Our Favorite Coffee Store

We had a rather unusual experience at our favorite coffee store a couple weeks ago.

Don't get me wrong, the employees in Porto Rico Coffee Importers are this little shop’s best assets. They’re friendly, polite, and just a bit over-caffeinated.

But tonight, one of them was running all over the store, and at one point while he was rushing by us he stopped and put a raspberry candy in Laura's hand.

“Wanna candy?” he said. Before Laura could say anything back, he had rushed off.

In the meantime, however, she got an eyeful of the dirt under his fingernails. Okay, maybe it was coffee grounds, but what’s the difference when it’s under your fingernails? So she looked at the candy still sitting in her hand for a second and then oh-so-furtively slipped it under the espresso machine right next to us.

Maybe he’ll find it again and give it to another lucky customer.

But back to the store itself: Porto Rico has every kind of coffee you could imagine and at really reasonable prices, especially for New York. A pound of coffee in the bean (which they are happy to grind for you on the spot) is only $6.99 for most varieties, with some even cheaper at $4.99 and $5.99.

But make sure you know what KIND of grind you want, and tell the grinder person with confidence. Otherwise you’ll get interrogated on what kind of coffee maker you have and then you’ll get a lecture on the ideal ground size for that type of coffee maker. We got a guilt trip once asking for finely ground coffee for our (heaven forbid!) automatic drip coffee pot.

Regarding our little candy man though, we were wondering if this is what a crystal meth addict acts like, but his teeth were too good. It’s more likely that he just drinks too much of the inventory.

Or maybe you get that way from inhaling coffee dust? If that’s the case, maybe I should apply for a job there.

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PORTO RICO IMPORTING CO.
201 BLEECKER ST.
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10012
212-GR7-5421
1-800-453-5908
FAX:212-979-2303