Superior Merchandise

This trendy merchandise shop has some very interesting and unique gift items while serving as a coffee house the same time. The baked goods (cookies and scones) are supplied from local bakeries while the rest of their menu changes seasonally. I totally missed out on the winter menu but I’m glad to have tried the spring one.
With multiple pour overs, lattes, teas, beer, wine, and soda, there is something of mostly everyone. I ordered the rosewater matcha latte while my friend had one of the pour overs, and we each had a chocolate chip cookie. The cookies seemed like two in one, and they were probably the price of two, but were heavenly when warmed up by the friendly face behind the counter. The rosewater matcha latte was superbly crafted, I loved how the scent of rose intertwined with the rich matcha. My friend was satisfied with the pour over. The space is small but not uncomfortable, and a door at the end leads to the outdoor patio.
We enjoyed relaxing here in the afternoon and while it may not be someplace we will frequently visit, it is certainly a place to keep in mind while exploring eats in Troy.

They have the best coffee and delicious pastries from the Placid Baker. Staff is super friendly and will happily assist you if you aren’t sure what to get. They also have a wide selection of unique finds from jewelry to clothing, cards to candles and all your coffee making essentials. When the weather is nice hit up their outdoor patio for a coffee or beer.

Great atmosphere, great coffee, great beer. Honestly nothing that I can say is bad about this place!

My first experience at SMC was a good one. I went primarily to check out the shop, but stayed for a beverage. I was considering a glass of wine, but not when I saw the price — $ 12! I opted instead for the rosemary walnut latte and settled for almond milk since they did not have skim. It tasted very good so I ultimately I felt fine forgoing the wine. My husband ordered a beer and we sat at one of very few tables to chat over our drinks. It was a little uncomfortable because the tables, which were occupied by individuals working on their laptops/​reading, were so close to each other and I felt like I had to talk at a very low volume in order to not disturb/​stand out.
The verdict: The service was fast and friendly and in general I like SMC’s style. I would return, but mostly just to check out the «superior merchandise» and perhaps a joe-​to-​go. I would rate them a 3.5 — rounding up to 4 stars for the purposes of Unilocal

At first I didn’t «get» this place but then again I’m not exactly hip and spend most of my life locked in my office or gym. Now I do. The coffee is amazing and the Mexican hot chocolate is delicious (it is a nice option to be able to get a sober beverage in the evening, up until 8pm I think).
Then there is the shop which finally explained the name of this place. They search for incredibly unique quality products. They carry a good variety of OLO fragrances (squeee) and all sorts of other beauty products, bar accessories (i.e.: crafty simply syrups for cocktails) and adorable textiles (i.e.: a tote bag printed with the words «emotional baggage»…bawhahaha I’m easy to amuse). I have a hard time not impulse buying in here. One beverage and one product at a time is my self imposed limit per visit.
They also have a vinyl club for the cool kids.

Ever since moving to Albany, it has been difficult to find a good cortado. Luckily, I stumbled upon this gem after getting brunch at The Shop next door. It has a nice décor and the cashier and barista working behind the counter were informative and friendly. The cortado was top-​notch and we were able to enjoy it outside on the nice patio in the back on a nice day. Definitely coming back!

Very friendly people and fantastic coffee. Asked if I could get a Mexican Hot Chocolate but add espresso and they were happy to oblige. Got a Walnut Rosemary coffee for my husband but I ended up commandeering it for myself. We’ll definitely be back when we’re in town for a pour over or an espresso.

Very knowledgable staff. I ordered a pour over Brazilian coffee. It was perfectly brewed.

Felicity and her team at superior merchandise are amazing. The hot drinks are solid, well made and delicious. There’s always a good variety of beer on tap and in bottle. The merchandise in the store is unique, meaningful and good quality. Superior is a place where you can go for coffee, grab a beer, pick up a gift for a friend, have great conversation or nibble on something. It’s definitely a must see/​do when you’re in the area. You won’t regret it.

Such a cool place. Inspiring décor, hipster and unique shopping area and a really great coffee bar. Plus a few seats in the back for a nice comfortable chat with a cup.

Aside from being biased because I know the owners, this place is awesome. They create new coffee/​tea drinks each season and have booze. Their products are like Etsy and Nordstrom had a baby and that baby decided to set-​up shop in Troy.
The staff is also welcoming and cool and always chats as long as it’s not too busy.
Definitely going back. This place can take all of my money.

I absolutely love this place! To start, it’s a beautiful set up — great light, great floors, nice and knowledgeable people, and overall a comfortable lively space. Then, the coffee is always fresh with seasonal flavors on the menu — I tend to go for the classic macchiatos which are always superb. The treats are also very yummy — from cookies to scones.
They have a wonderful collection of jewelry, mugs, pins, shirts, candles, scarves and thoughtfully curated home items that are just fantastic to browse and treat yourself to. The shop is great to find that unique gift idea you’ve been looking for — I’ve made several friends very happy with these special finds!
They also have a wide range of local beers and wines to drink. I’m looking forward to hanging out with friends sipping beers in in the back yard. They also host workshops and events almost every week — adding life to this wonderful place. All in all, Superior Merch is a fantastic addition to the great city of Troy.

Made an hour+ trip to Troy specifically to check out this café /​shop and it was totally worth it.
Friendly staff, great coffee, good music + home and paper goods that you’ll buy with good intentions to gift, but keep for yourself.

I love the concept of SMC. Super sleek, chic bright décor nestled in the middle of the rough streets of troy. There’s something very hipster-​chic about feeling like you’re risking you life for a cool new spot (as artificial as the feeling may be). But I’m just not hip enough for the almond milk or whole milk only option…
I ordered the pumpkin cardamom latte and I thought it would be a slam dunk! What more could I ask for in a drink? Unfortunately, I was not a fan, there was just a bitterness and very acidic bite to it which did not go down smoothly. I guess not all chics love pumpkin… I got it with almond milk, which I’m not used to, so maybe this contributed to the weird taste. They were kind enough to make me a vanilla latte instead which was much more to my liking but I think the almond milk still threw me off. Next time I’ll stick to a cortado with whole milk.
They offer pastries from Bake for You and when I stopped in they had 2 different cookies and scones which both looked delicious. I opted for the pumpkin chocolate cookie which was good but not out of this world.
I will definitely be back– but next time I’ll stick to the classics.
Bonus– they offer wine and all sorts of cool merchandise.

Our first visit was all about the goods. Such goods! Throw a dart – it will hit something you want or would love to share. This time we wanted to try Ali’s teas. Delightful! Lacey and I were both sure we got the right one for us, but I also sure we would have felt the same had they been switched. Vanilla, ginger and more made us very happy. P. S. Best bathroom I’ve seen in a long time. And the patio out back! Thanks Superior. Thanks Ali.

This is hands down my favorite coffee place in troy. First of all the coffee is FANTASTIC. This isn’t just a coffee shop that’s making coffee so you can pour your cream and sugar in it and make it taste like not coffee. This is REAL Coffee. It’s delicious, and you do not need to add anything too it. These people KNOW their coffee which is really exciting.
I went to a coffee tasting here (yes a coffee tasting), where they brewed a blend of coffee two ways. Once as espresso, and once through pour over. It was a really interesting way to experience coffee. After the tasting I went outside to enjoy their small but beautiful patio. There is also outside seating in front of the store, but their patio is adorable.
I think this is the ideal date spot for the fact they have coffee, beer if the date is going well, and beautiful gifts if the date is going really really well. Everything in this place glows with elegance. Every item looks unique and of a high quality. I pretty much want everything that they sell.
Def go, and make a date bring you so you can get a drink and a present

Superior Merchandise is proof that the next level has been hit in the revitalization of Downtown Troy.
High quality everything. Beautiful interior in a long-​vacant building that would have been demolished if the city had the money to take it down. The latest, in a recent string of dilapidated buildings to have been repurposed for cool stuff.
Celebrate optimism for the city with a fantastic cup of coffee, or a can of Rose & take home a souvenir.

This coffee shop/​market is a win!
I tried the lavender iced latte and it was delicious– the lavender lingered lightly. It’s unlike any other latte I’ve had. In addition, there was the option of Battenkill whole milk or almond milk, which is a plus. They do offer beer and wine for the over 21 crowd. Some of the drinks will be seasonal along with the merchandise and apparel rotating too, bring new things to us here in the Capital Region.
SMC is a cute space to relax and enjoy the afternoon or pick up handcrafted cards and gifts for loved ones. A warning– you will be tempted to leave with a gift for yourself. There was organic beauty products from Captain Blakenship, simple jewelry ideal for layering, fragrant candles from Brooklyn Candle Studio and etc. Tom
Haverford would definitely want you to «Treat Yo Self.» here.
I would recommend keeping up with SMC on Facebook and IG to see what is new. There is the drop in and explore option, I doubt you will be disappointed. Just not on Mondays– it’s closed!
I’ll be back.

Superior Merchandise Company is off to a great start. We visited at about 1pm on Saturday and found the hybrid space mostly empty. This allowed for a great opportunity to speak with the SMCo team and feed on their enthusiasm for the recently opened shop.
SMCo is sort of a coffee shop, but also kind of a tasting room, in addition to a boutique and education space. As far as the coffee shop side goes, it seems that things are on lock. I had an iced latte, which came made with a lavender infused simple syrup. It was floral and complex. It kept me on my toes and it was awesome. My wife had a glass of iced tea and it too had more layers than expected. The blend was just lovely. Had it been later in the day, I would have sampled something from the seriously interesting beer list. We split our time sitting inside the shop and out on the back patio. Both were quite nice and I really appreciate being given the option.
The retail space was organized in a very pleasing way. I took a quick walk around and found some cool little items. My wife really dug the shop’s offerings, purchasing a shirt and almost purchasing everything else.
Overall, this was a great experience and I’m looking forward to the next visit.

The opening day was like a party, and all the cool kids from Troy were there. And who can blame them. Here is a store that is filled with clever and fanciful stuff. Some of my favorite items were the happy face /​sad face coffee mugs and the Superior Merchandise key chains that were made to resemble old motel keys. They had the latest oh, contraire journal on the shelf too.
But at the end of the day, I’m not a stuff person. I’m a food and beverage person. And I was really there to check out the espresso led by Coffee Director Matthew Loiacono. Man, that guy loves coffee and knows so much about it.
You want to hear something about standards? There’s no cappuccino on the menu yet. You know why? Because Matthew and his team are still mastering the ins and outs of the new machine, and they just haven’t gotten the textured milk to a place that Matthew is proud to serve it. Damn. I love that level of integrity.
Drinks here take on a local and seasonal flavor. There’s a house made lavender syrup that can be added to your iced latte. And for those who are anti coffee, they had a house made soda with local peaches and Troy grown basil. As good as the espresso was from Supersonic’s beans, that soda was amazing.
There are seats inside, seats at the coffee bar, seats on the patio out back, and seats in front of the store. This is not your typical gift shop. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the beer.
My hunch is that this place was conceived of as a gift shop with a little café. But for me, this is a kickass coffee shop with some interesting things for sale. I guess it can be both. I just hope it doesn’t get too crowded.
(I’m saving the fifth star for the release of their cappuccino, and to get a sense of how it feels to hang out at one of SMCo’s tables when they aren’t having a grand opening party).