I was late to the coffee game by a few years. While 6 year-old-kids in Brazil drink coffee when they're lil munchkins (which is probably the far end of the spectrum), and a lot of my friends started indulging in high school or college, I didn't get into the grind until the ripe age of 23. That was when I woke up to the joys of joe, both metaphorically and literally (because that caffeine jolt really gets you the first few times). After my first real espresso experience, my caffeine goggles allowed me to see this city more clearly-- the sun was brighter, the sparse patches of sidewalk grass were greener, the Astor place wind tunnel was less cold. Basking in this espresso fueled-glow, the world was awake and I was happy. Now I'm addicted. the end. COFFEE!

Anyways, I have gathered that, like many things, New Yorkers dig coffee and are also very polarized about who brews the best cup. For every coffee snob out there, there are just as many people swearing by the 99-cent instant-ready from the corner bodega. As a new coffee devotee, I decided to accept the self-imposed challenge to find the city's best cuppa. And full disclaimer: I'm an espresso person (don't judge me like that, yo). Sometimes I sip it straight, sometimes I go for the Americano, but either way, I live on the edge by drinking unfiltered coffee. Lucky for you straight-up coffee drinkers, my companions who I drag on these adventures into the great unknown of cult-coffee-culture drink the regular stuff, and I've taken their opinions into consideration. I normally don't do rankings with my lists, but good coffee definitely deserves a tiering process. These are my picks for ze best coffee joints in New York:

#5. Abraco

Best if: You want to grab and go without breaking the bank