Ground-breaking NYC barista Kenny Nye has offered to host us at the famous 9th st. espresso at 9th & ave. c in the east village. He'll be opening especially for us so we can sample his latest blend. It'll be great coffee and latte art for all!

For more information, see http://ninthstreetespresso.com

Per your request, we'll be touring a coffee plant and roastery. David Dallis is a well-known NYC roaster, and his roastmaster, Steve Schulman, has kindly offered to give us a special Saturday afternoon tour. We will probably be able to also roast a little coffee, talk about blending, and if we're lucky pull shots with the fantastic Faema e61 Legend machine! No long talks, just a lot of fun. Dallis coffee is in Queens, and is very easy to get to on the J subway train. It's about 30 mins. from Manhattan: just get off at 104th St. and walk across to Atlantic Ave. Turn right on Atlantic and walk 4 blocks. Due to SCAA conference in Seattle, which interferes with our usual date, we are moving this one event to a new time and day. We'll return to a more normal time in May. Please see the message board for more details.

Join the incredible pro coffee taster Mary Petitt and myself for a basic origin tasting: we will probably drink and discuss the Costa Rica La Minita, a Sumatra Lintong, a Yemen mocha, and a Kenya AA Nyeri or Ethiopian Harrar.At the Juan Valdez cafe, of course, 57 & Lex, 7pm, Feb 9. For full impact that evening, don't wear cologne that day, shun strongly scented hair or hand products, etc, and avoid strong-tasting or spicy foods at lunch. Try to brush your teeth with something without sodium lauryl sulfate or a strong kill-the-tastebuds-artificial flavor.Sounds wacky, I know, but if you can, indulge me. It will all make a difference in your ability to perceive the nuances of the coffee!