Roasting Plant
Lower East Side
81 Orchard St.
between Broome/Grand Sts.
P: 212.775.7755
Roasting Plant's reputation is based on its belief that "just roasted" beans are the means to the best cup of coffee. To achieve this, they use an engineered and computerized (and patented) system called Javabot that brings coffee beans from roaster to grinder to cup with the least amount of delay. The beans are roasted in each of their stores and customers can choose from a selection of beans, ranging from mild to robust or create your own blend.
What's great:
If you buy a cup of coffee brewed in the Lower East Side store, you'll get to watch their computerized system pull the exact amount of freshly roasted beans through a rail yard of clear vacuum tubes into a grinder, and then using the espresso method (as opposed to a French press or drip way of making coffee), filling a glass with crema, from which the dark brown liquid emerges.
What to Know:
You can order their just-roasted beans online. See their website.
They also have shops in a handful of locations in London and across the U.S., including the Denver, San Francisco, and Minneapolis airports.