New Yorkers take their coffee seriously. And there's is nothing quite likes taking a well-made sip in a great cafe. We find out how the coffee tradition is kept alive by a Chinese father and son team, who are the owners of a local institution and the leading purveyor of coffees and rare teas in the US. The McNulty cafe in Greenwich Village has been around for nearly 120 years. The owners say a visit to their cafe is like a journey back in time.

The McNulty cafe in Greenwich Village has been around for nearly 120 years.

44 years old Huang zhoufan, running this place with him, is his 76-year-old father. Their motto: "Hard work and sincerity to their customers". It's sensory overload the moment you walk in with competing aromas of coffees and teas.

Sacks of beans and chests of leaves with obscure markings from faraway lands are visible everywhere. Even the bins, chests, and scales, in which these products are stored and handled, date back to the previous century.

In spite of modern technology which makes "fast" the new virtue, here, the owners still weigh the beans the traditional way, and say their tenet of careful selection of only the finest, is still true today.

There is no shortage of coffee in New York. There's somewhere to get your fix on every corner of every block. But while much of the city is homogenized by chains like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. A great number of excellent independent cafes are standing their ground.

"I think really just the quality of...has been here for a long time...and you hope it will be here for a lot longer." said Oliver Dow, Customer.

It's not just high quality products, Huang says the key to maintaining their success is service - he remembers preferences of their regular customers, and trains a very knowledgeable team of staff who are always on hand to guide you through the choices.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)