This tiny shop on the upper west side can make a proper espresso or latte, serves coffee, lets you indulge in some tasty cookies, or buy any one of a zillion flavors of tea or coffee in bulk. Sitting here to hang out is not the idea though. While there are three stools and a tiny bench, you are in the way of the next customer to drop by. So, get your coffee and go! That's what we did! read more

I really, really wanted to fall in love with this place. I kind of already had before I ever even went inside - it has got its vibe so finely tuned... Everything from the old school lettering on the awning, to the hand painted beans on the side, to the bench, to the colorful display of teas and stuff that clutter the little space... to the sweet aroma seeping out into the sidewalk... dammit, I even love the name. The Sensuous Bean... I was practically scribbling it in my Biology notebook next to my name in a little heart. Buuut... the two times I've gone to The Sensuous Bean I've found the drip coffee in the thermoses to be lukewarm - presumably from sitting out too long. The cause of this problem is the sheer variety of thermos stored coffee they make available to you, (four, I think?). It's the same problem a pizzeria has offering too many specialty slices, (lookin' at you, Two Boots) they simply get cold. Come to The Sensuous Bean to buy some beans to brew at home or to get an espresso, but don't bother with those thermoses... they will break your heart and leave you at home watching Say Anything with a box of tissues while all the other coffee drinkers are at coffee-prom with their hot, fresh cups of coffee. read more

After a brief awkward greeting with the employee, who did not ask if he could help me but just said, "Hi," I wasn't really sure if I was in the right place to order just a cup of coffee or tea. Just walk in and you'll know what I mean-- the walls are artfully lined with rows and rows of big coffee bean and tea blend bins. It seems like a place where they pack a bag of beans for you and you're on your way. Once I discovered that I could, in fact, just get one serving, that's when the real expertise of this place was able to shine. I told him the taste I was looking for (I was in the mood for iced tea), and he recommended not just one tea but a BLEND of two teas that he promptly mixed, brewed, and iced for me in back. And it was exactly what I was looking for. While he was making the tea, I decided to peer around at the coffee selection (which is bountiful). I loved opening the bins and smelling the different flavors... raspberry, toffee, so many to choose from! I'm not actually sure if I was allowed to smell them, but nobody was looking so I couldn't resist. Looking forward to the next time I'm in the neighborhood and can go back. One last quick note-- there is one bench outside the Sensuous Bean, but it does not provide seating otherwise. read more

This place feels like it has been in the neighborhood forever. It also has a snobby uws vibe to it. It's impossible to move once you step inside, especially if there are any other customers in there with you. The place is really the size of a walk-in closet filled with boxes of different types of coffee beans for you to purchase. In the center they have a table set up with 5 different types of pre-brewed coffee for you to serve yourself. The staff is usually eating or talking amongst themselves and does not seem friendly to new faces. It's also one of these places that has a minimum for credit card purchases, which is a joke for a place like this where on average people are spending no more than $7. So bring cash. read more

Upon walking into The Sensuous Bean you're hit with the mesmerizing aroma of coffee and chocolate. This place is winning before you even try or buy anything. This tiny shop is packed with shelves of freshly roasted coffee beans and loose teas. They offer everything from light to dark roast (but why would you ever go for dark roast?), light to heavy body, traditional flavors to eccentric flavors (all natural, house-made flavoring, not that chemical tasting crap). I'm not too well-versed in tea but there was a wide variety to choose from. My first time it took me forever to choose a coffee bean because everything looked great. The service is fantastic too. The staff gives good recommendations based on your preferences, provides helpful advice for brewing, and lets you taste some brewed blends. They're patient and a pleasure to talk to. My go-to order is 1/2 lb of classic beans (house blend, Colombian, etc.) and 1/2 lb of a "eccentric" beans (vanilla, Almond Joy, etc.). As a local, this will definitely be my regular coffee roaster in the UWS. There are also treats and high quality dark chocolate on the sides of the shop. I might grab some of the 70%+ bars in the future. read more

I keep hearing people complaining that the Upper West Side is becoming homogenized, filled with chains just like the rest of the city. As they are sipping their Starbucks iced coffees. Guess what!!?? If you don't support local small businesses, they won't be able to compete with the corporate giants. The Sensuous Bean is a gem of the Upper West Side. The coffee is AMAZING, and the staff is friendly and helpful. Keep them open-when you need a coffee fix, go here instead of to Starbucks!!! read more

Great coffee. Great pastries. I'll definitely be returning when I make my way up to the UWS again. Upon walking in you're slapped in the face with the aroma of coffee, or should I say caressed? From a simple glance it appears like the place focuses on roasting or simply the selling of beans. However, they do keep 4 roasts of coffee in dispensers for the folks that have the itch to scratch. The pastries and cookies are amazing! I was not expecting them to be as good as they were--definitely snag a few or 10 while you're there. I will be returning! read more

I moved to New York a year ago and was excited to discover this coffee shop. I usually come by once a month stock up on ground coffee beans for my stove top percolator at home. So far my favorite is a medium roast called The Haitian. I also enjoyed a Mocha Java medium roast and am currently sipping a very robust and flavorful Venezuelan coffee. Delicious! The staff has always been very friendly and helpful. I often tell them what I enjoyed and ask them for recommendations and they are accommodating. Just yesterday they were scooping out various dark roasts for me to smell as well as discussing my preferred acidity level. They have never seemed annoyed or put out by my interest in exploring each coffee. I settled on a dark roast called Venezuela Maracata that they recommended to me. It is a great place to explore a wide variety of coffee. They use a punch card system and I look forward to filling it up over the next few months. read more

I liked this store a lot. It had a decent selection of coffee, the service was good and they make very good recommendations.

There aren't many places to get good coffee beans in UWS. There's Fairway, which has a good selection, and then there's Sensuous Bean that has an even better selection. To top it off, the employees at Sensuous Bean know they're coffee and know their wares. You can tell them what kind of flavor you want whether it be fruity, acidic, heavy, or bitter, they'll have a few suggestions for you. What's even better is that they know when a particular batch of beans was shipped in and when it was roasted, which are key pieces of info when making your cup of coffee. I've bought several pounds of coffee (and tea!) here as well as gotten cups from their thermoses and everything has been great. read more

After living in the area for a few years, I finally made it in here a couple of weeks ago. I didn't drink any of the coffee, I was there to purchase some whole beans as a gift. There were two employees there, I was the only other person in the store and yet they barely greeted me. They seemed preoccupied and when I asked them what they might recommend for someone who likes a,b, and c they did not go out of their way to be helpful. I was disappointed by this - I like to shop local, but just because you're local doesn't mean you don't have to help your customers. It was like they didn't even care anyone was there. I did like the dozens of selections of coffee. I also liked that when I made my purchase they have a "frequent buyer card" - you get a stamp for every pound of coffee you buy and after 5 you get 1/2 pound(?) for free, after 10 stamps you can get 1 pound free. I will most likely give them another try to see if their service was just a little 'off' that day. read more

Amazing coffee- This family owned business is what NYC is about. It's like a coffee boutique in there. Delicious gourmet blends of specialty coffees to go like, Pumpkin Spice, or Chocolate Butter Rum. They offer one brewed flavor to go a day .A large cup for $2.25 I love it! Of course they sell all of the beans by the pound and will grind them for your coffee machine- Hail to The Sensuous Bean : ) read more

I'll admit it, the only reason I chose this coffee shop is because I think the name is sexy as hell. The Sensuous Bean. I feel dirty just saying it. Rawr Okay anyways, these guys serve up some pretty decent coffee. Sadly I only got to try their hazelnut coffee since they shut down their machinery at a certain point of the day, so no lattes for Sean. Kinda sucked that it was from a dispenser, which is why it's only a 4 star shop for me, but at least it was hot and fresh, since the worker there replaced it right as we came in. Love that they've got a huge variety of different coffees select from. If I was a coffee connoisseur I'd definitely be in heaven over here. It's almost intimidating walking in here and seeing their level of inventory. Their shop is super tiny though. I feel like I've been in cars with more space than they've got in here. Almost every nook and cranny is filled with some sort of coffee device. Felt like I was gonna clumsily knock something over every move I made. Anyways, it's a solid stop for either a quick cup of coffee or if you're a coffee collector elitist. read more

Oh...how I loves me some flavored coffee... And the Sensuous Bean delivers! Pumpkin Spice coffee? Coconut Carmel? The best darn Hazelnut coffee I've ever had? Yup, they have it all. I mainly come here for my beans, but it's always nice to pick up a cup as well. read more

This place was a DUD. Yelpers really let me down! Coffee is in a dispenser and is NOT HOT and it is NOT FRESH. There are coffee beans everywhere in bins low to the ground and they allow dogs inside of the store. Illegal AND disgusting. I took one sip of my cold, bitter coffee and threw it in the trash. Definitely not my kind of place.... read more

1. amazing name 2. amazing iced hazelnut! I can't imagine going anywhere else for my iced coffee now. Also props for letting us take some cups for our wine :) read more

Came to this tiny coffee shop to grab some espresso. The cappuccino tasted...different -- the espresso wasn't bad or anything but just not the taste I prefer. It was also kind of weird how their espresso machine is hiding in some backroom where you can't see what they are doing. The coffee bean selection makes this place worth visiting again though. The beans I got made for some pretty good morning coffee. read more

Whatever your preference, this place has something for you.. I guarantee. The flavored coffee and teas are blended in house with all natural ingredients. You name it, they probably have it. The gentleman who helped us with our selections was so knowledgeable and friendly. He was eager to answer all of our questions and provided us with more than enough information about our selections. We left extremely happy that we found such a cool spot for unique/delicious caffeine choices! (Tons of herbal/decaf selections too-- if that's your thing.) This place will be a must-stop whenever we're near from now on. read more

The Senuous Bean happily grinds (free of charge) their fantastic selection of roast coffee beans for your personal coffee machine. I'm a huge fan of Vienna and Kona. They offer free samples of four daily roasts available for the on-the-go pick-me-up. Both the large selection of loose teas and coffee bean purchases qualify for their loyalty card progam (every 10th pound is free). Minus one star for their baked goods, which should be avoided at all cost. Do yourself a favor and visit Soutine Bakery (on the same street) if you're after baked goods. The place has tons local New York charm. I'm a fan! read more

The house blend coffee here is mild and does not hit your stomach with a sledgehammer ... and the little pastries are quite delicious. I could not decide which one I wanted--they all looked so good. Though there was no real seating in the store to enjoy my goodies ... I can see at first glance why they stand up well to Starbucks ... read more

Just love my cup of coffee home when I can't be in the upper West side..take a bag with you...The staff is extremely nice and helpful next time you're in need for a cuppa coffee on the upper West side check them out shop small shop local skip the Starbucks read more

The Sensuous Bean - staff is extremely nice and helpful stop by if you're on the upper West side shop small shop local skip the Starbucks - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New York, New York

"Where everybody knows your name" This is THAT coffee shop. Adorable little place, with different selections everyday, great treats and fantastic teas. Sharon, Mark & Tom are so friendly, make great suggestions for you when you can't decide and always offer my dog a treat Great place and a staple in the neighborhood :) read more

Hands down the best cup of drip coffee I've ever had. The fruitiest most complex mix of flavors I've had in a cup of coffee. It is also the best smelling place I have ever been to. It is unfortunate with the pandemic you can't walk around the store, but even with window service, you can still get the great aroma of the store. I cannot recommend this place enough. read more

My favorite neighborhood coffee shop. If you like coffee beans and people who care about coffee, come here. They also have some specialty flavors like hazelnut, etc which is kind of fun sometimes if you want to mix up your coffee beans! They are also so friendly and their shop is well designed for COVID (door open, window pickup, etc). Oh and extra bonus - they serve hot decaf coffee throughout the day (perfect if you don't want a 3PM buzz, but are craving some coffee)! read more

Great service! Never know what to get with so many options, and staff were very helpful in explaining flavors and recommendations. Prices reasonable, great coffee and pastry bites! read more

I gave them 3 opportunities on various occasions to give me a drinkable cup, and they failed every time. There goes a couple of bucks into the nearest trash can. So disappointing, considering they're the only independent coffee shop on the UWS, as far as I know. read more

This is exactly what you want out of a grab and go coffee stop. I have gotten coffee here frequently which is delicious but its shining star in my opinion is the iced tea. They will literally take any of their tea and make it iced for you on the spot. YUM! I had the mint chocolate rooibos which was divine and plan to go back to try more. The two guys working the register were really chill too which never hurts! read more

I've been here many times over the years. It's a hit or miss. Sometimes they don't have hot chocolate and other times like yesterday, I decided to go in 45mins before they close shop. The man working there was very rude. I walked in behind an older Caucasian couple and the barista was saying that he stopped serving drinks... yet he was taking the orders from the couple in front of me. No one was behind me. He said only coffee beans will be sold but not drinks. I mentioned the store hours and it's open for another 45mins. Then, offered some advice - it would be best to update their website or Yelp to reflect this "rule" because I just walked 2 miles for hot chocolate. I also asked how am I supposed to know about this special rule and he just said rudely "well, I'm telling you now." Sorry but you're a coffee/drinks store. I've never walked into Starbucks 45mins before closure to be told they can't sell me a hot drink because they enforced a random rule. I think it's because their lazy. It does take time to clean machines but you're a coffee shop. Do your job. Or change the hours... if you're gonna have store hours, please honor them or put a sign! Sorry but after this encounter, I do not feel like spending my money there or telling others about this plwce. read more

Hands down best coffee on the UWS. Every time I fly home, I'm basically not allowed into the house until I prove that I've brought some Sensuous Blend with me. This place is the real deal! read more

This is an incredibly quirky store. I love it. So the protection gate is halfway up. The lights are off. I walk up anticipating the opening. The worker pops out his head and says Hey, I will probably open at 8:30 today. I let him know that I was camped out at the Muffin store across the street, waiting to get a pound of Butter Rum. O well then. Just watch your head. It's 8 am, or thereabout. In seconds, he grinds the beans, punches my loyalty card, and reminds me again to 'watch my head.' And went back to doing whatever he was doing. That would never happen at a Starbucks. read more

The Sensuous Bean is a cute little spot up the street from me, and I often stop there for a weekend cup of coffee when I'm feeling too lazy to brew my own. They always have at least 3 different blends brewing, and it's fun to get to try different kinds of coffee you might not otherwise encounter. Service is sweet, and a small coffee is $1.50. A good deal in a neighborhood that generally lacks them. read more

So at first I was a bit skeptical of this place with its little "pour yourself" set-up, that looks more like a cute meeting room than a coffee shop, but the coffee is GREAT. We're here all the time, it's our first stop on our dog walk. Friendly service, good coffee. read more

No frills, no seating- just great coffee to go. By far the best coffee in the neighborhood- I go several blocks out of my way just to start the day off right... read more

I will give them props for very friendly service, but I must be spoiled by my Brooklyn hipster coffee joints because--blech--the iced latté I had was waterey, burnt-tasting and insufferably bad. Bummer. read more

This is my favorite coffee store in the world :) for the past 3+ years this in the only place I buy my beans (blueberry is my favorite!) unless I just cant get there in time and must go elsewhere (sigh...). I even had some shipped to me while working in Eastern Europe last year :) plus the staff is great! read more

Great, fresh iced coffee at a fair price. I'll come back and buy coffee beans.

I don't even like coffee, but the aroma in this place is amazing. The owner treated me to a free chocolate cover salt caramel and it was great! Nice people, good coffee smell! My girlfriend for the coffee. She loved it! read more

Heavenly...just walking in this tiny gem of a coffee shop on Manhattan's UWS is worth the trip. The staff is friendly and they know everything about their coffees. There's usually even a local or two just hanging out in the shop, chatting with the owners, or sitting on a stool basking in the roasted aroma bliss. This place is as real as it gets! read more

This is some strong ass coffee. They have a few options always brewing and tons of coffee beans to choose from, which they will grind to perfectly fit your at home coffee machine. I like to just walk in here and wake up from the smell. mmmm. read more

If I lived nearby, I would totally pick up a cup of joe from here everyday. It's small, unassuming, and does the one thing it's known for well. It's a quick in and out and you're on your way onto the rest of your busy New York lives. The guy manning the counter was friendly and cordial. If you're concerned about the self serve setup and that the coffee sits in dispensers, worry not! Enough people come through this little store that they go through and refill the dispeners frequently enough with fresh stuff. read more