Too often we walk by a long-standing Village store, only to see that it is closing, generally because of rising rent. So I was particularly pleased during my recent visit to McNulty’s, which has been in business since 1895, to hear from the owner, David Wong, that McNulty’s has no plans to shutter anytime soon.
McNulty’s is what one imagines a Village shop would be—old, preserved in time, with friendly and helpful staff. The store has not changed much, if at all, since moving to its current location in the 1920’s or 30’s from further west on Christopher.
The same sign hangs over the door, the same old-fashioned scales are used to weigh coffee and tea, the walls are covered with the original wooden shelves and bins, the bags are still stamped with rubber stamps, and a wooden card catalogue still holds the names of customers along with their coffee preferences (David produced the card with Katherine Hepburn’s usual blend).
The McNultys were the original owners, and after changing hands a number of times the Towarts bought it in 1967. David Wong’s brother started working at the shop around 1977, and three years later when the Towarts decided to sell, David’s father, Wing H. Wong, who had been working in a garment factory in Chinatown decided to buy. David grew up working there, starting with weekends in high school. He and his father now work there together, sometimes with two of David’s nephews—three generations working together at the store.
Over the years David has seen a change in coffee tastes. In the early 80’s, medium roast coffee was the norm, with Colombian and Mocha Java the most popular. Today darker roasts are the best-sellers, possibly a legacy of Starbucks.
David himself likes dark roasts because they taste stronger, but points out that with a medium roast you are better able to taste the characteristics of the coffee. Now the top sellers are French Roast Java Mountain Supreme, Italian Roast Sulawesi and Guatemalan Antigua, which is smooth and subtle with low acid.
The coffee prices at McNulty’s are quite reasonable, particularly when compared with other neighborhood options. Most coffee shops offer drinks and food, but McNulty’s focuses only on the beans, making it a better choice for home brewers.
David teaches people how to make coffee, including the correct proportions and technique. His favorite coffee maker is the French Press which, he says, makes stronger coffee, but drip coffee is smoother since the filter removes some of the bitter waxes and oils. While the overwhelming smell at the store is of coffee, tea now accounts for about 35% of sales, a percentage that has been going up steadily for the past ten years.
The store has many regular customers, some of them quite eccentric (not too surprising in the Village). Over the years Mimi Sheraton has purchased her coffee there and mentions McNulty’s in her recent book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die. Overseas visitors come too—McNulty’s appears in many foreign tour books.
The loyal customers are one reason David is optimistic that McNulty’s will be around for a while; the other is that they recently signed a ten year lease—good news for Village coffee and tea lovers. With any luck the store will be around for the next one-hundred and twenty years.
My Father’s Greek Coffee
Greeks and Turks drink this style of coffee, usually made on the stovetop in an ibrik (a special metal beaker with a handle). The coffee grind is even finer than espresso.
1 heaping Tablespoon coffee (preferably McNulty’s Turkish Blend, special grind)
Sugar to taste (usually about ½ Tablespoon)
Fill a demitasse cup with water. Pour the water in an ibrik (or small pot). Add the coffee and sugar and stir until mixed. Heat the mixture until it starts rising then quickly remove from the heat. Pour back into the demitasse cup. Ideally there is a beautiful foam on the surface of the coffee. Allow grounds to settle a few moments. Stop drinking once you reach the grounds.
Middle Eastern coffee is similar but contains cardamom. Mimi Sheraton has a recipe for Cardamom Coffee in her recent book “1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die” and recommends using Yemen Mocha from McNulty’s.
