Our Fave Local Coffee Joints, Plus The 15 Cutest Baristas In NYC!

Whether you limit yourself to one cup a day or refill your mug on the regular, chances are that if you're a New Yorker, you've got a favorite local coffee shop keeping you going all day long (even if it's not called Central Perk). Indeed, this island floats on caffeine — or at least this office does — so we got up close and personal with a few of our favorite local grind gurus to find out exactly how they brew the perfect cup. The result is a beautiful flipbook of R29-approved baristas and the java spots they call home.

And, you can bet there's no shortage of passion in their percolating. As Everyman Espresso's Sam Lewontin puts it, "I love serving coffee, and I love working in the coffee industry…If pressed, I'm sure I could find something else to occupy my time and attention, but I very much doubt it would be the same." We couldn't have said it better ourselves. We think you'll love Sam (and the rest of our featured baristas) a-latte, too! (Sorry, we couldn't help it, okay?).