#70 – KYOTO COFFEE at BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

Some people don’t consider it a drug, but I’ve learned that coffee can be a powerful thing. Alcohol can knock you out, but coffee can do the exact opposite.

I’ve always loved the flavor (and the aroma) of the fresh brewed stuff, but I’ve never been a huge coffee drinker myself. Recently, I’ve traded in my occasional Frappucino for iced Americanos. I don’t drink them very often, but when I do, I get them without sugar or milk. I like to taste the stuff unadulterated. Funny that I’m a non-coffee drinker who drinks coffee as extreme as possible.

Blue Bottle has arrived from San Francisco to rival the tight hold Stumptown (a Portland company) has on the hipsters of the city. Blue Bottle opened their first NY storefront last year (their second is due to appear in Midtown later this summer) in Williamsburg – the center of hipsterdom. And since that time, lines have formed in the roaster/coffee bar that seem to last all day long.

They have two iced coffee options and they’re much more complex than just milk or sugar. We got to try both choices of iced coffee – the Kyoto (which I will get to in a minute) and the New Orleans style. The latter is served with a hint of milk and sugar (not things I usually like in my coffee) and was the most delicious of the two. It had a smoky, chocolatey chicory flavor without being too sweet. It was a little to easy to drink and didn’t leave that unpleasant film on my mouth that most sweet cappucinos do.

The Kyoto was completely different and in theory should have been more up my alley. It’s made with a Japanese cold-brewed slow drip system. The machine on display looked like it belonged in a museum or a science lab. The coffee is served over ice cubes and black. Things are pretty cut and dry at Blue Bottle. If you want milk and sugar, you order the New Orleans; if you want the coffee black, you order the Kyoto.

And this was a seriously strong cup of coffee. It was intensely flavored with complex floral and nutty notes. It was slightly on the bitter side with good acidity. Those are not generally bad things, but this coffee was a little too strong for me. I enjoyed the bold flavors, but I couldn’t finish the small cup. It was just too strong.

And I’m glad I stopped where I did. I can only imagine the repercussions of finishing the entire cup. As it was, I ordered the coffee a little before 3pm and when it was time for me to go to sleep (about 10 hours later), I lay in bed and sleep would simply not come. I think that night I got maybe 3 hours of sleep and I blame it on this minor cup of coffee. I do like coffee, but I like my sleep much more.

Would Blue Bottle’s Kyoto Coffee make my Top 100 of the Year? If it did, I may not sleep another day this year. It gets a 7 out of 10 for complex flavors, but intense consequences.