There’s a big article about good coffee in the New York Times today: New York is evidently waking up to the coffee revolution that Portland’s been honing for years. The article is full of paragraphs like this:

Those results are apparent as soon as you pick up the cup. The crema that crowns these espressos is a ruddy, alluring come-on that persists as you decide whether it’s closer to the color of terra cotta or burnt sienna. It’s not the pale froth that quickly dissipates on lesser espressos. And it’s evidence that the sugars and oils in the coffee have been properly emulsified through careful brewing… If you take milk, it will be steamed to order just for your drink — a top-quality cafe never uses the same milk twice. And it will be poured to create a pattern in the crema — a heart, a leaf — that not only makes the drink more appetizing, but demonstrates the attention paid to it.

Cutting edge stuff, right? But the funniest sentence concerns master barista Dan Griffin, who “recently left the celebrated coffee spot Albino Press in Portland, Ore., will be setting up shop soon in the West Village.” Can’t win ‘em all, I guess.