* Gimme! Coffee
Coffee shop
495 Lorimer St. (between Powers and Grand)
[L train to Lorimer]
PHONE: 718.388.7771
HOURS: Daily, 7am-8pm
WEB: Click Here
WE SAY: The best coffee in Williamsburg. Plus, they sell their own delicious beans for home brewing!
[FROM NYMAG] Best coffee in New York? Enthusiasts in love with the bean and the search for the ultimate cuppa claim this Williamsburg outpost of an upstate-based anti-chain pulls among the best espressos in town. Master roaster John Gant's cultish devotion to barista training and quality air roasting of single-source beans means the resulting cups can be sublime: espressos emerge aromatic, the crema foamy and multi-hued, cappuccinos topped with a dense layer of textured milk rather than foam. Even the drip stuff is quality, with not a hint of the dread mega-chain's over-roasted signature. Spare and gallery-like, with seating for only a handful, Gimme! also sells about 20 types of their own beans, for home-brew amateurs.
[FROM NYPRESS] Gimme some coffee, NOW! The people of Gimme! Coffee are relative newcomers to Brooklyn, but they've been roasting their stuff near Ithaca's gorgeous gorges since 2000. Master roaster John Gant, a charter member of the Roasters' Guild, has more than one million pounds of roasted beans under his belt. He's obsessed, and so is every other coffee-addled fiend who hangs his hat under the bright-red Gimme! Coffee sign. It all makes sense when the barista places your latte or cappuccino in front of you, an intricate milk/coffee design on top. Okay, pretty. But then, that first taste: hands, shoulders, ears and skull above any cup of coffee we've ever tasted, anywhere.We no longer live down the street from Gimme!, and neither do many of our friends and loved ones who deserve to benefit from this inimitable coffee prowess. The answer: bags of beans. Gimme!'s got a six-point scale of light to dark, and beans originate from Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Brazil and elsewhere. Espresso is available, as are organic and fair-trade options. The storefront carries a healthy selection, and one can order any of the 20 varieties online, where orders ship within 24 hours. When in doubt, Gimme! Coffee carries gift certificates.
Comments
I've tried many of their coffees & the best way I can describe the taste is waxy. No matter what time of day I've gone in I can't sit down b/c each booth is occupied by just 1 person sitting with a laptop while talking on a cell. Service has been unfriendly more than it's been friendly. I live practically on the corner but prefer to go just down the street to Sette Pane Bakery for authentic old school Italian coffee that's just as good if not better and half the price.
Posted by: LS | August 27, 2006 05:44 AM
yay, they finally got rid of the surly girl. the new one is SO nice, makes going there much more pleasant.
Posted by: yay | July 9, 2006 02:28 AM
Definitely awesome coffee. Awesome pastries too, from Balthazar i think. There's a bunch of new baristas there so it's hard to keep track, but they've all been really friendly to me...
Posted by: Junya | July 3, 2006 02:20 AM
incredible...best coffee i've had in NYC. get the mocha choka
Posted by: double g | June 17, 2006 01:22 AM
Yes, the coffee really is that good. If you're into overly sweet espresso drinks, the mocha mint phatty is a winner but any of the espresso drinks are excellent as well.
The brewed coffee... they vary the blend from day to day so there's a pretty wide range of coffee experience to be had. I find it pleasing but some people may find it irritating that their morning coffee never tastes the same. Personal favorite is Deep Disco.
Seating is limited and people who take up the booths tend to stay there for hours. Still, if you can get a table its quite pleasant as there's always plenty of natural light.
Best thing about living off the lorimer stop.
Posted by: Joshua | May 4, 2006 09:46 PM
there is a girl there who is so sour and never smiles. i hate it when she works there i want to slap her in the face and tell her to snap out of it. but lord is the coffee good. the dudes could use an attitude adjustment as well too.
Posted by: korven | April 22, 2006 08:47 PM
great coffee but I don't like the tude from the baristas
Posted by: good | March 7, 2006 05:01 PM
i was overjoyed when i found out our part of the nabe was finally getting it's own coffee shop, and we really scored big. the coffee here is so good, i can no longer buy my lattes anywhere else. if you've had it with crappy bedford ave. coffee made by people who don't give a damn about their product, make the trip. these guys rule lorimer st.
Posted by: powersst | February 21, 2006 04:33 PM
The espresso is definitely yummy. The red seats are fun, but there is not a ton of seating. They close kinda early (8pm) for those looking for late night coffee fueling, but I can always pick up wireless internet which is nice.
Posted by: loony bin | February 21, 2006 05:13 AM
get the lovin' flavor. it's sooo good. you might think, what the hell does lovin' taste like? but then you'll try it and you'll know.
Posted by: al | January 18, 2006 07:04 PM