Serving a 'Gentle' Cup of Coffee

Sandwiched between Starbucks and Coffee Nut Cafe on Park Avenue, Gentle Brew is the new coffee shop on the block. Its owners look to carve a niche in a city that already offers many options for a cup of java.  

“I feel that a lot of coffee shops are kind of doing the same thing, getting their beans from somewhere else, brewing them and having people pick them up,” said Bryan Baquet, one of Gentle Brew’s three owners. “But we roast everything here, and all of our drinks are their actual names. Like a macchiato at Starbucks is not a macchiato; it’s just whatever they want to call it.”

Located at 151 E. Park Avenue, Gentle Brew offers coffees that include Sumatra Permata Gayo, Colombia Valle de Cauca and Kenya AA, the beans of which are on display in burlap sacks in the middle of the spacious shop. The menu features steamed milk and dry foam cappuccino, double shot Zombi Zapper coffee and hot and iced teas that range from jasmine to green to oolong. Displayed on the shop's wooden countertop are a variety of baked goods: brownies, s’mores, vegan sandwich cookies, peanut butter and jelly blondies, and pound cake.

Already the solid blue and white walls are adorned with colorful and highly-enhanced photos of local shutterbugs, and the decor otherwise includes a row of large wooden tables and chairs. “Customers have said they like the atmosphere; it’s a place where they can chill,” Baquet said.   

Baquet opened the original Gentle Brew in his hometown of Hicksville in 2010, after he wrote his thesis on global trade while attending Adelphi University, and he developed an interest in farming and organic coffees. “I realized that there wasn’t many coffee roasters dealing with this subject,” he said. “So, I researched it and decided to go for it.”

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Long Beach residents may recognize Baquet and his two business partners, Patrick Luyster, a city resident, and Mike Shcherbenko of Canarsie, from the Farmer’s Market at Kennedy Plaza, where they’ve owned a coffee booth the past two years. The experience there every Wednesday and Saturday convinced them to shut down in Hicksville and migrate to Long Beach. They opened their shop on July 14. 

“The people here were receptive to us and they loved the coffee,” Baquet said about their decision to relocate.

Shcherbenko, who graduated with a business degree from Stony Brook, said doing business at the farmer’s market went a long way in helping them get to know the people in town.  

“It’s a much different experience,” he said about opening shop in Long Beach. “We’ve been having great reactions; better than we thought we would.”

The owners plan to make an open mic night, mainly showcasing indie bands, a regular part of their entertainment schedule, which will also include standup comedians trying out jokes on their patrons. But, of course, coffee is their focus, and they will offer free local delivery of ground coffee to homes and businesses as a way to distinguish their new shop.  

“We just really hope to bring good coffee to Long Beach,” Baquet said. “We’re not looking to take over. We’re just trying to make a name for ourselves.”