Renowned Nordic Coffee Roaster La Cabra Opens In East Village

Coffee lovers are already geeking out on lower Second Avenue over the opening of lauded Nordic roaster La Cabra a couple of weeks ago. In fact, the stylish shop is such an instant hit with the locals, who linger about the sunny sidewalk seating area all day long, that they've already run out of "fully rested" beans a couple of times, and could only offer their customers a cup of tea.

I freely admit that I'm no coffee connoisseur--as long as it has caffeine, and isn't lukewarm or totally scorched, it's all fine by me--but the stuff at La Cabra really is pretty extraordinary. The company itself is based in Aarhus, Denmark, and does all of its roasting in Copenhagen, but the beans come via direct trade with small farms in Africa, as well as South and Central America.

Ian Willa, the general manager and head of coffee at the East Village shop, told Gothamist that La Cabra typically buys around 250 different lots a year, which basically means 250 different flavors will find their way onto the menu at one point or another. Most days your astonishingly knowledgeable baristas will be serving seven or eight varietals, including four prepared as pourovers.

Willa made me a cup "by hand" earlier this week that he called Cafe Granja, from a farm he had just visited in Colombia. When I asked what I should expect, Willa said: "It's bombastic! Just really loud. It hits with this dense, candied fruit-like sweetness and then a lot of springtime florals, like lilac and jasmine come through. Some rose, too. It's as if a fruit soda and a tea somehow had a baby. It doesn't taste like coffee in the traditional sense at all."

So that's all good news for the neighborhood, which is seemingly able to absorb an unlimited number of quality coffee houses, but as far as I'm concerned it's the bakery part of the operation that makes La Cabra a destination-worthy spot.

The head baker here is Jared Sexton, who arrives via the kitchens of Bien Cuit, Pain D’Avignon, and Dominique Ansel Bakery. Sexton also worked as a pastry chef at higher-end restaurants like Narcissus on Bowery and Bluebird London, and, as said of his latest offerings: "I feel like we have the best of both worlds here. Like I can do the Rye Tart with its complex flavor compositions and different textures, and then also have a lot of fun doing traditional bakery items like croissants and sourdough loaves."

That Rye Tart is delicious, a rich and tangy dessert with like six different things going on, including crunchy candied rye flakes, rye berry mousse, hazelnut sponge, creamy white chocolate panna cotta, and some sort of sticky praline ribbon hiding inside. Sexton also makes a fancy Apple Tart and an outrageously good Sweet Bun, which is like a fluffy, puffy doughnut exploding with whipped vanilla ganache and concord grape jam.

The regular Croissant audibly crackles when you pull it apart to get to the soft, buttery interior, and Sexton sometimes makes them in Ham and Cheese and Pain au Chocolat varieties. His lemony Canele is a chewy, creamy delight, and the Bread Plate makes for a nice, hefty snack, three slices self-slathered in both a whipped browned butter with black pepper and a funky fig spread. Whole loaves are also available, including Sesame, Country Sourdough, Rye, and Olive.

But the star of the show might be that Nordic coffee shop staple, the Cardamom Bun, which Sexton learned how to make this summer at La Cabra's flagship bakery in Aarhus. It eats like a sticky bun, but with more butter and, of course, plenty of that fruity, minty cardamom bite. The East Village La Cabra has only been open for a couple of weeks, but I've already stopped by three times for one of these beauties.

La Cabra is located at 152 Second Avenue, between East 10th and 9th Streets, and is currently open on Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 6:00 (@lacabra.nyc)