At the Honesty office in Stockholm we have an “ex”-barista working. Arvid doesn’t actually work as a barista at Honesty (he’s an amazing assistant instead), but he’s a coffee nerd to the core with, among other things, a national barista championship silver medal under his belt. Anyway – he knows coffee.
When I told Arvid I was going to New York he immediately said a need to check out Stumptown. “Great coffee, great style and no doubt the best you can get on the east coast” was his verdict and insisted I go. I told him that I would try to squeeze it in to the schedule even though I knew this would be tough.
When he DMed me the adress on Twitter I thought he’d sent me the wrong one. The address I got was to my hotel. It turns out Stumptown is actually located smack in the middle of the lobby of my hotel!
Consequently, I’ve started of every day (and a couple of afternoons) here with amazing coffee. And it really is that good. Sweden actually has amazing coffee at places like Drop Coffee, Mellqvist, Cocovaja and Koppi, but to me, this superceded them all (perhaps with the exception of Drop Coffee which I haven’t tried yet) both when it comes to coffee (though close) and style. Their brew is full and fruity in the definite new style and the aroma that spreads through the lobby of the hotel is fantastic. And while the roasts are flawless (understatement of the month), the staff is perhaps even more authentic and friendly.
Is it worth a detour? Oh yes! Especially if you sleep just 8 floors above the grinder.
