Chris, Her Coffee, and the Community She Loves

Simply put: my name is Chris, I live in the Bedford Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) section of Brooklyn and I love coffee. Now, let me be frank from the onset: I am NOT a coffee connoisseur of any kind. I simply have a slight addiction to fond adoration for coffee of all kinds: lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos,  chais and cortados -- you name it, I sip it. And, while I know the basics of caffeine, 

My usual: almond milk double latte, with love.

I have never been a barista, nor can I give you an expert review of grinds, roasting history, extractions, and the like.  So, that's not what this blog is about. When it comes to my caffeine sips and fixes, what I can do is tell you what tastes good and where to find it.

Equal to my love of coffee is that for my neighborhood. I'm an 11-year New Yorker by transplant, and for the last seven years, have called Brooklyn my home. Living here has been just about the coolest era of my almost 30-year-old life. Brooklyn really is as happening as people say, and Bed-Stuy, to me, is one of it's crown jewels. There's a lot of history here -- from its historic Victorian-era brownstones, to its notoriety as the birthplace to some of hip-hop's greatest: Jay-Z and the late Notorious B.I.G. to be exact.

Brownstone homes in BedStuy

Bed-Stuy is changing. That's not a novel opinion - it's an obvious observation and if truth be written, it's the source of a bit of tension from lifetime natives and neighborhood newbies. This north-central area of the borough, populated by about 150,000, has undergone socioeconomic changes for decades. Known historically for it's high concentration of Black and Caribbean Americans since the early 1920-s through the '90s, this urban area has seen lows and highs. Like any place in urban America, there's crime, housing projects and every block isn't safe and pleasant. I won't go into stats and figures, but you get the drift. It's not been all crime though. There are families who've built their legacies here. There are cultural traditions here. There are homes that have spanned generations here. Life-long residents are seeing an influx of newbies come in and for some it's unnerving. Spike Lee, acclaimed filmmaker, recently made headlines with his "We Been Here" expletive-filled rant against gentrification and the incoming hipsters that force out natives who can no longer afford to stay.

I'm not here to debate gentrification either. I'm a young(ish), black woman and median middle-classer who happens to live here and somehow struggles to manages to make it work.  I'm not a hipster. I come from the 'hood too. I merely outlined the above for context as this blog moves along.

So, back to coffee and BedStuy. I've noticed in the past several years alone, coffee shops are popping up more frequently than I can visit. I'm not talking big company, commercial chains of mass production either. These shops are quaint and serve up specialty; they even have almond milk and vegan treats. Some welcome them, others realize that they are a marker of hipsterdom and cost-of-living hikes.

Controversy aside, I quite enjoy these places and obviously, their coffee. So, this blog will follow my tour of BedStuy's newest brewers. I'll sip, chew and review. I'll share my findings on where they are, who they're serving and hopefully, hear what the locals have to say. Sometimes I'll talk latte flavors and when I'm indulgent - perhaps a pastry. Other days, it'll be my sights and social commentary -- there'll be times I'll talk to shop owners and hear about their why for BedStuy.

Me! Taken at UrbanVintage, Brooklyn coffee shop

Whether you live in the area or not, drink coffee or hate it, I hope you'll be open to learning more about me, my conversations around coffee and the community I call home.

Love and Lattes,
Chris