Porto Rico Importing Co. — Restaurant in New York

Stopped by after all the hype and it was incredible to see the offerings but unfortunately was disappointed at the lack of customer service.

The varieties of coffees available are awesome - but they don't mean much to a first time buyer without any description (tasting notes, roast level, what the origins in the blend are, reccommended brewing method, etc). For a shop that could be a coffee lover's paradise, it misses the mark on labeling and transparency. If I wanted to know nothing about the coffee I'm buying, I can buy it from a grocery store.

I tried to ask for help and first the employee I interacted was dismissive and seemed bothered that I approached them. Then when they finally decided to acknowledge me, turns out they don't have a central menu of what the overall offerings are and their respective descriptions. They did say "some of us know the tasting notes so just ask", which is good in theory until you realize the employees are impatient and there's like 20 something varieties of coffee to ask about. Not a good experience for the customer nor the employee.

My friend tried to buy something from the cafe and the male barista was snobby. The female barista, however, politely explained why they couldn't meet his request. Shout out to her for showcasing the most basic customer service skills in a place where they seem to hate providing customer service.

Overall - I can see the owners had good intent. I love the idea, it's hard to come by nowadays and it's SO CLOSE to a coffee lover's paradise - it's just disappointing that it's all the most basic things that Porto Rico falls short on - including ease of shopping and customer service.

5 star for selection, 0 star for customer service. Would love to see a restaurant style menu showing everything in one place with descriptions. Best of luck to this business. Would love to visit again someday and walk out with a...

I went in here because I saw they were advertising a cold brewed to-go coffee concentrate. It occurred to me that they might have the cold brewing filters that I usually have to order on-line. They did.

So, yes, I cold-brew my coffee. It's a method of making coffee probably used by 1% of coffee drinkers. You'd probably think that makes me one of those coffee snobs, but I'm not. I like coffee. I'm even down to learn a little about coffee, but you'll never hear me criticize how someone drinks coffee, what they put in it, etc.

As I am waiting to check out, I see they have a perfectly fine price on a blend that they are calling there "Iced Coffee Blend." So I ask for a pound of it as I needed some anyway. When I asked why it's their "iced coffee blend" the salesmen said it's just what they use to cold brew coffee and they think it comes out smooth. He was completely not-precious about it. His attitude implied, "We like it but we're not pretending that we're magicians or anything."

When you go to a coffee shop and they make a giant deal out of everything, I'm not into that. I like it better when folks both try to give you what you like, just as you like it but also don't pretend that there is a "right" way to enjoy coffee. These folks seemed to get that.

So I dug it. I'll stop in again when I find myself on Bleecker St. And I know I will find...

I didn't feel welcomed to shop at all this Saturday. There were all of 3 or 4 people in the store at the time - I was the sole person standing by the loose coffee and tea for a bit of time, watching her help another person. As more people entered the store, they started waiting and queuing around the same area by the coffee. Once done with her customer, she asked who was next so I spoke up twice and was overruled when the man next to me also spoke up. The fair-skinned girl with the attitude and pixie haircut exclaimed that the line begain at the front and gestured to the registers by the door.

The man was next to me maybe just a foot apart, deep in the store. With that scene and the "store policy", neither one of us should have been helped or next since I was 5ft from the exotic coffees in the back with the man to my right. Everyone has to keep scooting towards the back to allow other customers in, and everyone was pretty much hovering the bags of coffee beans.

I'm not going to fight someone for the right to make a purchase in the store. The whole experience was a load of bullshit. Sounds like it wasn't my lucky day to encounter...