By Lakshmi:

I LOVE good coffee.  Few things can parallel the genuine happiness it brings me.  So, as a fan of good coffee and unique design, discovering the Roasting Plant was a double reward.

It was during one of our many walks around Greenwich Village that we happened to spot this coffee shop.  As we peeked in, what caught our attention was the many clear tubes with coffee beans running along the wall and the ceiling.  What had we walked into?

It turns out that the Roasting Plant is one of those coffee shops that is a temple for the coffee gourmand.  Growing up with a father who traveled quite extensively, beans like the Jamaica Blue Mountain and Ethiopian Yergacheff made a regular appearance in our household.  Needless to say, I was already drawn in when I noticed these two beans in the store.

Now to the tubes that caught our fancy.  It’s the Javabot.  And instead of describing it myself, I’ll share the store’s description of this contraption.  “Some people say that its crystal-clear tube system, which stores beans and delivers them to the roaster and brewers, looks like a space-age church organ or something straight out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. We say it looks like a dream come true for coffee lovers in search of the perfect cup.”

And it is no exaggeration that they absolutely do serve the perfect cup of coffee.  I have returned multiple times and at each visit, the coffee sends me to the same state of bliss I experienced the first time.  Better yet, the staff patiently answered my many questions on the beans and roasting.

If you are in New York City and want to experience a coffee shop that is both designed uniquely and serves amazing coffee, do give the Roasting Plant a try.  Be forewarned.  Like me, you could end up dropping a few dollars to walk out with multiple varieties of freshly roasted coffee beans.

To learn more about the Roasting Plant, their story, locations and of course their coffee, please visit their website at:

http://roastingplant.com/