Yeah I should probably switch to decaf as well or limit. I already have sleep issues that I am trying to resolve.
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if you like the fruitier third-wave coffees, finding good decaf is actually often not that hard these days since its just one more step in the processing of the beans before roast. if a shop is serving good fruity/acidic coffee, high likelihood that it’s decaf will be decent.
e.g. the decaf from stereoscope i find pretty good (Colombia Aponte Honey Decaf — Stereoscopecoffee.com), or if you can find it, the decafs of diego bermudez beans (e.g. Hatch - Specialty Coffee Roaster - Coffee - El Paraiso Anaerobic Washed Decaf 300g , Manhattan Coffee Roasters)
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Qamaria Coffee in Fullerton. First time trying Yemeni coffee. I didn’t get a shot of espresso since I just finished working out and wanted something cold. Really liked the pistachio latte which had a nice flavor but wasn’t sweetened. Could still taste the coffee. My wife got the Qamaria latte flavored with cardamom which overpowered the drink for me.
Baklava and honeycomb were very good. The honeycomb was cream cheese filled bread glazed with honey and sesame seeds. The pastry selection is much more interesting than your average coffee shop.
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That’s great to hear as I used to love Stereoscope’s regular beans and I love fruity coffees. I’ll give it a shot soon. I find that you gotta really hammer it with higher temperature/more stirring to brew (I use an aeropress) but it can be pretty tasty when it comes out well.
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Buddy in NY says they’re getting a few out there too. Apparently originally from Dearborn.
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Saw this article and thought of this post - didn’t remember how long ago it was but:
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Also came here to say: people in this thread have been recommending Diego Bermudez beans from Manhattan Roasters for a while and I can finally add - yeah, they’re good as hell.
Picked up a bag of his from Highlight Coffee the other day and have been very, very pleased. I keep getting this really cool and super distinct raspberry jam note that I love. (Edit: It’s this one Manhattan Coffee Roasters)
ranking of diego bermudez beans roasted from manhattan (each of them is named after one of his 4 kids)
luna (tastes like blueberry) > letty (tastes like peach) >>> salma >> diego (i also think they all taste 10x better/more interesting as espresso than pourover, but that’s debatably personal taste…)
if you ever see luna roasted by manhattan in the wild, you should immediately pay whatever exorbitant price is being asked…
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Is anybody familiar with Enchanted Coffee? Says they are affiliated with alchemist coffee project in Koreatown. They have a shop in Buena Park and opening soon in downtown Brea.
Anyone been to Mandarin Coffee Stand in Pasadena?
They have coffee from Yunnan, China.
I don’t think I ever seen coffee from Yunnan in LA (until now), SF, or NYC.
Also if you are in eastern SGV, Aroma Craft in Walnut is a good shop.
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Had a pretty good drink there right when they opened, the ‘Toasty’ which is supposedly inspired by YuenYeung. I liked it, tho it was too sweet by the time I got most of the way through and that covered up anything that may have been unique about the coffee itself.
I did have an interesting coffee from Yunnan a few years ago from Arcade Roasters in Riverside.
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Haha I had the pistachio the other day and thought it tasted like pistachio ice cream. Yummy though 
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Stopped back in at Aquarela over the weekend for more beans, sad they ran out of their awesome Fruit Bomb blend but I appreciate that they offer options nobody else has.
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I was impressed. If I can remember they had 3-4 different beans and they all had close relationships with each of the farmers. I like fruity notes so I was really happy. They told me to come back in 2 weeks to try the Catuai 144 which is very berry flavored. Excited.
One disappointment was they don’t do pour overs in the mornings for quality control/time and they only do it the afternoons/less busy.
Never had that before. My drip was good as some pour overs I had.
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They’ve definitely opened my eyes to what Brazilian coffee can be, which is pretty different than my prior perceptions of it.
They’ll also throw in a free drip coffee if you buy a bag of beans, which helps offset the slightly higher prices. I don’t know if they do pour overs in the morning at their other location in DTLA (open during the week only), but might be worth asking if you’re close by.
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Coffee Movement flights are just so ridiculously good.
No ambiance except the occasional cable car rolling by but as far as coffee goes this has to be one of the best
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You been over to the newer Balboa location?
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I have not. This weekend is Outside Lands Festival so I am staying away from that area. I am just here for business and for the day.
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