Sump's small Bedford Avenue storefront has a window that opens to the street, exposed brick and wooden shelves of coffee bags. It sits just north of the Williamsburg Bridge in north Brooklyn. Come for the St Louis roaster's changing selection of light-roasted single origins: this is a place to choose a pour-over, ask about the beans and leave with a bag of the coffee you enjoyed.
Coffee
Start by asking which coffees are on pour-over. Natural-process lots are a recurring strength of the selection, and the range gives you a reason to try a second cup. A Poursteady machine handles the water pours; the baristas can help narrow the choice by origin and processing method. The coffees rotate, so choose from the day's menu rather than arriving for a particular farm or variety.
A small, single-group Slayer handles espresso and milk drinks. A cortado is a good alternative if you want a shorter visit. Flavoured drinks have included miso caramel, sticky toffee and black sesame strawberry lattes; check the menu for the current selection. Matcha is available too.
Service & Room
Order at the counter and choose a stool or a spot on the red bench if one is free. There is room to sit with a coffee, but little space to spread out. Pastries come from Colson, the Brooklyn bakery, so a coffee-and-croissant stop works here too. The shelves carry Sump's own beans, with origins and processing details on the bags.
Choose Sump for a couple of contrasting coffees and a conversation about what went into them. Its pour-over range earns the stop in a neighbourhood crowded with espresso bars. Make it a morning or early-afternoon visit: the café closes at 2pm on weekdays and 3pm at weekends.