Ask our customers where to find the best cappuccino in New York and a lot of them will point you to the nearest Ground Central. We hear it every day across our cafés, and we think we know why: it starts with the coffee itself.
Our house espresso is Midtown Express, a blend of specialty coffees from Latin America and Africa created in an exclusive collaboration with La Colombe Coffee Workshop. It was built to taste great on its own, and to taste even better with milk.
Why Milk Drinks Need a Different Kind of Coffee
Milk changes everything. It softens acidity, adds sweetness and makes a drink rounder, but it also dilutes the coffee. A bean that tastes bright and lively as a black espresso can turn thin or sharp the moment it meets steamed milk.
The coffee has to be strong enough to hold its own, and sweet enough to play well with the milk. That is exactly how we designed Midtown Express.
What Makes Midtown Express So Well Balanced
- A richer, darker roast. It gives the blend the body to stay present in a cup full of milk, instead of disappearing into it.
- Low acidity. No sharp or sour edges when the espresso meets milk. Just a smooth, round cup.
- Notes of milk chocolate, brownie and a delicate nuttiness. These flavors carry straight through steamed milk, and the natural sweetness of the milk makes them taste even better.
- Two continents in one blend. Coffees from Latin America bring chocolatey, nutty sweetness and body, while coffees from Africa add complexity and lift, so the cup never tastes flat.
The result is a coffee that tastes the same from the first sip to the last: smooth, sweet and perfectly balanced.
One Espresso, Every Milk Drink You Love
The same espresso is the base of every classic on our menu, and each one shows off a different side of the blend:
- Cappuccino: espresso, steamed milk and a thick, velvety layer of foam in balanced parts. The chocolate and brownie notes come through in every sip. This is the one our customers rave about most.
- Latte: more steamed milk and a light layer of foam for a soft, creamy, mellow cup, with the sweetness of the blend in front.
- Flat white: silky microfoam poured over espresso, with no foam cap. The coffee flavor is stronger and the texture is smooth.
- Cortado: a small drink with roughly equal parts espresso and warm milk. Rich, intense and still smooth, with no bitterness getting in the way.
Perfect With Any Milk, Hot or Iced
Midtown Express mixes perfectly with whatever milk you like. Whole, skim, oat, almond, coconut, soy, macadamia: the chocolate and brownie notes shine through in every one, so you can order your cappuccino, latte, flat white or cortado exactly the way you like it.
It is just as good hot or poured over ice. The blend keeps its body and sweetness as the ice melts, so an iced latte on a warm New York day tastes as balanced as a steaming cappuccino on a cold morning.
Don’t Just Take Our Word for It
Here is what some of our customers have said about their favorite drinks in recent Google reviews:
“Best cappuccino I have ever had in my 19 years on this planet. Every cappuccino I’ve had afterwards was a sad disappointment compared to the one from here.”
Jules · ★★★★★ Google review
“Loved the latte — smooth and perfectly balanced!”
Sampreeti P. · ★★★★★ Google review
“Love this place, best flat white in the city!”
William M. · ★★★★★ Google review
Make It at Home
You don’t have to come to a Ground Central cafe to enjoy it. Midtown Express is available as whole bean or ground coffee, in a 12 oz (340 g) bag, so you can bring the cafe experience home.
A few tips for the best milk drinks at home:
- Use fresh, whole beans if you can. Grinding right before you brew makes a big difference in sweetness and aroma.
- Brew it strong. With an espresso machine, a moka pot or an AeroPress, aim for a concentrated shot, so the coffee stands up to the milk.
- Use cold, fresh milk. Whole milk gives the creamiest foam, but any milk you like will work.
- Don’t overheat the milk. Warm, not scalding, is the target. Milk that is too hot loses its natural sweetness.
- Pour right away. Combine the milk and espresso while the milk is still silky for that smooth cafe texture.
Prefer something lighter or fruitier for your drip, pour over or French press? Try Downtown Local, our medium roast with notes of baker’s chocolate, juicy currant and a subtle malt finish. Or get both in our 2-Pack.
The Finishing Touch: Latte Art
A great cup has one more ingredient, and it is not on the bag: the barista.
Our baristas are experts. They go through an intensive coffee program with La Colombe, and every day they use Midtown Express as their canvas, pouring silky steamed milk into the espresso to create amazing designs: hearts, rosettas, tulips and more.
Latte art is more than decoration. It only works when the milk is steamed to a perfectly smooth, velvety texture and poured at exactly the right moment, and that same texture is what blends the milk and the coffee together into one seamless, sweet sip. The art is the finishing touch, and it makes the coffee taste even better.
Come try it for yourself at any Ground Central cafe. Order a cappuccino, a latte, a flat white or a cortado, and then take a bag of Midtown Express home to make it again on your own counter. We think you will agree it is the best cappuccino in New York.
