I was kindly asked to attend this event by Lactaid, while I couldn’t attend, The NYC Talon writer Kayla did – here’s her recap:
As an uptown girl, I rarely make appearances in the outer boroughs of NYC, even those as close as Long Island City. However, when I heard that Lactaid had teamed up with Birch Coffee for a special event, I couldn’t resist going.
Birch is one of the many entrepreneurial businesses that makes this city sparkle with ingenuity and adventure. Paul Schlader, one of the Birch’s founders, enthralled us with tales of his travels to places like Costa Rica, Honduras, and South Africa, in his insatiable desire to bring the world’s best coffee back to us, here in NYC. As he recapped his experiences with coffee farmers, workers, and their families, I could really tell how invested he and his business partner, Jeremy Lyman, are to making Birch as honest and committed to its coffee providers as it is to its coffee drinkers.
As a “mild” coffee addict with more than a touch of lactose intolerance, Lactaid has been my go-to product. I can experience every drop of caffeine goodness without losing the flavor and consistency that only a dairy product can produce in coffee. I love that they’ve partnered with a local coffee business for their No More Dairy Envy campaign to show that yes, you can enjoy amazing (and favorite) treats like coffee, cappuccinos, and other treats without any discomfort!
Walking through the roasting and quality-testing areas, with Paul as our guide, allowed us to experience what it takes to turn coffee from a bean into a delicious cup of joe. The step by step process of roasting, grinding, sniffing, dripping, smelling, sipping (and repeat!) could only be done by a person as passionate about coffee as Monet was about painting.
As far a coffee goes, I generally don’t get excited about seasonal flavors, but the Pumpkin Spice Latte I had at Birch knocked my socks off. The Lactaid foamed up and made a delicious and creamy cup of coffee that disappeared WAY too quickly for my liking. That’s one flavor combination I will be chasing through coffee breaks for the rest of the season.
Thanks so much for having us Lactaid & Paul and the Birch Coffee team! To find out more about Lactaid follow them on facebook, twitter, or visit them here!