On a recent long layover in New York, I came across a forgotten favorite coffee bean vendor in the Lower East Side, Porto Rico coffee (A play on words -- porto because they import coffee).I remember getting an affordable but tasty package of finely ground coffee here and loving it, and stepping inside the store, I saw they had a Guatemalan, shade grown, fair trade blend on sale. $4.00 for 1/2 lb. (which is still a bit pricey compared to Trader Joe's decent $2 blend). This however has so many good components I couldn't say no, and the color and smell of the beans were incredible.
Another plus was the "We deliver EVERYWHERE" sign in the window (although I'm willing to bet Santiago, Chile isn't included in that "everywhere").
Checking out their delivery service online you can immediately see this store has coffee down to a science. Blends are separated by origin, blend, roast, flavor, and organics. I definitely like the idea of buying by origin so you can take supporting certain small business in developing countries and global footprint into consideration ... how many miles the coffee traveled versus supporting small farmers in certain countries. This however, may be more thinking than coffee really needs.
The descriptions of each blend also help shoppers make an informed choice. The shop takes into consideration the acidity, roast, and flavor of each bean.
-- Lauren Williams
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