- COURTESY UGLY DUCK COFFEE
89 Charlotte St.
uglyduckcoffee.com
Ugly Duck began in 2015 as a pop-up espresso bar operated by perennial Best Barista pick Rory Van Grol but has since grown into a popular brick-and-mortar coffee shop where you can get everything from an excellent cup of plain black coffee to The Snug, a combination of espresso, maple syrup, Fee Brothers molasses bitters, and steamed milk. It also has a strong cold brew that will please your taste buds while jolting you awake. Ugly Duck is a multi-roaster shop, meaning it doesn’t roast its own beans but rather carries and brews hand-picked selections from places like Ithaca’s Gimme! Coffee and other small independents.
Finalists: Cafe Sasso | Fuego | Java’s
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Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters
Several locations | fingerlakescoffee.com
Finger Lakes Coffee is ubiquitous in Rochester. You can buy bags at Wegmans, Lori’s Natural Foods, and other grocery stores; from the roaster’s kiosks in local hospitals; and at Finger Lakes Coffee shops in plazas and Syracuse’s Destiny USA mall. The company roasts its own beans and carries a very wide selection of flavored coffees, single-origin beans, and blended roasts. The Italian roast is unlike anything offered by other roasters in the area. Those beans produce an exceptionally dark brew with strong roasted flavors and subtle bittersweet notes of dark chocolate. It’s fabulous in a press pot, especially if made strong. — JEREMY MOULE