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You felt it. We felt it. That first real hint of sunshine on your skin. Brighter mornings, longer evenings, and a sudden urge to make the most of every moment outside. It’s that time of year when a quick escape from the city starts calling—just a day, a bit of greenery, and maybe a good friend or two. And if you're like us, you're already thinking about the coffee. Because let’s be honest: the options once you leave the city? Not always ideal. That’s why we’ve put together a list of our favorite day trips out of NYC—plus the perfect Joe to pack for each one. So you can soak up the sun, enjoy the view, and sip something great along the way. 1. Beacon & Cold Spring, New York One of our favorite day trips upstate takes you north along the Hudson River to Beacon and Cold Spring—two charming towns just a short train ride from the city and even closer to each other. If you’re the type who loves gallery hopping in Chelsea on a Thursday, you’ll feel right at home here. Don’t miss Dia:Beacon or Magazzino Italian Art—both feature stunning contemporary works from artists like Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, and Richard Serra. And if you make it to Magazzino, be sure to swing by the back for a visit with the friendly donkeys—and yes, there’s even a tire swing. Transportation: Take the Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central Station to Beacon—about a 90-minute ride with scenic river views. Recommendation: La Familia Guarnizo Specialty Instant Coffee While food and drinks aren’t allowed inside the galleries, we recommend packing a couple sachets of La Familia Guarnizo Specialty Instant Coffee for the ride. Just grab a cup of hot or cold water on the train, stir (or shake!), and you’ve got a delicious brew on the go. It’s also the perfect pick-me-up for strolling through the main strips of Beacon and Cold Spring—both lined with charming vintage shops and cozy spots to explore. We recommend stopping by two of our favorites: Little King and Flora Good Times. 2. Bear Mountain — Tomkins Cove, New York Bear Mountain stands as the highest peak in the New York Highlands, spanning over 5,000 acres of natural beauty. The world is your oyster here. Whether picnicking, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking, or cross-country skiing, there’s something for every outdoor lover. Our favorite is climbing to the top of Perkins Memorial Tower for breathtaking panoramic views of the Hudson River and the Bear Mountain Bridge. For a rewarding challenge, try the Bear Mountain Loop trail—just be sure to bring your hiking boots, as it’s moderately strenuous. Transportation: Take the Metro-North Hudson Line to Peekskill, then a short taxi or rideshare to Bear Mountain—about 90 minutes total from Grand Central. Recommendation: Cold Brew Cans + The Daily Specialty Instant Coffee If you’re anything like us, no adventure starts without a good cup of coffee. For those early morning hikes, we recommend packing a few sachets of The Daily instant coffee—perfect for when there’s still a bit of a chill in the air and need a familiar comfort. But like any well-prepared hiker, it’s smart to plan for the warm-up. Toss a couple of our cold brew cans in your pack for a cool, caffeinated reward once you reach the top. And remember: enjoy the view. You earned it. 3. Coney Island — Brooklyn, New York No summer’s complete without a trip to the boardwalk. The smell of sizzling Nathan’s hot dogs in the air, the sound of the Cyclone rattling along the wooden tracks, kids laughing (or screaming) as they ride the Wonder Wheel. It’s a Brooklyn classic, just a quick train ride away. The vibes here are much warmer than those in Sean Baker’s Oscar-winning film Anora, which was actually filmed right here—but you’re sure to enjoy every minute. Transportation: Take the D, F, N, or Q train from Manhattan to Coney Island–Stillwell Ave. All four lines run directly to the boardwalk—about an hour from Midtown. Recommendation: Cold Brew Cans You claim a spot on the sand and take it all in—maybe with a cone in hand, maybe two. But the real refreshment? An ice-cold cold brew. Keep a few cans chilled and ready for any beach day—or just when you want to feel like you’re there. Take a sip, watch the waves roll in. Moments like this don’t last forever. 4. Fire Island Pines — Fire Island, New York About 60 miles from the City, just off the southern shore of Long Island, you’ll find Fire Island Pines—home to one of the country’s oldest queer communities, dating back to the 1920s. It’s a place made for wandering: think tree-lined boardwalks, breezy beach days, lively nights, and plenty of places to grab a drink or a bite by the water. Take a stroll through the Sunken Forest—you’ll probably spot a few deer along the way—and don’t forget your towel. The water’s usually perfect out here. Transportation: From Port Authority, take the E train to Jamaica Station, then transfer to the LIRR to Sayville—followed by a short shuttle or taxi to the Sayville Ferry Terminal and a ferry to Fire Island Pines—about 2.5 to 3 hours. From Grand Central Station, take the LIRR to Sayville via Jamaica, then shuttle to the ferry and cross to Fire Island Pines—total travel time is around 2.5 hours. Recommendation: The Village 2 LB A day trip to Fire Island has a funny way of turning into a whole weekend. That’s why we like to come prepared—with a 2 LB bag of The Village, one of our women-produced coffees. Currently featuring the Ejo Heza Women of the Kopakama Cooperative, this vibrant roast boasts notes of white grape, bergamot, and brown sugar. It’s our go-to for entertaining, keeping the whole crew caffeinated without compromising on quality. Trust us—your friends will thank you, especially after a late night at one of the island’s iconic drag shows.

Our journey began with a simple goal: to become a more intentional, values-driven company. As we focused on sourcing more transparent and ethical coffees, we naturally found ourselves supporting more women producers—because supporting those who are making a difference is at the heart of what we do. This led to the creation of The Village. Women make up 70% of the labor in fieldwork and harvesting but only own 20-30% of coffee farms. The Village celebrates women in coffee, featuring seasonally rotating selections from female producers and cooperatives, shining a light on this gender gap—and working to close it. Research shows that investing in women strengthens the entire coffee industry—women are more likely to reinvest their earnings into their families, businesses, and communities. When women farmers gain better access to decision-making and global markets, the quality of coffee improves too. But before The Village became a reality, we had to start from within. We wanted to ensure our values were reflected in every corner of Joe, inside and out. Thanks to our VP of Coffee, Amaris Gutierrez-Ray, that work began in 2018—and it’s been growing ever since. 2018 — Research for the Women in Coffee Project begins, focusing on gender equity in coffee-growing regions. The Coffee Strategy Team (CST) is formed to build a sustainable, values-driven coffee program. 2019 — The CST establishes a vision, mission, and set of values for the coffee program. Joe Coffee releases Rwanda Ejo Heza with the Women in Coffee logo, officially supporting women producers. Joe also hosts the first Women in Coffee Project panel, supporting fundraising efforts to bring Andrea Rubí to the event and purchasing coffee from her. 2020 — The CST introduces a Values Matrix for new coffee purchases, emphasizing ethics and collaboration. Joe Coffee releases the second Rwanda Ejo Heza, continuing to support gender equity amid the pandemic. The company establishes an Anti-Racism Committee and integrates anti-bias training and equity measures. 2021 — Joe Coffee partners with a long-term collaborator, a mother-daughter farm in the Guatemala San José region, to actively promote gender equity within an existing relationship, reflecting Joe Coffee’s values and putting the values matrix into action. 2022 — Joe Coffee introduces a Code of Conduct for gender equity across the business. The launch of Illari Tamaya, a Peruvian coffee from a group of Quechua women, gives Joe the opportunity to deepen our understanding of entrepreneurship, particularly how women navigate business ownership, ensuring sustainable income while supporting each other. We also engage in meaningful discussions with these women during the pandemic through Caravela. 2023 — Joe Coffee introduces Kenyan coffees in partnership with Vava Angwenyi, supporting women-grown coffees. This year also marks the launch of Joe’s first virtual mentorship program, a six-month initiative for baristas and students in Kenya, focusing on key aspects of running a retail business and fostering a mutual learning experience. Additionally, the Ethical Business Council (EBC) is formed to uphold integrity, equity, and transparency across all roles. 2024 — Joe Coffee sponsors a trip to the Women-Powered Coffee Summit in Veracruz, Mexico, inviting women across the company to submit for a chance to attend. Selected individuals participate in the summit, which connects smallholder women coffee farmers with industry leaders across multiple countries to strengthen a sustainable coffee supply chain. 2025 — The EBC drafts a formal statement for the Joe Coffee website, reaffirming our commitment to accountability in line with our Gender & Equity Statement. The statement’s focus is on closing the gender gap in every aspect of our operations and embedding gender equity throughout the company. Right now, The Village features Miriam Florence Aguirre Wyld de Urruela and Florence Aguirre de Fanjul from Antigua, Guatemala. Over the past two years, we’ve had the honor of working with remarkable women producers, including Rubí Sisters, Turihamwe Women’s Group, Ejo Heza Cooperative, Kapkiyai Farmers Cooperative Society Women’s Group, and the Mapendo Women’s Group. Each brings a unique story to The Village, and we’re here to celebrate their contributions. One of the best ways to experience the work of these incredible women producers is by subscribing to The Village—ensuring you don’t miss out on any of the new selections as they’re released. Thank you for being a part of this movement and helping us create tangible, positive change for women in coffee worldwide.

When you’ve lived in New York as long as we have, you start to see the magic in those small, everyday gestures that bring warmth to our bustling city. It’s the barista who remembers your order, the stranger who gives you directions, the subtle nod from a fellow New Yorker on a crowded street. This spirit—of connection, resilience, and kindness—inspired Rockefeller, our annual holiday coffee blend. With flavors that evoke shared moments around the holiday table, Rockefeller is as vibrant and rich as New York City itself. Rockefeller brings together exceptional coffees from Antigua, Guatemala, and Ngozi, Burundi, all of which are 100% women-produced, resulting in a beautifully balanced cup that starts with notes of sweet, dried fruits like dates and papaya. As you sip, layers of candied nuts, baking chocolate, and butterscotch unfold, with a touch of red apple acidity for a festive brightness in every sip. Crafted to celebrate “NY Nice” and the small gestures that make the season brighter, each cup of Rockefeller is a reminder of what the holidays are all about—coming together, savoring the moment, and honoring the unique beauty of our city. From our Joe Coffee family to yours, happy holidays! Support Our Community Each year, we donate $1 from every bag of Rockefeller to an organization that supports our New York City community. This year, we invited baristas from all our cafes to nominate nonprofits that resonate with them and align with our mission. The clear standout choice was 9 Million Reasons, New York City’s largest and farthest-reaching community food pantry (and our roastery’s neighbors in Long Island City!). 9 Million Reasons serves more than 30,000 food-insecure families per month, moving up to 60,000 pounds of food in just seven hours each day. Meet the Artist: Aly Miller Say hello to Aly Miller, the talented illustrator behind our Rockefeller Holiday Coffee for the second year in a row! A New Yorker for over ten years, Aly is now based in Milwaukee, WI, where she creates food and beverage illustrations, soulful maps, and artwork for books and brands. For this year’s 12 oz bag design, she drew inspiration from the holiday magic that comes to life at the cafe that started it all in the West Village. Join us in savoring this year’s Rockefeller Holiday Coffee, made even more special by Aly’s delightful vision! Brew Like A Pro Crafted to meet you wherever you are on your coffee journey, Rockefeller is approachable and easy to brew—shining on any drip method. The result? A sweet, inviting cup with a touch of holiday magic. For the best experience, Amaris Gutierrez-Ray, our VP of Coffee, recommends brewing Rockefeller with a V60. Here’s her personal go-to recipe to help you unlock this coffee’s full potential: EquipmentHario V60 Ceramic Dripper BloomPour: 60g of water Give it a brew and experience Rockefeller’s perfectly balanced sweetness, a warm companion for the holiday season.

What's it like to oversee a busy coffee company's lifeblood—the roasting of the actual beans? Amaris Gutierrez-Ray is Joe Coffee's Roasting Operations Manager, a job that calls upon everything from paperwork to palate to, of course, heavy lifting. Here's what a typical roasting day looks like for Amaris. 8:00am I start roasting coffee Mondays and Wednesdays beginning at 6:00am, but my Thursday shift is a small luxury in my week: it starts at 11am, so I can get in both a little extra sleep and also a morning yoga class before heading to our roasting space at the Pulley Collective in Red Hook. I have a beautifully easy downhill bike ride from where I live in Sunset Park to the yoga studio in South Slope, and after class I can coast down another hill straight to the Liberty Warehouse pier on the water in the sunshine. As I ride I think about the comment my yoga teacher made on how yoga, as a metaphor for life, involves directly engaging with facing or feeling discomfort, and that rings very true today as I take off my helmet and walk into the waterfront warehouse where we roast. On hot days, we maximize cooling by keeping our front doors and back bay open, and employ a strategic frenzy of fans to bring in breezes off the water. But that’s all we have in terms of climate control so summertime is one giant opportunity to learn from ourselves and engage with discomfort. 11:00am On a normal Thursday I jump straight into setting up our production cupping, but today is Production Roaster Roberta Duarte’s birthday so I sneakily sidle up to Jake Kirkpatrick, Production Operations Manager, to confirm he’s ordered birthday pizza, which we present to her with a not-very-stable candle. We work in a somewhat isolated part of Brooklyn, with the nearest lunch option being the Fairway across the mini-peninsula, so the whole team is pumped to have pizza today. Mid-day here is the beginning of our Thursday symphony: many moving parts weaving in and out, with Jake and Lee Harrison, our Director of Roasting, at hand in case tempo dies down and they can help step it up. The production closers haven’t started yet, but most of the team is here already and is packing retail on the two weigh-and-fill machines, and just getting started filling up 5lb bags with a massive automated bulk bagging machine. Greg, our Shipping and Receiving Lead, is knee-deep in packing the mail orders, and Roberta and Liam Berkowitz, our other production roaster, overlap for an hour during shift change on the Loring and start to fill 25lb bins of our Waverly espresso for stores and line them up so they’re ready to pack into vans later for tomorrow’s deliveries. After pizza shenanigans, I check in with the roasters because the logistics company we use didn’t bring our full delivery of green coffee yesterday from Continental Terminals, a special climate-controlled coffee warehouse in NJ. We have a light day today, not quite 3,000lbs ordered, so after checking our inventory and comparing with what we need, I let Ed Kaufmann, our Director of Sourcing, know we have enough Nicaragua Placeres to fulfill today’s orders for The Daily house blend, but we’ll need that other pallet and a half tomorrow so we can get through Monday. 12:00pm Production cupping is next, and with 23 samples on the table we have a lot to taste. We’re searching for ways to tweak the Daily's components to get more sweetness in the cup, so we have four samples each of experimental batches of the Guatemala El Morito and the Nicaragua Placeres. After lining up the table cheese-board style (least to most acidic), I weigh out 12.5 grams of each and set them aside, set two kettles to boil, and while the water starts to heat up I catch up with Lee to make sure we haven’t overlooked any daily to-do items. This past week we sampled a new coffee for cold brew kegs and bottles and we also need to make sure we all know the timeline of roasting and shipping samples to this year’s Good Food Awards. When Andrew Oberholzer, our Head Roaster, has finished his opening shift roasting on the Probat, he helps me grind individual samples and hit them with boiling water. After doing a couple passes to taste, Liam takes a quick break from roasting to join us, and we analyze our roast data to find out where we attained the targets we were hoping for and identify where we can improve. We update a couple profiles after discussing the cup qualities in the Daily samples, I clear the table, and then the roasting half of my day begins. 2:00pm Each roaster has a “home” machine, and mine is Pulley's vintage German Probat, although I can also operate the modern, energy-efficient Loring. I weigh out 40 green pounds of each coffee, pour into the well that vacuums the coffee up into the hopper above the roasting chamber, and then when the machine is at the right charging temperature, I pull the hatch and the coffee is released into the drum. This little ritual gets repeated many times over a few hours, and then finally once orders are fulfilled with some elbow room, I set the Probat to cool down. 6:00pm While it’s cooling, I clear the chaff, sweep the area, scoot the last coffee bins down to the production area so the closing PAs can weigh the surplus, and then do a full count of every last bag of green we have (including empties) so I can send our order for next week’s green coffee delivery to Ed. If I have any time left over before the machine finishes cooling down -- and I nearly always do in summertime because of the heat -- I can look ahead to next week and catch up with email. I make sure the samples we need for our QC session at HQ next Tuesday have made their way to Chelsea, I start reviewing and organizing the data from our tasting sessions so I can write this week’s QC report, I chip away at reading some coffee-related articles, I plan out some topics to discuss for our Roaster Staff meeting in a week and a half, and make sure the dishwasher is started so the cupping bowls will be clean for whoever roasts at Pulley tomorrow. Meanwhile, production assistants are playing some wind-down music, loading the vans strategically based on tomorrow's projected delivery route, and sweeping up the production floor. 7:00pm Before I know it the Probat is beeping at me to say it’s finally cooled down. Liam is wrapping up, too, we have a little end-of-day catch up, and then I spend a minute outside putting my helmet and biking gloves on, sharing a sunset moment with Lady Liberty out there in the fading light.

Instant coffee. It's not a retro cool comeback: it's reborn, with all the nuance and flavor of specialty coffee first in mind. When we first became aware of the magic being worked at Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Swift Cup, we were curious. When we tasted their instant coffee, we were blown away. Through Swift Cup's advanced technology, they're able to turn beautiful brewed coffees into incredible instants—something we were thrilled to be able to offer the busy fans of Joe Coffee. We sat down with Swift Cup founder Nate Kaiser to go a little more in-depth. Until very recently, when people thought of instant coffee, something very low-quality came to mind. What made your partners think you could flip the script on instant?You're absolutely right and we shared those feelings about instant coffee for sure. For us, we were very curious as to why the quality of all instant coffee on the market was so poor. We spent time understanding the production process for commodity instant coffee, the stuff that you find on the shelves of most supermarkets, and realized that every part of the production was designed for quantity over quality. The coffee going into instant is literally the lowest of the low grade and the manufacturing practices are harsh, stripping all nuance from the coffee. We wondered what would happen if we created a manufacturing process focused on quality and then build efficiencies in from there. Would that create good instant coffee? Spoiler: Yes, it certainly does! What’s evolved in instant technology that made Swift Cup’s partners think “this is our moment”?First, instant coffee will never be better than the roasted coffee going into the process. The quality of coffee we have available as consumers is on a whole different playing field than when the first instant coffee factories were created, nearly 80 years ago. Specific to Swift Cup, we developed a piece of hardware that allows us to brew coffee with careful precision and in a highly concentrated manner. From there we developed a recipe using freeze-drying technology that gently dehydrates the coffee, preserving the nuance and character we celebrate in Specialty Coffee. This moment is unique and really a culmination of everything that's been taking place in Specialty Coffee for decades. Progressive farming and processing practices, roasting is better than ever, highly focused coffee brewing and a rapidly expanding customer base who expects higher quality coffee on all fronts. And when that quality isn't available when you're stuck at the office or traveling, Swift Cup offers those standards, but in instant form. How did you connect with Joe Coffee?When Jonathan and the team came down to Lancaster, we quickly learned we shared common values. We did sample runs of Joe coffees in instant form, and the team at Joe was stoked on the quality. We then spent time together developing the product, with a shared mission to make quality coffee more accessible. For us, partnering withJoe, a trusted roaster with a major retail footprint, has played an integral part of introducing specialty instant coffee to the market. The Swift Cup instant product ends up being quite versatile, easy to dissolve in hot water, cold water, milk, or even seltzer. What are your favorite interesting ways to prepare instant coffee—have you done anything particularly novel with it? Initially, we were stoked that our instant coffee produced a good cup of black coffee ha! We didn't expect there to be so many fun applications. Stirred into ice cream is definitely a favorite! Shaken with chocolate milk or even dissolved into tonic water, both delicious. I think to date, one of the most exciting things we've done with it is dissolve it into beer. Coffee beers have traditionally been pretty predictable and one dimensional, but having a concentrated coffee powder that packs a range of flavor opens the doors for some wild experimentation! What’s next for Swift Cup?Every day we're learning new things about our process, ever refining and looking for innovative ways to make our instant coffee better and better. We're growing quickly, but our focus remains quality first. With the help of such dedicated partners like Joe, we're eager to bring specialty instant coffee to more and more people! Interested in trying it yourself? We now offer three of our coffees as instant coffee: The Daily, La Familia Guarnizo, Nightcap Decaf