available space but if you’re just popping in to get your after lunch caffeine fix, this is a pretty good place to head to.
Parlor is one of a small handfull of local specialty coffee roasters who is trying to put New York on the coffee map and show coffee-spoiled westcoasters that you can indeed find very high quality coffees in the Big Apple. In my own view it is important that the city celebrates its homegrown talent and locals also support businesses like Parlor since they have big names like Blue Bottle, Stumptown and Intelligentsia to compete with. Don’t misunderstand me here, the fact that these big guys have all set up shop in New York is certainly a good thing, considering where New York was only 5-10 years ago but none of them are native New York businesses.
So while you’re in Brooklyn, why not swing by the small Parlor outlet at People of Interest or join one of their cuppings on Sundays at their roastery? The latter might seem a bit off the beaten track but you won’t regret making your way out there.
