Best Coffee Beans

We know of an expatriate San Franciscan now living in New York who appreciates the Big Apple's accelerated pacing and seasonal vicissitudes but cannot survive without her regular shipment of Graffeo dark roast. A grind, a brew, and a sip and she's back in her favorite North Beach caffe, far from Manhattan's signature dishwater. For nearly six decades, Graffeo has been blending fresh Arabica coffee beans from Colombia, Costa Rica, and New Guinea and roasting them daily in small quantities. A measure of the company's purity of purpose is that only three varieties of bean are produced: dark, light, and a Colombian that's decaffeinated using the chemical-free Swiss Water Process. If you're lucky enough to live in the neighborhood, simply follow the seductive aroma of roasting coffee beans to the firm's trim and friendly outlet at Greenwich and Columbus. The coffee's also available at local restaurants and specialty shops, or you can ship some beans to a bereft out-of-towner and make yourself a friend for life.