Here we go again. For the second time in the span of a year, the caffeinated beverage is at the center of a local brew-haha (sorry, we couldn’t resist). And it’s not a neighborhood campaign to eradicate drip coffee.
Once more, Brooklynites are percolating with anger over the smell of coffee. Last winter, Carroll Gardens residents were all up in arms over the odor of roasting coffee. This time it’s Brooklyn Heights residents who can’t bear the stench of brewing coffee.
That’s right. Brewing coffee and green coffee beans. And muffins.
Residents who live above a gourmet bakery woke up one morning and, smelling both coffee and delicious baked goods, realized what terrible fate had befallen them. Now, they’re making a stink about the odor of the fancy food and drink, according to the New York Post.
The contretemps centers on Iris Cafe, which is churning out high-end hipster fare like smoked bluefish salad and cranberry pecan bread. People are cooking. People are eating. It stinks of food, you know?
”It’s been horrible,” Ida Cigara, who lives in the building above the cafe, told the Post. ”When I was pregnant last year, I was puking every day from the smell, and now we’re concerned the odors are going to cause our son respiratory problems.”
Remember when people used to argue about things that mattered? About where the coffee beans were grown, and how much shade they got and the merits of french press vs. pour over vs. high-end espresso machines?
And it’s only going to get worse, now that Brooklyn is the over-hyped heart of the New York food scene.
kvelsey@observer.com
