Haute Coffee
Our picks for the best the micro-roasters have to offer
by LORA ZARUBIN
The LA Times Magazine staffers tasted dozens of coffees over the past several weeks, and honestly, considering how stellar each brew was, picking a favorite among them is like splitting hairs. Listed below are the coffees we unanimously liked, in no particular order. I think we selected a good range, with something for everyone's particular taste. All of the roasters mentioned roast batches daily and ship direct.
Ethiopian Amaro Gayo, Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting
The blueberry nose hits before your first sip. One of the most elegant single-bean coffees we tasted, roasted lightly to bring out the subtleties, chocolate and blueberry. $15 per pound, santacruzcoffee.com.
Friendo Blendo Espresso, Four Barrel Coffee
Tastes like the beans were just picked and blended: spot on, perfect balance. This is the coffee to wake up to every morning. $12.50 per 12 ounces, fourbarrelcoffee.com.
Sulawesi Toarco (Indonesia), Four Barrel Coffee
Hints of herbs, subtle tannins and tobacco can be found in this single-origin coffee. I would drink this black for an afternoon hit. $13.25 per 12 ounces, fourbarrelcoffee.com.
Chez Panisse House Blend, Blue Bottle Coffee Co.
Created especially for Chez Panisse, with Sumatran, Ethiopian and Mexican certified organic coffees. This formula shows what perfect blending can do. It's sophisticated, expressive and simple—just like the food at Chez. $18.50 per pound, bluebottlecoffee.net.
100% Yemen, Blue Bottle Coffee Co.
This is the single-origin coffee that so perfectly expresses terroir, just as Château Rayas showcases the grenache grape—so sophisticated and elegant. $23.75 per pound, bluebottlecoffee.net.
Holler Mountain Blend, Stumptown Coffee Roasters
A brilliant mix of coffee from Latin America and Indonesia that's incredibly full bodied, with notes that include toffee and tobacco. This is a coffee for anyone who wants a cup of coffee that tastes like coffee but with layers of complexity. $11 per 12 ounces, stumptowncoffee.com.
Burundi Bwayi, Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Burundi definitely seems to be the “It” bean everyone is roasting these days. I like Stumptown's version: rich, herbal and with a mellow bite at the end. $12.75 per 12 ounces, stumptowncoffee.com.
Bitches Brew Blend, Groundwork
If you're looking for a great cup of old-school dark French roast, this is the coffee for you. $11.25 per pound, groundworkcoffee.com.
Categories: Drinks / Entertaining / Feature Story
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In a city like LA the only local coffee brews were Goundwork and chez panisse? Maybe your staffer(s) should travel more around LA and less in SF. I though this paper was called the LA times and catered to the local businesses.
Posted by: Sophia | 05/02/2010 at 11:26 PM
totally off base and not centered towards what LA has to offer. this person knew nothing about coffee, clear to anyone interested in the coffee community. groundworks, BTW, is not even owned by groundworks anymore. its part of a large crap conglomerate now. articles and totally loose opinions like this are why the LA TIMES continues to be a totally crap rag. hire some real writers please.
Posted by: nick | 05/03/2010 at 10:24 PM
You're kidding. There are micro-roasters here in L.A. that have strong patronage and worth a boost from this paper. Clearly, the writer has not done her homework. How about a mention for The Conservatory in Culver City? A great little roaster that serves the best cappuccinos I've ever had.
Posted by: ANS | 05/07/2010 at 02:57 PM
Come to O.C. No coffee beats Kean, except the coffee served in Costa Rica, but that doesn't really count for those living here.
Posted by: Jim | 05/12/2010 at 08:27 PM
Wow. Very disappointing. If you're going to hype the bay area, at least give Ritual a nod.
Posted by: munkee | 05/12/2010 at 09:37 PM
I was hoping to see a review of local microroasters in the LA area since this is the LA Times. Perhaps a coffee lover reading this can post a review of local roasters or a link to an existing review.
Posted by: Rick Ward | 05/13/2010 at 11:21 AM
You missed Polly's Pies coffee that's been fresh roasted in Long Beach for many years, unlike these other late-comers. You can smell their coffee roasting from blocks away and it's not $23.75/lbs.
Posted by: mmmth mtskier | 05/13/2010 at 11:58 AM
Lora, you should try the best cup of coffee served right in the heart of Beverly Hills at Coupa Cafe. The coffee is grown in Venezuela (a coffee growing nation), hand selected, roasted and packed in vacuum sealed bags in Caracas and flown DHL to Beverly Hills on a weekly basis. You cannot get any fresher nor tastier than that, from farm to cup.
Posted by: cam | 05/13/2010 at 07:49 PM
The best coffee I've found in LA.
Armenian Dark Roast $2.99 a pound.
Super King Market.
http://www.superkingmarket.com/
Posted by: ASuitableBoy | 05/22/2010 at 01:34 PM
And Jones Coffee Roasters and Jameson Brown, both in Pasadena.
Posted by: Karolein | 05/22/2010 at 07:47 PM
Brew? How can you do an article about good coffee and talk about brew? You don't brew good coffee. Hove you Americans never heard of espresso? Cappucino? Ristretto? Piccolo? Genera?
Posted by: Youngster | 05/24/2010 at 01:13 AM
visiting from the east coast and had the best coffee even...and at 67 i've had a LOT of coffee....at Kings Road Cafe...
Posted by: PatW | 05/24/2010 at 05:29 AM
Give me Kona or Mexican Altura Fina, light roast.
Posted by: Robert | 05/29/2010 at 01:19 PM
Nick, get your facts right...groundwork cafes are owned by the same individual who founded them as Gourmet Coffee Warehouse twenty years ago, RIchard Karno. The wholesale roasting is owned by another locally owned and operated artisan coffee roasting company, Supreme Bean.
No big conglomerates involved at all.
I agree with you that the LA Times (talk about being owned by a big conglomerate...) which should be serving our community by highlighting our local coffee resources (and there are many!) has failed miserably over the years. Too bad...
Posted by: Dances.With.Beans | 05/29/2010 at 09:27 PM
Jones Coffee Pasadena
#1
Posted by: Dean | 06/02/2010 at 04:59 PM
Jones in Pasadena grows, imports and roasts their own coffee. I mean really, LA has more to offer than this....
Posted by: Derek | 06/02/2010 at 09:57 PM
Some grumbles above about the list above not being comprehensive enough, well we've found this website that has ranked pages and pages of coffee offerings in the San Francisco area; http://coffeeratings.com/
We ship anywhere in the world. If we haven't got what you want ask & we'll get it in for you.
http://LondiniumEspresso.com
Posted by: Reiss | 06/03/2010 at 10:13 AM