You can take the caffeine out of Four Loko, but you can't take the caffeine out of caffeine! Just try, FDA. Anyway, according to the Daily News, The Pulp & The Bean in Crown Heights is serving up a 10-shot espresso drink, which the owner—Tony Fisher—likens to "jet fuel." The drink, dubbed Dieci, just went on sale this week, and the sign outside the shop says it's "coffee porn in a cup" (whatever that means). The jolted up drink will cost you 8 bucks, and Fisher says "it's never been done before"... though warned of his creation, "I drank a third of it. I'm still spinning." So now you know where to go after tonight's vigil. more ›

Today the Times has a list of the top 30 places to get coffee in the city, praising New York for finally shedding its shackles as a "second-string city when it came to coffee." With places like Abraço and Café Grumpy, we can stop relying on fancy pants San Francisco companies to roast our beans and do it ourselves. Of course, this kind of dedication comes with a price, with some shops refusing to serve espresso in anything but a warm ceramic cup, or saying goodbye to cappuccino because "milk would overpower the subtle flavors of the coffee." Of course, all this hype means a backlash must be brewing, and we predict the Times will soon be running a trend piece about clean-cut scenesters swearing by their Folgers crystals. more ›

A big crowd packed Joe on East 13th Street last night for New York’s first inter-cafe barista showdown, as representatives from some of the city’s top coffee houses competed in a Latte Art Throwdown to benefit American Red Cross relief efforts in Burma and China. In fact, so many spectators turned out to watch the competition – which was simulcast on the back wall – that they had to send out for more beer three times, “devolving from Sierra to cans of Bud Light,” according to event organizer Erin Meister. more ›

Serendipitously coinciding with Obama’s big primary win, tonight’s Latte Art Throwdown at the 13th Street Joe will surely be crawling elitist liberals who love stuff like delicious espresso and college education. The city’s top coffee houses (Ninth Street Espresso, Gimme Coffee, Cafe Grumpy, Everyman Espresso, and Gorilla Coffee) will be sending baristas to the event, which is called "Rosettas for Relief" and benefit the American Red Cross' efforts in Myanmar and China. more ›

Whether it was a PR stunt or a legit "teach-in" on espresso, Starbucks shut down for three full hours last night to train baristas --leaving the 5:30 to 8:30pm coffee crowd out in the cold. Today they are back, with a new take on "the customer is always right" policy posted about their stores; it reads: "Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we'll make it right." Reportedly they'll also be introducing a honey latte soon; no word on whether the three hour espresso pouring course allowed time for the new beverage. more ›