Freddy Arundel and Rich Nieto have coffee down to a science.
“The attention to detail and the quality that we give to our coffee program is unparalleled,” says Nieto.
The longtime friends were the first to bring specialty brews to the borough at their Long Island City espresso bar Sweetleaf, located two blocks from the Vernon Blvd.-Jackson Ave. station on the 7 line.
Arundel, born and raised in Queens, opened the java joint in 2008 after realizing there were no quality coffee shops in the area.
“His idea was, ‘What would I love for my neighborhood to have?’ and he thought a coffee and espresso bar would be a great addition,” says Nieto, who jumped on board a few weeks later.
With few roasters based in New York at the time, Nieto, also a Queens native, flew out to the West Coast to find the best beans.
That’s when he fell in love with Stumptown, a Portland-based roaster that has since built a strong following — and plant — in the city.
“We were only one of two accounts they had in New York three years ago,” says Nieto. “Now, they have over 100.”
What makes Sweetleaf different from other espresso bars is their approach.
Baristas measure grind not by tablespoons or cups, but by weight. They also use the best machine on the market — currently, the La Marzocco Strada EP imported from Italy.
“We weigh the ground coffee for every shot before we put it into the machine and then we weigh out the amount of espresso that comes out. Our bar is full of scales. It’s kind of like a lab.”
To ensure that they’re working with the freshest ingredients possible, Sweetleaf’s menus — both the coffee and pastry (all made in-house) — rotate seasonally.
Nieto and Arundel also perform blind cuppings. Once a week, they taste six to eight different brews without knowing what the name or brand is and only stock their favorites.
It’s how the pair stumbled upon their second primary roaster, the San Francisco-based Ritual.
“Like anything you make, if you don’t have quality ingredients, you can’t make quality product,” says Nieto. “Sometimes people see a name like Stumptown and assume it’s good, but that’s not true. I can make an awful cup of coffee with the greatest beans in the world because there’s so much that goes into brewing coffee correctly.”
Arundel and Nieto will be bringing their espressos to two new locations this year, another in Long Island City and one in Williamsburg.
“In Queens, we introduced specialty coffee, but in Brooklyn, we’re going to be serving coffee to people who already have a high standard for it,” says Nieto. “It’s kind of like we’re moving to a bigger stage and we’re excited about that. We’re definitely not intimidated. We’re going to go there and blow their minds anyway.”
Sweetleaf 10-93 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, (917) 832-6726.
