Not a pretty little boutique shop.
The original Empire Coffee & Tea Company is at 568 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY, on an out-of-the-way stretch of that avenue famous for its gourmet foods — the fish store, the bakery, the pasta store, the butcher, the cheese, the Italian deli, the Greek bakery, and the spice store are all neighbors. Ninth Avenue is the cradle of New York gourmet hip: great food, great prices, worldly style.
This store is all about fresh-ground coffee and unique tea — lots of it. Bags of fresh-roasted gourmet coffee from around the world cover the walls and floor. The selection is dazzling and the smell is intoxicating. It's sharp, smart, and fast — built for New Yorkers who want the best coffee in the world, right now, and cheap.
Our second home is in Hoboken, New Jersey, where Abbe runs the shop with her husband and knows nearly everyone who walks by. For nearly the past 100 years, Empire has been developing one-of-a-kind coffee blend recipes — only about one in twenty experimental blends ever earns the title "Exclusive Empire Blend." That short list includes house favorites like Truckstop Fiesta, Starry Night, Daylight Savings, and Bliss Blend.
