I don't visit cafe's very often.

Last one I went to was Klatch in the south bay, and I thought it was a good shot, I'd go back there.

Quick side story. I was in the arts district by Little Tokyo/downtown over the long weekend. My daughter wanted a coffee, we stopped at a little hip place that said they were a coffee roaster. I didn't order, but she said it was good. They bought some beans. I looked at if after, the date on the bottom said it was 3 weeks old. I guess better than a supermarket.

Randy

Ruben wrote:Thanks for the recommendations! I've been to Jones and Inteligentia before. I'm curious about How a good espresso tastes. To me it is mind boggling when I see videos online of expert baristas and the effort they put to make a good espresso. Years ago I tried to learn, but finally gave up, so many variables and it is hard to be consistent. Besides, I'm not too picky with coffee, I tend to be satisfied with most espresso I make. I own a Rancilio S24. I bought it used about 6 years ago. It was made in the early 2000's. I sold my Gaggia classic to buy the Rancilio. There is one in auction at eBay right now that looks exactly like mine.

You are probably smarter than the rest of us. Stay away from plunging down the rabbit hole.

I mentioned Andante in an earlier post. I've been buying their espresso blend for about three years which is two parts Colombian to four parts Ethiopian. When you buy a bag of beans you get a free drink of choice. I always loved what they served me, but could never replicate it at home. Three grinders and two machines later, I can finally duplicate if not make slightly better shots (to my tastebuds) then what I always get from them. The biggest difference was the grinder. One thing to keep in mind is the roasting date. Speaking with Steven - the owner earlier this week, I found out that they let the roasted beans off gas for seven days before using them in the cafe or packaging them for sale. He told me that the beans are best when used within two weeks of their package date which has never been a problem for me. FWIW - I always unpack my beans and dose them (18g) into bean cellars with one way valves so that they can continue to off gas if necessary. If I ever have extra that I don't use within the two week window, those cellars go into the freezer until I need them.

They do the roasting at their cafe on Beverly Blvd which is caddy corner to Erewhon.

randytsuch wrote:I don't visit cafe's very often.

Last one I went to was Klatch in the south bay, and I thought it was a good shot, I'd go back there.

Quick side story. I was in the arts district by Little Tokyo/downtown over the long weekend. My daughter wanted a coffee, we stopped at a little hip place that said they were a coffee roaster. I didn't order, but she said it was good. They bought some beans. I looked at if after, the date on the bottom said it was 3 weeks old. I guess better than a supermarket.

Randy

3 weeks is good. There are so many roasters nowadays.

Ruben

JB90068 wrote:You are probably smarter than the rest of us. Stay away from plunging down the rabbit hole.

I mentioned Andante in an earlier post. I've been buying their espresso blend for about three years which is two parts Colombian to four parts Ethiopian. When you buy a bag of beans you get a free drink of choice. I always loved what they served me, but could never replicate it at home. Three grinders and two machines later, I can finally duplicate if not make slightly better shots (to my tastebuds) then what I always get from them. The biggest difference was the grinder. One thing to keep in mind is the roasting date. Speaking with Steven - the owner earlier this week, I found out that they let the roasted beans off gas for seven days before using them in the cafe or packaging them for sale. He told me that the beans are best when used within two weeks of their package date which has never been a problem for me. FWIW - I always unpack my beans and dose them (18g) into bean cellars with one way valves so that they can continue to off gas if necessary. If I ever have extra that I don't use within the two week window, those cellars go into the freezer until I need them.

They do the roasting at their cafe on Beverly Blvd which is caddy corner to Erewhon.

I'm really curious about this place now. The fact that it wasn't easy for you to get the same espresso as theirs, it means the baristas there are serious about their craft.

Ruben

I don't have any barista names but GGET locations have not disappointed me on my trips to LA.

LA has a bunch of good coffee spots. some of my favorites include:

Stumptown Coffee on 7th and Santa Fe
G&B at Grand Central Market
Demitasse is now only in Santa Monica, they closed their little Tokyo location
Bar nine Collective in Culver City
Go Get Em Tiger, Highland park location is the best cause it's next to some good pizza (triple beam)
Alfred Coffee in Silverlake
Intelligentisa in Silverlake
South LA Cafe off of Western and MLK
Verve in the Arts District
Harun in Leimert Park

If you're on the west side, I've always liked Espresso Profeta in Westwood and Cognoscenti Coffee in Culver City.

Profeta gets their beans from Espresso Vivace in Seattle (the Vita blend specifically). Quality of the coffee can be pretty variable across baristas but most of the baristas are consistently good.

Cognoscenti roasts their own beans and generally serves lighter roasts and single origins, have never gotten a bad shot from them.

in here today and saw this thread... back in Jan of 2020 i was in town and visited Copa Vida in Pasadena... i remembered it as not only a visit again place, but i believe i also purchased some beans for home (i live in Phila)... so if they still exist and haven't tanked in terms of quality (locals can chime in)

i'd add that to your list

Nice! Copa Vida is a great little shop in Pasadena. Modern while not pulling too far in either direction. I never get the food there since I live a few streets away but it looks good.

Only place I've enjoyed consistently is Go Get Em Tiger. All locations are great cups, ambiance can vary to taste. Lol

I love buying Klatch coffee but don't enjoy their espresso prepared in shop. Too dark and bitter to my tastes but they make good seasonal drinks if you're feeling decadent.

Enjoy

If I were in LA for very long, I would probably try to find the popup of the Trystero. I think he makes more frequent showings than Thomas Pynchon and Greg may have his Decent Pro along.