A few weeks ago one of my Twitter followers @AstoriaCoffeeNY asked if I’d like some coffee beans. Who could refuse so of course I said yes. While I waited for a sample of their coffee from roaster Cafe Brioso based in Columbus Ohio, I learned more about Dennis Lee and his girlfriend Liz Wick’s journey and challenges in their quest to open their own coffee shop.
Dennis and Liz moved to Astoria, Queens in 2009. They had met in Ohio working in a coffee shop opened by a mutual friend. Noticing that their Queens neighborhood had only a few places to get a decent cup, they began discussing opening a place of their own.
So far it’s been a challenge opening a brick and mortar. Finding an affordable lease in a great location and obtaining financing hasn’t been easy. In the meantime Dennis and Liz started a neighborhood whole-bean coffee delivery service and were just awarded a $10,000 business start-up grant through the Queens Economic Council.
I asked them why they picked Cafe Brioso over so many other options closer to New York such as Toby’s Estate and Stumptown. One reason is their connection to Columbus and its burdgening coffee scene. In addition Dennis and Liz work directly with Jeff Davis the owner/roaster at Brioso and prefer that to working with a sales rep.
So how does Cafe Brioso’s beans compare to other roasters? Tomorrow I’ll publish the results of a comparison cupping against beans from Heart, Toby’s Estate, and Square Mile.
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