Famous Faema
With a heritage as rich and storied as professional cycling, coffee has a special place in most cyclists’ hearts.
One big part of that culture is the Faema E61. Introduced in 1961 in Italy, the Faema revolutionized and then standardized the process of pulling a shot. A machine as beautiful as it is practical, an original E61 is a rare bird in these United States. While Andrew saw them all over the place during his recent trip to Turkey, he never thought he’d see one at home – nevermind in the neighborhood. So it was with a special version of geekiness that we collectively gasped when we walked into The Smile on Tuesday and were greeted with this:
Cyclists are especially fond of Faema for another reason entirely; in 1968, a young man by the name of Eddy Merckx joined the team that Faema sponsored. Merckx went on to be to cycling what Faema was to espresso, and much of the world got a first glimpse of Eddy in the now iconic Faema kit.
We found out from The Smile’s co-owner Carlos that the E61 came all the way from Los Angeles, where its previous home was a moped dealer. It was driven cross-country by the former owner because neither party was willing to entrust the machine to a shipper.
Needless to say, The Smile has become the new spot for our midday Americanos. We like ours with an almond croissant. And a touch of history.
The Smile 26 Bond Street NYC