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Some like it hot, but here in Williamsburg, most like it dark.
At least that’s the case at Porto Rico Importing Co., the coffee and tea shop that has just opened at 636 Grand St.
Joe-drinkers who buy their beans from the store — the caffeinery’s first Brooklyn location — are choosing dark roasts over lighter coffees.
“The younger folks seem to have a preference for more fully roasted coffees,” said owner Peter Longo, whose “café blend” — a rich-but-not-bitter mix ($6.99 per pound) — is the top seller at the shop between Leonard Street and Manhattan Avenue.
“The roast is medium brown, and it’s really good for espresso — but you can also use it for coffee,” said Longo, who also runs Porto Rico’s Importing Company’s three branches in Manhattan. The company dates back to 1907.
It’s not just the dark roasts — like the French Ethiopian ($8.99 per pound) — that North Brooklyn shoppers are buying. Williamsburgers are also stocking up on organic products like his Mexican espresso ($8.99 per pound), plus loose teas like the Assam Hazelbank ($24 per pound) to jasmines like the Yin Hao ($55 per pound). You can even get a cup of Joe to go.
Even though the shop is new, Longo is no newbie to the nabe.
For 18 years, he’s been roasting beans at a factory at the corner of Driggs Avenue and South First Street — always with an eye towards a retail outlet.
“I’ve always liked Grand Street and as it’s changed over the years, I figured it would be the perfect place to open a store,” Longo said. “It’s an active shopping street, and my feel for it is that it’s only going to get better.”
©2008 Community Newspaper Group
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