Five Brooklyn Coffee Bean Shops

If you're a fan of coffee and you're looking for a place to shop, then you'll need to check out a coffee bean shop. These shops offer a broad selection of whole beans from all across the globe. They also sell exclusive trinkets, kitchenware and other things.

Some of these shops offer subscriptions to their coffee beans. Others sell them in bulk at their retail locations.

Porto Rico Importing Co.

Veteran coffee shop that specializes in international brews as well as a range of loose teas

When you step into this traditional West Village shop, the scent of freshly coffee beans fills your nostrils. The shelves are stacked with jars and sacks filled with dark brown beans, along with tea-making equipment, coffee accessories, coffee bean shop and sugar.

Originally opened in 1907, Porto Rico was founded by Italian immigrants Patsy Albanese. Greenwich Village at the time was experiencing an influx of Italian immigrants, who set up businesses in order to meet their dietary needs. Albanese named the shop after the popular Puerto Rican Coffee she imported and sold - a beverage that was so famous in the moment that the Pope would drink it.

Porto Rico offers 130 different kinds of beans, including those from around the world in three locations, including Bleecker Street, Essex Market, and Coffee shop online. The company roasts its own beans and offers wholesale distribution for 350 restaurants in NYC, Brooklyn and Brooklyn.

Peter Longo, current owner and president, was raised in the family bakery on Bleecker Street, where his father ran Porto Rico. He still runs the shop in the same manner as his father and grandfather.

Sey Coffee

It is located along Grattan Street in Morgantown, Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, Sey Coffee is both a roaster and coffee shop. Tobin Polk, Lance Schnorenberg and their 33-year-old co-founders started roasting coffee in a loft on the fourth floor just around the corner in 2011. They dubbed it Lofted Coffee. Local clients included Greenpoint's Budin and Soho cart services Peddler and Peddler.

Sey's commitment to buying micro-lots or whole harvests, from single farmers has earned him the respect of New York City coffee enthusiasts. Last year they made a 6-bag micro-lot purchase of Danilo Dones Sitio Catucai 785 from Brazil's Espirito Santo region. The beans were handpicked at the peak of ripeness, then floated to remove defects and then dried fermented for 36 hours before being dried on the farm. The result is a cup with hints of berry, lemongrass, and melon.

Sey's commitment to holistically improving the wellbeing of employees, customers and growers extends beyond the shop. It makes use of composts and biodegradable products to keep waste out of the landfills. This helps to reduce greenhouse gases and helps nourish the soil. It also does away with gratuity, a move that puts baristas in a position to provide their livelihoods and encourage them to focus on their craft.

La Cabra

La Cabra is a modern specialty coffee company founded in Aarhus, Denmark in 2012. It began with a tiny store and a team of dedicated employees. Their innovative and honest approach to providing an exceptional coffee experience has earned them a devoted following not only in their hometown but also around the world.

La Carba follows a strict procedure to find their perfect beans. They search through hundreds of varieties each year to find those that best meet their ideals. They roast them light, adjusting the desired flavor profile. This results in more clarity and a better taste.

The East Village store, which was opened in October of last year it has been praised for its top-quality pour-overs, as well as the baked goods, overseen by Jared Sexton. He previously worked at Bien Cuit, Dominique Ansel as well as other coffee houses.

The shop uses the La Marzocco Modbar and the cups plates and bowls are designed by Wurtz ceramics, a father-and-son studio in Horsens. In a recent interview with Atlanta Coffee Shops General Manager Ian Walla revealed that La Cabra serves 250 different coffees per day and usually has seven or eight varieties on offer at any given time.

The Roasting Plant Coffee

The Roasting Plant is the only multi-unit coffee retailer that roasts its own coffee and brews on demand, with each cup of coffee roasting and brewed according to your requirements in less than minutes. It searches the world far for the finest quality, directly sourced specialty beans, offering customers choice and high-quality.

Their roaster on site is a fluid bed device, which is different from traditional drum machines commonly found in UK coffee shops. The beans are blown into the heated box using high-speed air, which is circulated. This keeps the beans in suspension and allows for a consistent roasting speed.

I tried the Sumatran Coffee and it was rich and velvety with a smooth taste. Dark chocolate was evident from the aroma and as you sipped the coffee there were subtle citrus fruit aromas.

The coffee that has been roasted is whisked to the Eversys super-automatic brewing equipment and you can have your coffee brewed to your specifications in under a minute. Customers can select from nine single origin selections and a variety of blends.

Parlor Coffee

Parlor Coffee was founded in 2012 behind a barbershop, with a single group espresso machine. It has since morphed into a burgeoning coffee roastery, whose beans are available in top cafes, restaurants, and home brewers in every city. Parlor is committed to procuring high-quality coffee beans from all over the world, each of which is a long, arduous journey before it reaches the hands of its roasters.

The owners, who are self-described as "passionate about coffee and believe that great coffee should be accessible to all," have created a place that is a bit more grounded and has chalkboards, compost bins, recycled handmade products, and minimal decor.

They roast and brew their own blends and single-origins (there were six when I was there) They also offer cuppings on Sundays, which are open to the public. Imagine it as a brewery tasting room--you can smell and taste the beans, ranging from chocolaty earthy (one was almost tomato-like!). They're away from the main roads but are it's worth the trip.