Gotta BYOC dude
5 Likes
The ‘quat shops suffer from the “roasters curse”. Forget who I heard the term from (def an industry person!) but tldr you’ll likely have a better brew of a coffee at home or another shop, compared to where it was roasted. In other words, other cafes will brew Stumptown better than you’d have it at a Stumptown cafe.
kumquat dtla still legendary imho (get their last bags of Archer’s Coffee before sell out)
3 Likes
Why does the roasters curse occur?
think there are a lot of reasons, but the main thing is that (just like many other things in life), if you’re too close to a thing you can no longer see it thrive. in the case of in-house roasting, they’re buying the green coffee, sometimes working with the farmers/processors to ensure a good crop, then finding the “proper” roast level for the beans, roasting across a whole batch (multiple kg), packing for retail and cafe use, and then there are two diff sets of instructions for retail vs cafe, due to variances in equipment, water, etc.
by the end of that process, the in-house roaster just treats the coffee differently when compared to a multi-roaster cafe that’s “just” a buyer.
a couple examples of this in my head are Heart Coffee in Portland (not bad in store, but truly great outside of Portland, whether at home or another cafe), and conversely Endorffeine, where Jack just takes his time to nail the expression of a good coffee in ways that most of us can’t/won’t.
8 Likes
Has anybody tried the coffee or food at Bonsai Coffee Bar in West LA? The place sometimes has a line coming out the door….
3 Likes
went to bonsai few months ago. imho, this is a matcha shop that happens to serve coffee. good for the area, but not s-tier imho
mandarin 2 is a purist’s dream on the border of Arcadia and Pasadena. they replaced the cream top drinks from original mandarin with a series of single origin espresso offerings, and they have a delightful carbonated hibiscus tea as a palate cleanser.
(their current head of customer service / ops is an old friend and coworker from the G&B/GGET days, so if you liked the peak era of those shops, you will feel at home again)
8 Likes
Went to Ondo Artesia this afternoon to try the Brian Quan hyped Picolot #0 Elida Estate Gesha at the brew bar. Brewed using a UFO and post brew mineralized with a few drops from Apax. The coffee was bright, juicy, sweet, with a soft mouthfeel finish. Glad to find some FOMO beans locally and appreciated their wide selection of specialty coffee beans.
Later in the day at Yihui, I had the Lumen roasted El Salvador Gesha in a half espresso and a cortado. This was my first specialty coffee espresso and I wasn’t ready for an acidity bomb in a tiny glass. I need to try a few more to understand what I’m supposed to taste. The cortado was more middle of the road for me and easy to enjoy. The milk texture was really nice.
6 Likes
I know some excellent cardiologists, in case any caffeine-induced arrhythmias need further workup…
4 Likes
Mandarin 2 is an awesome time and so happy they opened. Went on opening day and for their Hydrangea Gesha event (where I met lurker noddles) and had awesome times both. I’m hoping they extend their operating hours once they’ve had more time in full operation. Plus, the view from their space towards the mountains can be quite nice on a clear day!
4 Likes
Peak G&B/GGET is pretty heady stuff. I can’t wait to go to Mandarin 2.
3 Likes
How much was the Brian Quan Gesha if you don’t mind me asking? I imagine with their fancy brew bar set up as well the charge per cup must be high
Nice try Brian Quan.
1 Like
$16 for the pour over Picolot #0.
At approximately $10 for 14-15g of beans (retail), I felt it was worth paying $6 for Ondo to have the method dialed and brewed for me. The brew at Ondo was good and a nice measuring stick experience to compare specialty coffee at home. Maybe those beans are super forgiving to brew and doesn’t take much to dial in, but I wasn’t ready to take that leap when the Picolot #0 dropped. This is on my “OK to try” list for the coffee curious.
Ondo Artesia also had Picolot #1: Gon - Black Moon Chiroso Anaerobic Natural on the shelf for purchase. You can also find Ondo’s roasters retail offerings online.
5 Likes
BQ guest appearance, in person, at Ondo Artesia next Sat (11/8)** from 10am to 2pm
** Changed from 11/1 to 11/8.
4 Likes
Mandarin 2 in Arcadia was a good experience. Parking on street was limited during peak hours. We arrived just before noon with a short line out the door. I opted for a Sey pour over. Wife had their spin on an espresso tonic. There are a few seats inside, a stand up bar around the perimeter, and stool seating outside. We enjoyed view of the San Gabriel mountains (and Yang Chow) from the corner window stand up bar spot. Pastry offerings looked solid.
The menu is full of fun drinks. I was tempted to have a second a second beverage, but the line changed our mind.
6 Likes
That iced Sicilian (?) drink was very very good. Loved that the Birch ply they used showed the knots and all. Nice shift from overly designed spaces.
2 Likes
this is where?
Mandarin 2! Arcadia/Pasadena border (up the street from the H Mart):
2 Likes
For anyone who isn’t following on IG, the new Quat LA is hosting Wynd coffee for the month of November. Don’t remember the menu off the top of my head but just a heads up that this month is different (and maybe more interesting based off the discussion of the Quats above). Looks like word’s gotten out about Quat in general and there are quite long lines on weekends though from what I saw on IG.
5 Likes
Had the opportunity to check out Iron and Kin in Claremont this weekend. They roast their own coffee and the staff I had the chance to speak to said they typically roast medium to light. That day they had about 3 pour overs available, an Ethiopian, a co-ferment, and a limited special they listed as Edinson Argote SL-28. I got the SL-28 which intended up tasting quite interesting. It’s called an Advanced Natural and it was so fruit forward I thought it must have been some kind of fruit fermentation.
They’re located in the Claremont Packing House near central/downtown/whatever you call it Claremont; near the colleges. Parking is ample and there is a free structure for the Packing House. They had quite the line on a weekend and decent amount of seating space. Crowd seemed to skew younger which should be no surprise given the colleges nearby. The shop environment is really nice too from both a visual and audio perspective (though I speak to this as a casual).
Surprisingly, they’ve been open for about 5 years. I don’t think it’s worth a special trip just to check it out, but I think it’s worth stopping by if you live in, happen to be in the area, or passing by and looking for a pour over.
5 Likes