Besides, Intelligentsia, what are the really good artisanal/ "third wave coffee" cafes/espresso bars in the central LA/Hollywood/Santa Monica/Venice/The Valley areas?

Is there a local equivalent to say Blue Bottle or Ritual who roast and serve their own (again besides Intelly)?
Thanks in advance.

Coffee Klatch in San Dimas and now in Pasadena is very good. They roast their own beans, and have won many awards for their espresso roasts.

I don't think there is a Klatch in Pasadena, they have a few locations, but they are all pretty far east, San Dimas being the closest to LA.

Urth is supposed to roast their own, but I have not tried them yet.
http://www.urthcaffe.com/

There's rocky roaster in the valley, but I have not tried them either, I don't get into the valley very ofter
http://www.rockyroaster.com/about.php

Cafe Luxxe doesn't roast their own, but they do pull a nice shot
http://www.caffeluxxe.com/index.htm

Randy

I live in West LA. The one to keep an eye on is Espresso Cielo, serving 49th Parallel. Been twice, had one good shot, one outstanding shot. They imported baristas from Seattle (Vivace, i think), and are doing a great job. Personally I like Cielo better than Luxxe. Location is beautiful, too.

http://www.espressocielo.com/home.html

Also The Coffee Roaster in sherman Oaks, where I apprenticed as a roaster before the owner sold it. I went in after it was sold, and it sucked, and avoided it for a couple years, but went in and had a cup of drip recently. It was much better. Maybe they got the roasting squared away.

Ooooh missed the opening of that one, I'll have to check it out!

If you get to Silverlake don't forget to visit LaMill, they roast a fine variety of beans and serve it many different ways. Espresso, Vac, Eva Solo, Clover, etc.

Across from Sony Studios in Culver City is the Coffee Conservatory and he roasts up a great organic espresso blend. The cafe is not as posh as the others but the roaster sits right in front along with bags of green.

I don't know if its still there but in Westwood Village on the eastern edge near the Christian Science reading room and the Napa Valley Grill was a Cafe that served Vivace.

I don't think there is a Klatch in Pasadena, they have a few locations, but they are all pretty far east, San Dimas being the closest to LA.

Sorry, you're right. They are in San Dimas and now Ontario.

edwa wrote:Ooooh missed the opening of that one, I'll have to check it out!

If you get to Silverlake don't forget to visit LaMill, they roast a fine variety of beans and serve it many different ways. Espresso, Vac, Eva Solo, Clover, etc.

Across from Sony Studios in Culver City is the Coffee Conservatory and he roasts up a great organic espresso blend. The cafe is not as posh as the others but the roaster sits right in front along with bags of green.

I don't know if its still there but in Westwood Village on the eastern edge near the Christian Science reading room and the Napa Valley Grill was a Cafe that served Vivace.

Edwa, seriously, Cielo is VERY good. There may be barista inconsistencies, but 2 visits isn't enough to assess. I can say the coffee is as good as it gets, and if the baristas are all up to snuff, it'll be the best in the area. (my opinion, of course).

I got your email, but keep forgetting to reply. I'll try to do it today.

edwa wrote:
I don't know if its still there but in Westwood Village on the eastern edge near the Christian Science reading room and the Napa Valley Grill was a Cafe that served Vivace.

Espresso Profeta? Supposed to be good, have not been there. There was a thread on it at CG.

I guess I need to try Cielo sometime soon. I thought Luxxe was good, so if Cielo is better

Randy

I think Luxxe does a great job, technique is very good. But the coffee isn't as fresh as it always could be; my assessment is that sometimes it's very much around the 3-4th day, sometimes much farther out, though still in the 'window'. Nothing wrong with that, but serving a house blend that varies so wildly is kind of strange. They need to roast their own, dammit (I'm available for hire, hint, hint ). I'm not a fan of the super-tight ristrettos at all.

I like Cielo's blend better, and it seems to be in a much smaller range of freshness, so less variation (though again, this is off 3 visits). I went this morning, and the shot was slightly long. I didn't watch the shot, but the first sip showed some blonding, should've been stopped earlier. Once I was past the first 3 sips, it was thick, complex, and sweet. Definitely not a cookie-cutter blend, and not the trendy light roast espresso. I need to go in when I'm not with friends and distracted, and take some notes. It's the Epic blend: Brazil, El Sal, and Ethiopia. I peered at the beans in the hopper; medium roast with no oils on the surface. The decaf has plenty oils popping up, and the roast looks darker (though decaf will look darker at the same roast level).

If Luxxe was serving Cielo's coffee, it'd be world class.

I was on the Hollywood Farmers Market yesterday morning (sundays 8 to 1) and there's a stand from Cafecito Organico (http://store.cafecitoorganico.com) that now has a two group Astoria lever machine and makes great coffee.The espresso I had was on par with intelligentia's in complexity and intensity. Highly recommended!
They are on the Silverlake Farmers Market on saturday mornings.