Eric Asimov, Food
Critic of The New York Times
on WQXR
The Empire Coffee and Tea Company was founded in 1908. So it's been around long enough to weather changes in fashion when it comes to coffee drinking. This unpretentious, low-key place on Ninth Avenue will never be mistaken for a Starbucks or any of the other slick coffee shops than now dominate the city. And for me, at least, that's a great part of its appeal.
Service is winningly Bohemian, and among the many charms of Empire is the honesty of its presentation. Unlike Starbucks, where the smallest cup of coffee is called a large -- small means small, and large means large at Empire.
The coffee beans, displayed in burlap sacks, are labeled by type of bean and by roast, unlike many places, which treat French Roast or Italian Roast as if they were a specific type of superior bean. The fact is that any bean from a modest Columbian to the most expensive Jamaican Blue Mountain, can be roasted a short time to produce a light American Roast, or a long time, to produce a dark Italian Roast, which is often used to make espresso.
Unlike the coffees at the Starbucks chain, which are over-roasted to the point of bitterness, Empire coffees are a model of careful handling. Prices for the full line of coffees and teas are extremely reasonable, as well.
Empire Coffee and
Tea is also featured in:
- The Big Cup: NY's Guide to Coffee Culture
- Gary Frank's Where to Buy It, Find It, Eat It in NY
- The New York Edge: Savvy Shopper's Guide
- New York Eats (more): The ultimate food shopper's guide to the Big Apple
- The New York Book of Tea
- citysearch.com
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