Barely into Tribeca, just at the point where the smell of rotisserie ducks and five spice powder fades into the background, sits a new café whose coffee might just taste familiar to you. La Colombe Torrefaction, the Philadelphia-based artisanal coffee roaster has, over the past decade, cultivated a sterling reputation among several dozen of the nation’s finest chefs (Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse, etc.), and as a consequence, the company has built a significant business supplying these same restaurateurs with their signature beans. And the list doesn’t end with the Michelin multi-starred eateries: Cupcake Café (and Casa Cupcake) has been brewing La Colombe beans for years–this fact plays no small part in their inclusion on most coffee experts’ top ten lists of java spots in Manhattan. Yet until early this month, La Colombe only sold beans by mail-order, keeping its legendary baristas rooted in Philly.

All of that changed when the Tribeca shop opened for business a few weeks ago. The understated, minimalist corner café has just under 20 seats–all laquered wood stools–and no menu in sight. This is not the sort of restaurant where a ‘triple half-caff nonfat double foam extra shot iced grande latte’ is yours for the asking; the menu is simple–cappuccinos, espressos (any length), and caffe lattes are the mainstays, with just a few variations on those themes. If this seems a little mean, consider the stakes: the new Tribeca shop is rumored to be paying more than $10K a month in rent to do battle against more than a dozen local Starbucks chains. Every single shot La Colombe pulls has to showcase the coffee’s unique character in order to win customers over, so if the staff aren’t so keen to add a quart of rice milk and four Equals to your drink, the refusal is not bad attitude as much as it is self-defense.

And really, the staff absolutely know what they are doing. Put yourself into their hands and ask for something simple–a long espresso or a cappuccino ($2.00 and $3.50, respectively), perhaps–and you will be rewarded with a cup of coffee with ample body and soft nuances of wood and smoke. Pastries–all from Petrossian Bakery (and all $2.50 or $3.00)–are excellent accompaniments to the coffee, especially the double chocolate giant cookie, a treat that serves at least two people and is rich enough to stand up to very strong espresso drinks, and the almond croissant, which pairs nicely with milky coffees. As much as we adore the hot drinks and slushy granitas at the café, our favorite thing about the place is that it offers bags of La Colombe beans for home brewing–just enough of a freshly roasted supply to tide us over between visits. If the consistency and quality remain as high as they are now, we may never buy coffee anywhere else in Manhattan again.

La Colombe Torrefaction, 319 Church Street (at Lisepenard Street), 212-343-1515.