Parlor Coffee

My friend works in the Navy Yard, but only on week days. Parlor Coffee is only open Sundays.
Confused? Don’t be. Parlor Coffee sells their beans to restaurants, cafes, etc, so they roast and brew all week, and on Sundays, they can open to the public to taste coffee.
Is it a coffee shop? Maybe not. Think of it as a brewery — you come to see how it’s made, meet the brewers, and learn how to taste.
Tasting is called «Cupping». You, and a few other people who have stopped in, get to smell the ground beans. Chocolaty, earthy… one smelled almost like a tomato!
They then pour hot water over the grounds, and let it simmer. You can smell different notes while you wait.
I won’t divulge all their secrets, but it’s like a wine tasting. And it’s free! You can order coffee to drink if you want, ands it at the bar and sip. Delicious.
The staff was hospitable, open, and awesome. They clearly care about their product and are excited to share it with the public. Rumor has it they’re trying to open to the public Mondays as well. Can’t wait to see what happens!
And I hope to see you guys in Boston :)

Went to the public coffee cupping at Sun at 3p and it was alright. The guy didn’t really talk through each coffee. The guy poured hot water into the 3 cups for the 6 coffees. Each visitor had a spoon to try a sip of coffee (or more), and «cleaned» it by dipping into hot water for their next try.
It’s unsanitary or I am just confused about coffee culture.
The roasting location itself is pretty neat and the bathroom is clean!

What a gem.
From what I can tell, it’s primarily a roasting location that they’re kind enough to open to the public for four hours on Sundays (with a cupping tutorial in the last hour). They really value their coffee beans and their subtle flavors. Because of that, they only serve their coffee black. Don’t expect to find sugar or cream/​milk here (you can get your coffee to go, though). No cold brew, either.
And I admire and respect them for that. Much like an artist, they’re not catering to the wider public. Rather, they are here to do what they do, for people who truly love coffee. It sounds snobby, but they’re not that way at all.
The coffee they serve you is poured over in a Chemex, although they do sell Aeropresses and other brewing accessories and machinery). You can also buy bags of their whole beans as well.
In terms of seating, if you’re not here around 3 – 4 (their cupping time), you can sit at the bar. They also have a little seating space at the front of the store.

My new favorite roaster. And 100% local! Unlike other albeit great roasters like Blue Bottle, Stumptown, Toby’s, etc who roast in NY but are based elsewhere.
Where to find Parlor around town? Bluebird East Village is 100% Parlor now, Box Kite East Village rotates Parlor, Culture Espresso Midtown rotates too, plus of course the 100% Parlor pop-​up in that Williamsburg barbershop on Havemeyer.
Every Sunday at 3 they do free cuppings. If you’re lucky they usually roast the same day. Aaron leads the sessions while Dylan the owner leads the roasting and pops over often to chat. Love the uniform of comrade-​esque green khaki jackets and woolen hats!
Sure this place is in the middle of nowhere. But it’s worth coming to chat, taste, support a great local business and maybe take home a few bags.