Once I joined Cafe Tableaux, I started thinking about some of the coffeehouses that I’ve visited in my hometown of Brooklyn. Not many of them stick out. The one I decided was the most memorable (mainly because it’s the most recent one I’ve visited I’m sure I’ll think of the others eventually) is Gorilla Coffee. Gorilla Coffee is situated on a corner in Park Slope, Brooklyn. This neighborhood has a lot to offer people who like to go out but don’t enjoy the high energy nightclub Manhattan kind of scene. It’s fairly “trendy,” populated with people that have come from small towns all over America in search of the New York city life.

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poured in: Brooklyn, New York

This is not a coffee forum. This is a compendium of observations of cafe and coffeehouse culture. We have never adopted an official definition, but in the backrooms and penthouse suites of cafetableaux, there have occurred vigorous debates of what constitutes a suitable establishment for coverage on this website.

Coffee-centrism is obviously critical, but how can this be defined? Is it the amount of space on the menu and in the program devoted to coffee-based drinks? Is it the prominence of the espresso machine? Is it represented by keywords such as ‘bean’, ‘buzz’, or ‘grounds’ in the name of the establishment? Can the importance of coffee to the proprietors be judged based on whether the brew is served from an vaccum airpot, an urn, or a carafe?

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poured in: Manhattan, New York