Portola Coffee is probably my favorite both espresso-based and pour overs. There are some good shops in OC but I keep coming back to Portola. It was convenient too because I had a friend who lived around one of its locations.
The chai latte (everything housemade the chai and almond milk, well they didn’t grow the spices but you know what I mean) at Hopper and Burr is mind blowing good. There are some chai spots in LES/Village I have to try but damn I still think about that chai latte at Hopper and Burr. All of their espresso-based drinks are also made well. You might even see Sergio making your cup.
Kean has some really classic latte drinks that many of these new school places don’t make. Orange and dark chocolate drink that I think originated in Seattle. I like the vibes at both shops. They kinda started my love for natural Ethiopians one of the barista just grounded up some coffee and told me to smell it and it smelled like blueberries. I didn’t sleep that night lol. Also it’s Diedrich! His name is in a lot of shops across the country. I like the location because the Tustin shop is next to Cream Pan and Oliboli! The Newport location is next to Sidecar and the beach.
My favs/recs:
• Aquarela for espresso and take-home beans. Bar none, favorite coffee/cafe in LA. Brazilian nanolot coffee w/ interesting processes. Independently imported and roasted. Be sure to try their anaerobic fermented coffees.
• Rykn Cafe for ambience and espresso
• Maru or Stereoscope for laptop warriors
• Kumquat for people with kids—there is a great park right next door
• Konbi: the hype has died down but espresso and pastries have stayed excellent
• Boy and the Bear - Redondo Beach. They import and roast their own coffee. All Colombian. Cute interior with comfy leather sofas. Near the beach!
• Steep. “What? That’s a tea place, isn’t it?” Yes, it is. And every person that can enjoy the nuances of great coffee will find a tea here that they love. The tea sets are awesome. Also, they just started a cocktail program called Steep After Dark.
Verve Colombia Maria Magdalena Morales. Initially this coffee tasted strangely like the Marvis licorice toothpaste I brushed my teeth with. But with time it opened up into sweet mandarin orange, cranberries, and caramel. Very good! Balanced. Not too acidic.
I’m with @Starchtrade on a lot of these, though it sounds like I need to make it back to Dayglow and to Stereoscope for the first time. My regular favorites are:
Aquarela for beans
Endorffeine for pour overs and espresso shots
Kumquat for espresso drinks
Kindness & Mischief for cold brew
GGET for their bottomless brewed coffee and on Thanksgiving
Cafe Santo for mochas and drinking chocolate
Other spots I get excited about visiting when I’m nearby include Andante, Eightfold, goodboybob, rykn, cafe dulce, menotti’s, proof, commissary, 2 kids, highlight, constellation, rose park, recreational, among others.
Verve. Ethiopia Kayon Mountain (natural processed). Mindful of yesterday’s experience, I brushed my teeth this morning with Marvis “royal” flavored toothpaste, which is less assertive than the licorice flavor but still leaves an aftertaste.
This is an outstanding coffee. Sweet blueberry, strawberry, and geranium flavors. Lightly roasted so these flavors shine through. Brighter acidity than the Colombia I tasted yesterday, but not tart. Really good.
Actually, the best coffee I ever had, I believe, was this coffee: Story – Port of Mokha. I tasted it at a Blue Bottle in Palo Alto, and it came with a handout about how someone smuggled it from Yemen. It was $20 or something crazy. It had the purest berry fruit flavor (strawberry) I’ve ever tasted in a coffee.
During lockdown we got one misdelivered. When I read the receipt I couldn’t understand what that was supposed to be. Tasting it didn’t help though at least I knew it wasn’t a cocktail.
