Dinosaur Coffee, Silver Lake, Los Angeles
Dinosaur Coffee reminds me of what I enjoyed most about the cafes that prompted me to start this blog when I was living in Korea — the shop radiates idiosyncratic personality. Quirky creative touches, from art to plants to decorative dino merch, can be found all around the interior, which was designed by the same...
Go Get Em Tiger, Los Angeles
Go Get Em Tiger (GGET) represents the vision of cafe culture championed by Kyle Glanville and Charles Babinski, both Intelligentsia alums and US Barista Champs. Whether it’s pre-grinding for espresso, creating their own tongue-in-cheek-but-amazing house-made takes on pumpkin spice and gingerbread lattes, or ditching pour-overs in favor of batch brewers when that was (and...
Verve Coffee – Downtown Los Angeles
Verve is a well regarded roastery and cafe out of Santa Cruz, CA. In the past couple years they’ve expanded with a handful of shops in Los Angeles and even an outpost in Tokyo. Their first Los Angeles location debuted at the Ace Hotel in Downtown, and it’s a really striking space. Mirrors give the...
Bar Nine, Los Angeles
Bar Nine is a Culver City-based cafe and roaster that recently celebrated its second anniversary. Despite its relative youth, the company is making a name for itself by experimenting with long-established cafe norms. Bar Nine isn’t alone here: I’ve noticed a wider move among more progressive coffee bars, especially in California, to drop some “Third Wave”...
Menotti’s Coffee Stop – Venice, CA
Last time I was in Los Angeles, I kept getting recommendations to visit a little shop called Menotti’s right next to the Venice Beach boardwalk – and I’m glad I did. Coffee service is lead by Nicely Abel Alameda, one of LA’s more affable, well-known baristas who’s developed something of a following as he’s moved...
Blacktop Coffee, Los Angeles
There’s a relatively fresh addition to Los Angeles’ rapidly blooming downtown coffee repertoire, located on a block that aptly showcases the new downtown LA. The new shop is called Blacktop Coffee, but its owner’s name isn’t new to anyone following specialty coffee – Tyler J. Wells was one of the founders of Handsome Coffee (now...
Handsome Coffee signs off in switch to Blue Bottle
Handsome Coffee, which you may have heard was recently bought by Blue Bottle Coffee, has officially signed off on Tumblr. It’s nice to hear directly from the team, and it’s also a peak inside the past with an eye toward the future. I copied the bit below because it’s nice to know that Blue Bottle...
A Look Back: Los Angeles Coffee Culture (Part 3)
Continuing from Part 1 and Part 2 of my look back at LA’s growing Coffee Culture, it’s time to look at what has changed over time: Handsome Coffee Roasters: recently acquired by Blue Bottle and in the midst of being assimilated, so it remains to be seen what happens here! In the mean time, here’s...
A Look Back: Los Angeles Coffee Culture (Part 2)
Here’s the second in a series of posts looking back at LA’s growing coffee culture (see Part 1 here). Below you’ll witness the proliferation of both multi-roaster shops, like Cognoscenti Coffee and Commissary Coffee), as well as home-grown roastery-cafes like Portola and Cafecito Organico. Proof Bakery / Cognoscenti Coffee, Atwater Village A perfect match...
A Look Back: Los Angeles Coffee Culture (Part 1)
It was around 2006 when I discovered the world of coffee that existed beyond diner breakfasts, Starbucks’ caramel macchiatos, and indie cafes that put more effort into their poetry nights than their coffee prep. It all started with a blog post I’d read about the Aeropress. That review led to a purchase, which spiraled into...
Single Origin Meets Single Malt
UPDATE: Looks like this event has sold out now! If you’re in Los Angeles, the LA Coffee Club and Caffe Luxxe are hosting what looks like a pretty fun coffee and whisky tasting later this month. Check the details below: Join LA Coffee Club and Caffe Luxxe for a coffee and whisky tasting seminar, hosted...
Handsome Coffee Roasters, Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ coffee scene has been steadily growing since I left it back in 2008, and one of the most acclaimed newcomers is Handsome Coffee Roasters. Based in the Downtown Arts District, Handsome was founded by several Intelligentsia expatriates: Michael Phillips, the 2010 World Barista Champion; Tyler J. Wells, former manager of Intelli’s Pasadena cafe;...
