Devoción, Flatiron District

A flat white in my HuskeeCup, made with the Honey blend at Devoción in the Flat Iron District.Welcome to a new, occasional feature for the Coffee Spot, the Saturday Snapshot, Coffee Spots that, for one reason or another, I’m unable to do a full write-up on. The inaugural Saturday Snapshot features Devoción, one of many places from my recent trip to New York City. Devoción is a coffee shop/roaster chain that works directly with farmers in Colombia, where it owns a coffee mill. There are four coffee shops, three in Brooklyn and the subject of today’s Saturday Snapshot, on E 20th Street in the Flat Iron District.

Devoción has two options on espresso, plus decaf, batch brew filter and, from memory, two options on pour-over through the Kalita Wave filter. A beautiful space, with plenty of seating, it was consistently full and busy the three times that I visited, which is why I wasn’t able to do a full write up or get very many pictures.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

  • The A-board outside Devoción on W 20th Street. With the building clad in scaffolding, this is the only exterior photograph I was able to get.
  • Not that I fared much better inside, where it was consistently busy and crowded.
  • It has a lovely, high ceiling though, giving it an immense sense of space, even when full.
  • I was lucky that this sofa was free on my third and final visit. Every other seat was taken!
  • For a better view of the interior, this is from the Devoción website. Click on the picture...
  • ... for the original. The counter's at the back (photo also from website), where you order...
  • ...and collect your coffee. This is the latest in the Devoción's Women in Coffee Series.
  • The sleek Dalla Corte espresso machine is at the far end of the counter. I put it through...
  • ... it's paces, starting with a flat white to go in my HuskeeCup.
  • It's worth a closer look, don't you think?
  • I was particularly impressed with the latte art...
  • ... which lasted all the way to the bottom of my HuskeeCup.
  • I also had an espresso in my Kaffeeform cup, made with the Toro blend.
  • Finally, I had a pour-over, which the barista makes in front of you on the counter.
  • I always like watching pour-overs being made. I didn't get a shot of my coffee, so instead...
  • ... I'll leave you with a shot of the beautiful, flat bed of coffee in the bottom of the filter.
The A-board outside Devoción on W 20th Street. With the building clad in scaffolding, this is the only exterior photograph I was able to get.1 Not that I fared much better inside, where it was consistently busy and crowded.2 It has a lovely, high ceiling though, giving it an immense sense of space, even when full.3 I was lucky that this sofa was free on my third and final visit. Every other seat was taken!4 For a better view of the interior, this is from the Devoción website. Click on the picture...5 ... for the original. The counter's at the back (photo also from website), where you order...6 ...and collect your coffee. This is the latest in the Devoción's Women in Coffee Series.7 The sleek Dalla Corte espresso machine is at the far end of the counter. I put it through...8 ... it's paces, starting with a flat white to go in my HuskeeCup.9 It's worth a closer look, don't you think?10 I was particularly impressed with the latte art...11 ... which lasted all the way to the bottom of my HuskeeCup.12 I also had an espresso in my Kaffeeform cup, made with the Toro blend.13 Finally, I had a pour-over, which the barista makes in front of you on the counter.14 I always like watching pour-overs being made. I didn't get a shot of my coffee, so instead...15 ... I'll leave you with a shot of the beautiful, flat bed of coffee in the bottom of the filter.16
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Devoción is on the north side of E 20th Street, just a block and a half from my office, which made it a convenient spot for the morning and afternoon coffee breaks. It’s fairly modest from the outside, not helped by the building being swathed in scaffolding, which explains the lack of exterior pictures. However, stepping inside, you immediately realise that you are somewhere really special.

Long and thin, Devoción stretches out ahead of you, the shop maybe four times as deep as it is wide. It’s also very tall, the high ceilings adding to the sense of space. There’s a single, large window to the right of the door, which brings you in on the left-hand side, while there’s additional (natural) light from pair of tall windows behind the counter in the back wall.

Devoción has a simple elegance about it, with bare floorboards and exposed brick walls, while the sense of space is enhanced by a large mirror on the right-hand wall. The left-hand side has been kept clear, leaving a direct route to the counter at the back, which takes you past a set of retail shelves about half way along the wall. Meanwhile, the seating is arranged in two rows, one down the middle, the other against the right-hand wall. It’s mostly two-person tables, but there’s a large sofa at the front, against the right-hand wall, and a second at the back, its back to the counter.

You order at the left-hand end of the counter, where you’ll find the pour-over choices, with the menu on the wall behind the counter, tucked in between the two windows. You then shuffle along to the right, passing behind the sofa as you do, to the right-hand end, where there’s space for you to wait for your coffee. Along the way you’ll pass the pour-over station and the elegant Dalla Corte espresso machine, the first one I’ve seen in North America.

I visited three times, having a flat white, an espresso and a pour-over. Devoción uses its Honey blend for milk-based drinks, the coffee going very nicely with the milk to produce a rich, smooth drink. The milk was also perfectly steamed, holding the latte art all the way to the bottom of the cup. The Toro blend is used for espressos and Americanos, producing a rich, full-bodied shot which I enjoyed in my Kaffeeform cup (Devoción has proper cups for sit-in customers, but since I was ordering to go each time, I brought my own). Finally, I had a pour-over, made using the Las Rosas, a limited-edition Pink Borbón varietal which was excellent, proving to be very rich and fruity in the cup.

25 E 20TH STREET • NEW YORK CITY • NY 10003 • USA
www.devocion.com +1 718 285 6180
Monday 07:30 – 18:00 Roaster Devoción (espresso + filter)
Tuesday 07:30 – 18:00 Seating Tables, Sofas
Wednesday 07:30 – 18:00 Food No
Thursday 07:30 – 18:00 Service Counter
Friday 07:30 – 18:00 Payment Cards + Cash
Saturday 08:00 – 18:00 Wifi Free (with code)
Sunday 08:00 – 18:00 Power Yes
Chain Local Visits 28th, 29th September 2022

If you enjoyed this Coffee Spot, then take a look at the rest of New York City’s speciality coffee scene with the Coffee Spot Guide to New York City.


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2 thoughts on “Devoción, Flatiron District

  1. Pingback: Houndstooth Coffee, Downtown Austin | Brian's Coffee Spot

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