New to the Neighborhood: Gimmie! Coffee, 107 Roebling Street

What's the big deal, it's just another coffee shop, right? Well, with such an onslaught of cafes in town and rents continuing to skyrocket, the competition is becoming fierce and survival of the fittest is setting in. Gimmie! Coffee recently opened their third Greater New York City location on Robeling Street. This is the franchises second spot in Williamsburg (the other is on Lorimer) and eighth in New York State since it's birth in 2000 in Ithica, NY. But what is the criteria in which we judge a cafe upon? Is it simply the flavor of the coffee? The atmosphere? Or is it based off of something far more humanistic like Fair Trade or being a member of the Rainforest Alliance? 

Gimmie! has some damn fine coffee (I'm certainly not saying it's the best in town), but what sets Gimmie! apart isn't necessarily flavor. I sat down with a barista this afternoon, he didn't want to be named, but he had no gripes with giving me a little insight as to why I should Gimmie! instead of anything else. 

First, he told me, the best of their coffees are organic, which means it's grown on a farm that hasn't seen pesticides or chemicals for at least three years and works with a crop rotation plan that helps enormously reduce erosion and helps the soil maintain its nutrients. Next, many of their blends are part of the Rainforest Alliance, meaning it must be one hundred percent organic, have extensively low water pollution and erosion, protections for farmers, and shade protection - when coffee is grown under natural shade. Though it may take longer to ripen, it's believe that process makes the coffee taste richer. And, naturally, the best of their coffee is Fair Trade, which has three aspects: fair pay for the labor, sustainability within the environment, and help develop the community in a positive manner. 

This particular location is great because they feature different artists every month. While I couldn't get a straight answer out of my interviewee of who the particular artist is this month, he said anyone can come in and leave a card for a potential showcase on the wall.

One of the downfalls of Gimmie! is their pricing, at the very least, it will run you $1.75 for an 8 ounce cup of regular black, which is a bit pricey. But after rapping with my barista for a bit about this subject, it makes sense. "How can you expect to pay the high price of such well crafted coffee if you don't charge the customer," he said. "You're paying to help sustain the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the world who pick and roast your coffee." Well said and Gimmie! a cup. 

Gimmie! Coffee, 107 Roebling Street, Brooklyn NY 11211. Phone: 718-388-4595