Toby's Estate Coffee

June 9, 2013

'Cold Brew is Pegasus Approved' (haha)

It's easy to see why Toby's Estate was rated  in the Top 30 by The New York Coffee Guide, 2012. (This book deserves a review all of its' on and it has become my new Bible lately, but I'll save that for another day. For now, it's enough to say I think it is a very good and handy thing for any New York coffee lover to have.) The neighborhood where Toby's Estate is located is on the very fashionable Bedford stop on the L Train in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. THE hot spot for all up-and-coming, trendy shops in the know.

The seat cushions are made from burlap coffee sacks!

Love these windows! Check about 

Ooooh artsy nick-nacks!

The outside of the shop is very clean and industrial looking: grey painted cinder blocks framing a huge wall of windows. There is only a chalkboard easel pointing out the specials of the day and the stark black sign over the door written in clean white letters stating the name in small print. Their logo is a single coffee bean. The shop is that new mix of decorating that is so popular right now, a mix of minimal, industrial, and decorated with flea-market finds all at once. It sounds kind of pretentious and stuffy, but is actually very comfortable feeling. It has a lot of room inside, a very rare commodity in NY and a feature that seems to be almost non-existent in almost every other coffee shop I've been to in New York. I could definitely see myself spending the whole day sitting at one of their aged wooden tables without feeling like I have to rush away and make space for the next customer.

Toby's Estate prides themselves on providing sustainable, hand-crafted coffee. Toby himself started by roasting small batches of coffee imported from plantations he had visited after college, roasted right out of his mother's garage in Australia! He started out roasting coffee for wholesale to friends and family and by hosting public cuppings. The bulk of their business is still wholesale, but the Brooklyn location is their first US retail location.

Coffee Roaster- where the magic happens!

They have a roaster in the back and use it regularly for everyone to see. Behind the bar is a room with a big glass window, labeled 'Cupping Room, Espresso Lab', where they offer Cupping Classes for $5. You can see the full range of  classes they offer online, ranging from $5-$150.

We arrived too late to partake of their house-made breakfasts or lunches, and, sadly, I did not see any of the famous, native Australian cookies: TimTams on hand either. However, we did buy a few of their pastries provided by Balthazaar Bakery, Ovenly Bakery, or Piemonte.

Oops! All gone!

As you can see, we ate the muffin before we could catch a picture of it! Finished to the last crumb! The beautifully painted china that the pastry was served on, was just one of the many little touches that made this shop feel homey instead of cold and pretentious.

Iced Julep Latte

Perhaps, being that it is an Australian based company, I should have ordered a Flat White: an espresso-based beverage from Australia/New Zealand made with a double shot of espresso and finely steamed milk (micro-foam), served as an 8oz drink similar to a traditional Italian cappuccino, but when I saw that they had a seasonal drink called the Iced Julep Latte on the menu, I couldn't resist! (I'm a sucker for any kind of new, gimicky flavors!) The Julep latte is a typical latte but the milk is infused with a subtle amount of Basil and they use some kind of mint syrup, which I did not really taste until the bottom of the drink as they had added it with the espresso shots. If I had known, I would have mixed the drink ahead of time from the beginning, since it was a tad too sweet when I got to the bottom, but it was still very enjoyable and refreshing on a warm spring day. The basil was a nice touch and I was glad I ordered it!

These are the drinks my friends and I ordered. Beautiful latte art!
Clock-wise: Iced latte, Hot Cappuccino, my Iced Julep Latte, and a Hot Latte.

Espresso Machine

Bedford Espresso Blend

While there, I also ordered some Toby's Estate: Bedford Espresso Blend. The packaging claims it has notes of nougat, malt chocolate, and orange marmalade. I can't really say I tasted all of those flavors as I am still learning about how to be a true coffee connoisseur, but I did like the espresso I made with it, and I liked that they actually included the date it was roasted on the packaging. This being a full-service establishment, they also ground the coffee for me to my specifications.

Overall, I'd say that Toby's Estate gets 5 out of 5 stars for my review. It had a relaxed and homey atmosphere with lots of space, unique coffee offerings, knowledgeable and friendly staff, classes (a coffee-shop must these days), a surprisingly interesting blog,  delicious food, and good coffee! One of the best places I've been to in the New York area so far.