Once I hop out of bed in the morning, my brain immediately tells me to down a cup of orange juice before I step out my front door.
Everyone else in my household puts a bit more work into their morning fluid intake by brewing up a good old cup of Blue Mountain Coffee. I’ve always admired the scent of a fresh cup of joe and other coffee-inspired concoctions, but I rarely bring them to my lips for a quick sip. Since National Coffee Month is currently in full swing, I made a promise to myself to finally step out of my drinking comfort zone and indulge in some cultured coffee consumption.
For a New Yorker such as myself who loves exploring each borough during my weekend free time, I’m aiming to hit up the most notable coffee shops in the city that offer the most unique hot & cold beverages for me to enjoy.
Once again, I approached ChatGPT with a clear goal in mind and requested its assistance in helping me properly celebrate National Coffee Month. After looking at its coffee shop and drink suggestions, I now have a delicious game plan to stick to for the rest of August.
Where to go and what to sip on all month long
To make sure ChatGPT knew my level of coffee drinker and where I live, I presented it with this prompt to set me up with the ultimate coffee shop crawl:
“For National Coffee Month, what are the best ways someone like me who doesn't usually drink coffee should celebrate it? Keep in mind that I live in New York, so find the best coffee shops for me to go to and try out the most unique coffee blends.”
Right from the jump, ChatGPT told me what and what not to do:
If you don’t usually drink coffee, I’d avoid celebrating National Coffee Month by simply ordering a giant black coffee. New York is actually perfect for turning it into a coffee-tasting adventure—trying unusual preparations, flavors and origins rather than forcing yourself to like traditional coffee. New York’s specialty scene is unusually diverse: you can go from Japanese siphon coffee to Korean-influenced drinks to ultra-light Ethiopian beans and creative espresso drinks in the same weekend.
Then the chatbot laid out the ideal National Coffee Month challenge, which seems doable and easy enough for an uncultured coffee drinker like me to partake in. It suggested starting with a coffee that doesn’t taste like typical coffee, trying a coffee-based dessert drink, seeking out some coffee that’s prepared in a completely different way, getting a taste of a single-origin coffee to see what flavors you notice and finishing off my tasty-testing journey with NYC’s most experimental specialty coffee.
And finally, ChatGPT gave me a hitlist of six coffee shops to go to that have one-of-a-kind flavors worth sampling:
- Coffee Project New York | East Village: This might be the best first stop for you specifically. Order the Deconstructed Latte. Instead of simply handing you a latte, Coffee Project serves the espresso, milk, and finished latte separately so you can taste how each component changes the drink. The shop also rotates creative drinks such as black-sesame and hojicha-maple lattes.
- PARK at KIMS: This is one of my favorite recommendations for your situation because the experience isn't just about traditional American coffee. PARK at KIMS has a rotating pour-over program, beans from Korean roasters, and unusual drinks including an Orange Cold Brew. It also serves a house-style Nepali chiya and excellent matcha if you decide coffee isn't your thing that day.
- Suited NYC: This is the “I don't really like coffee, but this sounds good” stop. Suited's banana latte is one of its signature drinks. Think espresso combined with a creamy banana-milk profile, giving you sweetness and familiar fruit flavor alongside the coffee.
- SEY Coffee: This is where I'd challenge you to see whether you can actually start appreciating coffee itself. SEY is a Brooklyn micro-roastery focused on extremely carefully sourced, lightly roasted coffees. Its current lineup includes coffees from Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Peru, with tasting profiles ranging from violet and candied orange to lemon.
- Dayglow: This might be the most fun stop if your goal is “show me what coffee can actually be.” Dayglow has a rotating selection of coffees from different roasters, inventive espresso drinks, and a serious filter-coffee program. One of its standout drinks is the Vienna Latte, while its coffee selection can change considerably depending on what's being featured.
- Hi-Collar: If you want the most different coffee experience, I'd add Hi-Collar. It's a Japanese kissaten-style café that specializes in siphon coffee and rotating beans. Watching the coffee being prepared in a glass siphon is almost as much of the experience as drinking it. Current/rotating coffees have included beans from places such as Bali, Colombia, and Kenya.
The takeaway
I’m super adventurous whenever it’s time to take a flight to another country. And my taste buds are equally courageous—I’m always willing to step out of my comfort zone and introduce my stomach to national and global dishes that I’ve never had. For National Coffee Month, ChatGPT provided me with the perfect opportunity to see what all the coffee hype is all about.
Having a chatbot gift me with a delicious roadmap to enjoy worked just as well as I thought it would. And now I have a new culinary trek to embark on in a city with a coffee shop on every corner.
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