Over the past decade, New York’s coffee scene has seemingly grown tenfold. While there will always be a special place in my heart for bodega coffee, the world of specialty coffee has filtered into New York and now, some of the world’s most renowned roasters call New York home. From the old-school titans of the specialty scene to the new roasters just carving out their presence now, here are several hot stops in Bushwick and nearby Ridgewood. 

Stop 1: Drip Coffee 

First is Drip Coffee, a Black-owned cafe chain that consistently serves a range of specialty coffees, highlighting roasters all across the United States. At their Bushwick location, you will easily find coffees from brands like Black & White, Paper Plane, Lil Wolf, and Onyx, to name a few. Drip prioritizes an immense knowledge of all kinds of coffee, but the space here feels intimate.

The menu at Drip is simple, yet vast. They offer run of the mill espresso-based drinks like cappuccinos, lattes, and flat whites, but their hand brew menu is where Drip differentiates itself from other local cafes. The cafe’s rotating selection of different coffees on pour-over is perfect for the coffee enthusiast eager to try the new “Future Series” from Black & White Roasters, or a rare single-origin selection coming from Yemen, roasted by Onyx Coffee Roasters. I recently enjoyed a pour-over that tasted exactly like a rum and coke, sans alcohol, and my brain is still trying to understand it.