I wish I lived closer to The Roasting Plant on the lower east side. My friend, The Food Genius (he knows more about the anthropology, history and preparation of food than anyone I know), and I made a pit stop there our way farther north and it was well worth the detour. This coffee company prides itself on freshness and sources all of its green beans from mostly organic and fair trade sources around the world, and then roasts them on premise as needed. The various types of whole beans line one wall in transparent bins, and each one has a tube coming out the top which leads to the snazzy Swiss grinders and brewers. According to the website, the owner invented this system, called a Javabot, which allows beans to be ground and brewed (straight coffee or espresso varieties) to order. And it’s all worth it: the brewed to order coffee is delicious (and remember, you can choose the kind of bean you want and watch them shoot through the tubes) that somehow manages to have a wonderfully strong flavor without being cloying or tasting burnt like a lot of the other fancy coffee joints in town. Now if they would just open one in Williamsburg….
