New York's Relationship With the Drinks ALMOST Everyone Loves

On this week’s show we will look at a lighter side of New York: the City's relationship with coffee and tea, from past to present. My guests will be Rediscovering New York regular Justin Rivers, Chief Experience Officer and Lead Tour Guide for Untapped New York; and David Wong, Owner of McNulty's Tea & Coffee Co.,  which is celebrating its 125th year in business!

Segment 1

Jeff introduces his first guest Justin Rivers, the Chief Experience Officer and Lead Tour Guide for Untapped New York. Jeff starts by asking Justin where he was born and how he got to New York. He then asks what in his career path had him decide to go into giving tours. Justin credits a love of social studies and seeing historical locations with his parents; he loved doing this, so he became a tour guide. Jeff asks Justin when human beings first started drinking coffee, which started being brewed as a beverage around eight hundred years ago. They move on to talking about the earliest records of tea being drunk in New York. Tea was first brought to NY from its original Dutch settlers in the 1620s. Justin explains that tea became culturally associated with British people once they began colonizing America and Asia. The British who came to New York drank tea frequently at social gatherings, and set up many tea houses. Jeff and Justin talk about some of the most famous early coffee houses in the city. 

Segment 2

Jeff asks Justin what his tour company is offering customers during the COVID pandemic. Justin mentions all the virtual tours they are giving and their socially distanced in-person tours. The two of them talk about how, although the Boston tea party is most remembered, there was also dumping of British tea in the New York harbor during the American Revolution. Next, they discuss some of the notable 20th-century coffee houses. They talk about the Little Coffee Shop, opened in 1918, which was the first fresh brewed coffee shop in Grand Central Terminal. The shop was so successful that the owner was able to open shops all over the city. Next, they bring up Cafe Reggio in the West Village, which is still open today and famous for their espressos. Reggio was opened up in 1929 and credited as introducing cappuccinos to New Yorkers. Another shop Porto Rico which was named in honor of Italian Catholics. Justin brings up the famous Anthora cup design, which a Czech immigrant designed and is now one of New York’s most popular symbols.  

Segment 3

Jeff introduces his next guest David Wong, owner of McNulty’s Coffee and Tea, which has been in business for 125 years. David talks about John McNulty, the tea shop’s original owner in 1895, and how the location has not moved since then. Jeff asks when David’s family bought the shop, which was in 1980. David and his family had no background in the business, but his brother worked at the shop and decided to buy it, at which point David’s family got fully involved with it. Jeff asks what David’s journey was to take over the business. David explains how his father offered him the business, and he took it and fully embraced working there. In recent years they have opened the business up with social media accounts and taking online business orders. 

Segment 4

David talks about how his business has adapted to do more shipping orders during the pandemic and how it has changed. Jeff asks David about his most significant flavors of tea and coffee, and David mentions some of the teas he imports from all over the world. He then discusses the types of blended coffees they do in the house and their popularity.