When I moved down to NYC in 2006, Wendy bought us a home coffee maker (it grinds beans and froths milk) so that we could have a latte every morning.  This quickly cured my Starbucks habit-and saved me a few hundred bucks a year.

At first, Starbucks still got my money, but just for beans.  However, I then discovered that my neighbourhood (Chelsea) just happens to be in midst of a coffee renaissance.  Two of New York’s best coffee shops - Cafe Grumpy and 9th Street Espresso - have opened locales around here.

I can’t describe how great both their coffee and the experience of buying a coffee there is (read the article above to get a sense of it).  The photo above shows a Grumpy latte (though it’s from the original one in Greenpoint, not the Chelsea cafe).  I’ve been buying there beans regularly and I don’t think I’ll ever go to a Starbucks again...