Los Angeles/OC/San Diego 🌈

[boreal solar]

https://goldenstate.coffee/ they roast a little dark for me but they do well if that’s what you’re looking for.

[fiery crypt]

who brought that moonwake pepe?

wanna know the roast date

[weary chasm]

@compact hound

[ornate ingot]

Anyone been to Bonsai Coffee Bar?

[compact hound]

Honestly idr

The MW pepe is probs like 5-6 weeks off roast now?

Maybe 6

[fiery crypt]

shit was good.. got a lot of peach creamy notes

[compact hound]

Yeah they absolutely killed it with that one I had to share it.

[ornate ingot]

Welp, now I have.

Found it in the specialty coffee shop database

They agreed to let me demo my product before bundling it w/ bags of sold coffee. Got there and they didn't let me use a grinder (EK43), had no way to heat up water either lol. Left my whole box of samples there and came home. I guess they'll get back to me

[drowsy knot]

Do you have a solid mobile setup to fall back on in these situations? That way when you hit that wall you can smile and grab your kit. Make it so easy they can’t help but let you do your thing! They don’t have a grinder? No worries you brought one. No kettle? Same. No outlet? You’ve got a mobile battery pack. Blow their minds!

[ornate ingot]

Definitely won't make the mistake of not bringing my own grinder and whatnot. I don't have a battery pack, although I do have a really long extension cord for power

[drowsy knot]

ime launching businesses people often are willing to help as long as they don’t have to help 😂

[ornate ingot]

True, not that I was asking for free help though, it would increase their sales for sure. Win-win collaboration

[drowsy knot]

totally agree!

[fallen gulch]

sus 006 👀

[fiery crypt]

https://tenor.com/view/ronald-happy-sad-gif-25808143

[drowsy knot]

nightmares of a childhood spent in the underbelly of a McDonalds after school. My mom was an asst manager for a little while. still can’t go near one 😂

[boreal solar]

Fun fact, in my home town in rural Canada, McCafe is the most popular coffee option. It’s branded in browns with a script font etc. it’s insane seeing the difference between here and there.

They serve a lot of “fresh baked” pastries like muffins etc.

[ornate ingot]

On my way to Dayglow. Let's see if they like free money. Edit: They just might. Looks like I'm going to demo it for them at 7 AM tomorrow

[carmine coyote]

If anyone is interested in the aviary 006 official recipe they made for the xbloom omnidripper 155 filters, let me know.

[ornate ingot]

Dang, Dayglow did a good job with this pour over of Ilse. Super long lasting sweet and tangy aftertaste, totally caught me by surprise

[cedar otter]

damn we sold more black coffees than lattes today

so crazy

[mellow sonnet]

i went to mandarin coffee stand today and their ice machine was broken. i never saw so many ppl lineup, see the sign, and then leave

[cedar otter]

oh nooo

[mellow sonnet]

as someone that only drinks hot coffee, i always forget most ppl drink cold

[cedar otter]

was it broken or were they out of ice? they often run out of ice lol

they actually get extra ice delivered during weekends

[mellow sonnet]

when i ordered though they had ice

i was going to do the coffee run next week but its too hot 💀 and if i want to order hot coffee at every location i will die

[cedar otter]

lol I actually sold more Filter 3.0 than lattes

like hot pourover coffee that takes at least 6 mins

[ornate ingot]

Which makes you more moneh?

[cedar otter]

iono if I should factor in my labor

since only I touch the Decent

if not, then the Filter will make me more money per cup

but in theory, an iced latte will take shorter to serve the customer

so if we had lines out the door like mandarin, then definitely lattes

[weary chasm]

throughput you mean

[cedar otter]

something like that

[mellow sonnet]

yeah its always awkward for me bc i get a pourover and im waiting inside while ppl get their ice lattes and move on 💀

[cedar otter]

haha for sure

[mellow sonnet]

are people ordering filter out of curiosity of the machine? or are they ordering it without knowing?

[weary chasm]

i saw a reel of your shop on instagram (random)

something about flash chill

[mellow sonnet]

theres a new shop in OC with the ground control brewer that i want to try too

[glossy sail]

hmm gonna try to visit ondo tomorrow

[cedar otter]

ground control is... a joke

i mean when it works it's wonderful

lol

[cedar otter]

I think it's half and half

[weary chasm]

probably more for the professional

but coffee fest los angeles happening aug 25-27

https://xpressreg.net/register/cfwe0824/landing.asp?sc=LA22

this link will autopopulate LA22 code for $10 off general admission.

so its a grand total of $30. at los angeles convention center.

*but i guess you need to find venue parking of sorts.

[mellow sonnet]

I thought only businesses could go

[ornate ingot]

I just registered

Is there a way for me to set up a stand or something so I can give away free stuff?

[weary chasm]

i think if you wanted to go as an exhibitor you should contact them and it might cost some change.

https://www.coffeefest.com/los-angeles/exhibit

https://www.coffeefest.com/exhibitor-faq

probably email/call to be sure, but i suspect that its probably at least $1500 based on the pdf https://cdn.asp.events/CLIENT_CL_US_323E7AA7_5056_B733_8303D39C538813E0/sites/CoffeeFest/media/2023/Sales-Stuff/CF24-Booth-Pricing-Sheet-(1).pdf

[weary chasm]

yeah.

the intent is for B2B style business.

or i guess any coffee industry people getting to know each other and their products.

[ornate ingot]

Fuck. I'll check that out, if that turns out to be the case I don't have the funds. I'll just walk in carrying cases of bottles and if they kick me out, so be it

[weary chasm]

you can probably wander the exhibit hall and just hand out your samples to the vendors.

exchange contacts.

[ornate ingot]

If I have to smuggle the bottles in, I think they might be too big iykwim

[weary chasm]

lol.

i had 4 bags on me

i guess it was semi ok?

[cold apex]

thats actually pretty cool

[cedar otter]

A lot of ppl do this tbh

[ornate ingot]

If I die, I die

[fiery crypt]

You actually had those mfer make you a pour over lol?

Only ondo coffee will make my pour over 🔥🔥

Was it me or was LA today just packed everywhere

[velvet bone]

is it possible to order in kilos online or is it just possible through brick and mortar?

[fiery crypt]

Most likely for coffee shops

[mellow sonnet]

Shout-out to verbal and ondo for having these

[weary chasm]

Possible. Yes.

Financially worth?... Maybe?

[brave crystal]

Just put "ondo coffee co" as your business.

[weary chasm]

Lol. Buy from Ondo, and pay a middle person tax like Dayglow.

[south brook]

does anyone know who brought the servio botina from flower child? wanted to get a roast date if possible

[fiery crypt]

@compact hound did

[south brook]

@compact hound u brought some absolute bangers man

[compact hound]

It was the least i could do for you guys

[compact hound]

5/13

[south brook]

ty ty

i burped and tasted the watermelon

10/10

[fiery crypt]

that one was one of my favorites

[carmine coyote]

Pulled as spro? How was it?

[fiery crypt]

@cedar otter actually makes pour overs with that decent espresso machine

[ornate ingot]

Does that mean using the shower head as a water dispenser into a dripper rather than a kettle?

[fiery crypt]

correct

[weary chasm]

You can always go to see. Haha

[cedar otter]

It’s been fantastic 4 weeks here at Ondo. Thanks to everyone who came by or ordered coffee from us

4 weeks also mean deep cleaning all the grinders

[weary chasm]

Oh. Is that a hand grinder?

Or a mini electric 48mm hept

I guess not hept. 8 blades?

[cedar otter]

It’s actually robur burrs

I just have all big flat burrs so the conical burr looks tiny in comparison 💀

[raven path]

You’re 10 min away! Will stop by and say hi this week hopefully

I’ll ask for Verbal 😂

Question for the LA crew - what are all the local roasters I should try, and should I drive to pick up or just order online? I just got my first grinder and excited to pull all kinds of shots.

I’m especially interested in roasters who really know what they’re doing when it comes to decaf. We drink a lot of it

[weary chasm]

What roast level you looking for

But as for decaf, usually most roaster only carry one, if they even carry one at all

[cedar otter]

check out familiar coffee - someone just started a decaf roastery

https://familiarcoffee.com/

I heard good things about that halo hartume

[weary chasm]

are they in the area? doesn't show their location on the site

[weary chasm]

usually if you buy beans at the shop, some of them give you some bonus

like a free drink.

but this varies from place to place.

(1) Stereoscope has decent beans, and i do like their drinks. if you buy at the shop, you get a free drink. And they do roast their own, or at least its labeled like so

I haven't tried Intelligensia in a long while, but they are local to LA area.

[multi-roasters, not roasting their own]

• Highlight coffee in Pasadena/Glendale i like, but they don't roast. You can pick up Manhattan coffee roasters here. I think their decaf (from Diego Burmudez) would be special enough to survive the decaf processing.
• the boy and the bear i hear is good too, but I haven't gone. (not sure if multi roasters or roast own)
• play coffee

other than that, i don't know of any Local roasters since i don't actually go out too much.

[cedar otter]

The guy is from long beach

[cedar otter]

Intelli and Stumptown both stopped roasting in LA so they aren’t “local” anymore 😂

[raven path]

No idea! I have to try and see what I like, I’m just starting out. But I think nothing darker than medium-dark because decaf is already stales faster

[raven path]

Oh this has never happened to me yet lol

[weary chasm]

Ask first to see if they have any specials like that

Buy a bean, get a free drip. Etc.

Let's you cry a bit less at the bean prices.

Lol.

Or at least that's how I feel buying beans sometimes.

[raven path]

Oh man. This is so cool! I will reach out

[weary chasm]

$30 beans for 300g and then if you do mental gymnastics, a drink is $6

So it's $24!

[raven path]

Is this what you guys stock? @cedar otter

[cedar otter]

Not yet, but I’ll be getting Wilton Benitez EA anaerobic decaf from September soon

[mellow sonnet]

play coffee gives you a free drink of choice when you buy beans. can confirm ive bought beans and gotten a 16$ pourover for free 🤡

[fiery crypt]

16 bucks for a pour over?

[cedar otter]

Was it that gesha from MAME

I think I ordered that coffee and split it among like 5 people last time

[mellow sonnet]

yeah it was the mame with the watermelon note

it was prob one of my fave beans last year tbh but was also def the most expensive beans i have bought

[weary chasm]

I think the owner (?) or manager (?) saw I bought like 3 bags of coffee and 3 shots of espresso so I got two play tokens to exchange for a drink later. Lol

I guess you have to add that markup on the beans, but it's nice that it is available to buy without needing to wait for shipping from overseas

[cold apex]

+1 for stereoscope, does vary by location but the one i had in santa clara was fucking top notch

[south brook]

can definitely vouch for stereoscope at the sunset location as well, very solid

[velvet bone]

stereoscope in Irvine is great!

Klatch in Rancho is great as well, I really enjoy their espresso tonics and the beans are good, but not roasted as light as I personally would like

[cold apex]

i live right by rancho klatch, has disappointed me more often than not. really soupy pourovers that are at poor ratios...something like 1:22

[mellow sonnet]

i want to like klatch so much but ive been underwhelmed everytime rip

chino, rancho, and upland all underwhelmed me

living inland sucks

[velvet bone]

can't say I've had their pour overs, disapointing to hear

[dull adder]

A shop near me does this. But one time I asked for the drip coffee and the barista looked at me like "huh?" And then was like well I guess I can get you a cup. It was super awkward for me

[weary chasm]

I'm imagining the conversation

"it's what your shop does."

"I never heard of that"

But yeah. Don't ask don't get

Depends on how you feel though

I'm OK to look dumb (sometimes)

[boreal solar]

Klatch has been a lot more inconsistent lately. I find the Ontario to be more reliable than Rancho fwiw.

Are you back in Fontana?

[boreal solar]

I dig slowbloom in Redlands depending on where in the IE you are. It's a cute shop.

[cedar otter]

slowbloom is good

[fiery crypt]

i need to get a $16 pour over with a 1:22 ratio

[velvet bone]

I will be tomorrow night

[boreal solar]

It's actually sort of impressive how inconsistent someone can be while using a poursteady tbh. All you need to do is dose properly and it should make a good cup.

[cedar otter]

aviary 006 will be on bar starting tomorrow

and prodigal's diego bermudez washed chiroso for SO spro

herby coffee

[cold apex]

sounds like i gotta order both when i head down there

[cold apex]

sounds like we need an inland coffee meetup

iron & kin is okay, slowbloom is very good, arcade is somewhere in-between, although ive heard the owner was racist

klatch is middling

[mellow sonnet]

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8qZzY8p0me/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

mandarincoffeestand

We are excited to share some beautiful coffees with you from @glitch_coffee. ✨
If you are visiting Japan and asking for coffee shop recommendations, GLITCH COFFEE ROASTERS is going to be on the list without a doubt. Ever since they first opened in 2015, they had soon become one of the most recognized roasters in Japan serving top quality single ...

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152

Instagram

in other news pasadena will have some glitch for a bit

[cold apex]

pasadena! <3. theres a ton of lovely coffee around there and monrovia and sierra madre

unfortunately the upland/rancho/fontana area is lacking...ive gotta be the first lol

[cedar otter]

IE is also HUGE

I used to deliver there every other week during the pandemic

[mellow sonnet]

i drive from IE to pasadena for work 🤡

[cedar otter]

damn rip

5 days a week?

hope you have a carpool sticker or something

[mellow sonnet]

4 for now but its not much better

[cedar otter]

you been to Tulip House?

[dull adder]

You think it will be available on the 1st? I'm bringing a friend to Ondo then

[cedar otter]

it should

I had it since last Tuesday haha

Been carefully resting it

[ornate ingot]

Has anyone tested heated storage for accelerated resting?

[cedar otter]

like UPS trucks?

[ornate ingot]

Maybe

[cedar otter]

my upstairs storage space is actually hot as balls

maybe 2 days there equals to 7 days

[ornate ingot]

I'm thinkin' something like this where you get to control temp pretty precisely https://empiricaltea.com/heated-storage-system/

[cedar otter]

wait....

empirical tea?!

lemongrass, lavender, and grapefruit

herby with lots of citric acidity

it's funny bc I didn't get any herbs last week

[ornate ingot]

Now kinda defunct

[cedar otter]

damn

[ornate ingot]

All of the important stuff will get moved over. Legacy will live on

[cold apex]

havent, ive seen that one rec'd a lot though

[cedar otter]

it's a fun little place; the owners are kinda introverts

[fiery crypt]

How long should we rest Aviary?

Aight dope

[ornate ingot]

Can't find tulip house on maps

[weary chasm]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ETSJmKehKk46Vws49

That one star review though with the charging for electric

[ornate ingot]

Thank you! Too far for me. I love the look of it though

Did a photoshoot with photographer Parker Coffman today. He agreed to do it for free product. Turns out he doesn't even brew coffee or tea at home and just enjoys the process of photography as a hobby

https://www.instagram.com/parker.coffman?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I was floored by that. He did really good work too. Just wanted to share his profile, he deserves business for sure

[boreal solar]

Who knows, maybe we can fix that soon.

[vivid violet]

thanks for the pointer ! I'll have to check it out:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VAYcLGVZPZYQqBjU9

[cedar otter]

@ornate ingot thanks for posting about my shop on reddit

[ornate ingot]

Least I could do

[cedar otter]

Calvin actually saw it on his Reddit app

I guess he subbed to r/pourover years ago haha

[cold apex]

will shill it right now

[cold apex]

r/pourover and r/espresso are echoes of EA

and r/tea are echoes of r/pourover and r/espresso

its a little asd

sad

[cedar otter]

😂

[ornate ingot]

That's overly complimentary to r/tea

[cold apex]

r/barista is also an echo

its all starbucks workers 😭

[weary chasm]

Aiden demo

I don't think I ever see myself doing batch... But for sure people, it might make sense. But it would seem to be a cool event

[cedar otter]

it's cool if your household has like 2 or 3 working people and they all need coffee

before they head out to work

apparently it really makes good coffee

[ornate ingot]

What's the max brew temp?

[cedar otter]

99C

210F

[ornate ingot]

That's good, wonder why the xbloom is capped at 95 C. Not that they fill the same roles but still both coffee machines.

xBloom could be a real option for me down the road if not for that. 95 C limit categorically eliminates itself from my consideration

I don't remember the last time I had to go that cool for a washed ultralight

[cedar otter]

it's very difficult to make a brewing machine that goes higher than 95C for various reasons

Aiden probably has a second heating element just before the showerhead

[weary chasm]

Xbloom is 95c for recipe pour

You can probably go 98c in manual brewing.

Or 2c below your boiling point altitude

[ornate ingot]

We need a tetsubin style kettle but with a gooseneck, that goes on a hot plate and boils the water all the way to the very tip of the spout

I have tried using my tetsubin but the flow just isn't controllable enough

[weary chasm]

You could get the aiden for single cups. But then you could just DIY manual pour. Lol

It also uses the more common filters for batch brew.

The big filters.

[ornate ingot]

Yeah it's not a real need for me, I do enjoy my manual pour overs

I'm still way too into the process of learning based on feedback of my own pours to delegate that

[weary chasm]

@drowsy knot i guess your San Francisco roaster is good enough. But this was some new tech dropped today. Lol. More of the same though I guess.

[weary chasm]

Get the xbloom to compare your pours VS a robot

Or go visit someone who has one.

[ornate ingot]

Do you brew Sey in yours?

[weary chasm]

Been brewing apollons gold.

I'll brew sey once it's a bit more rested.

Dweller brews ultralights on their xbloom with a negotiator.

[fiery crypt]

if it aint off the boil i aint having it lol

[cedar otter]

Jack from Endorffeine has left the chat.

[fiery crypt]

[ornate ingot]

I'm getting flashbacks of coal memes

(I have yet to try AG)

[fiery crypt]

dude i need to try his stuff lol

i wonder if hes down for pics if i take my camera

[ornate ingot]

I asked for permission and he allowed it. That's how he ended up on my IG

[fiery crypt]

Oh dope !

So he’s not a jerk after all ?

lol

[ornate ingot]

I know you're joking but for anyone else: He's super duper nice and chill, even chiller than his brew temp

[drowsy knot]

Nice! Yeah the sf-1 was a real stretch though has paid for itself over the last 15 years.

I’ve been playing with brew temps between 85c-90c the last couple weeks and really love it. Shorter blooms, a little courser with the 64mm brew burrs + orea. Will be rocking that on my coffee cart at my pop up this weekend to benefit the LA Food Bank if anyone is in silver lake. I’ll post in the events channel a little later today. If you only have time for one stop, hit up @cedar otter at Ondo but otherwise hope to see you! No prices, pay what you like/can - 100% profit to charity 😁

[carmine coyote]

Anyone in the group here have a 3D printer that uses PETG? I want to print a negotiatior for my xBloom
Omnidripper. Trade ya a couple cups worth of Proud Mary beans.

[drowsy knot]

Not sure if we have PETG but we do have a lulzbot mini which can use that material. Will ask my son

[carmine coyote]

Thanks! Regardless, I'm going to try to swing by your cart this Saturday with my wife.

[drowsy knot]

ok looks like we have PLA which I used to print my orea negotiator, and polyflex tpu which I use to print bellows for my grinders. Sadly no PETG

[carmine coyote]

If PLA works for you, it works for me! I'm not going to be getting the filters particularly hot, so I think out would be fine.

[drowsy knot]

I’m printing tomorrow so if you send me the file (and my printer is large enough) i can maybe have it for the weekend. Text is fine and my number should be in dms. If not a link here works too 👍

[cedar otter]

Got some fun coffees in today!

[ornate ingot]

Is that flavoring?

[tight gorge]

INfUSiOn

[cedar otter]

Two thermal shock process coffees from two different producers who are known for their advanced processing (Diego Bermudez and Wilton Benitez), and a “crazy” decaf that is full of fruity flavors

[compact hound]

Are you gonna be serving that wilton

[cedar otter]

I got the diego as bulk bag

[compact hound]

You should spro it

[cedar otter]

Yes both

I heard it brews better as a filter

We’ll see 👀

[compact hound]

[cedar otter]

Also will be getting some custom profile Moonwake Nova series on retail 👀

Prob arriving on Saturday

[fiery crypt]

BOTz when though

need to stop by again

[cedar otter]

bro they haven't even shipped my order from LAST WEEK

he said he will ship this Saturday

which means it should get here like next Fri/Sat

[crystal skiff]

Woah what profile 👀

[cedar otter]

Somewhere between light and ultralight 👀

[crystal skiff]

aji?

[cedar otter]

yup!

[ornate ingot]

So I just learned that xbloom studio goes up to 98 C which definitely changes things

I thought all xblooms were 95 C max, my bad

[weary chasm]

its 95c max in recipe brews.

[weary chasm]

this is true only in manual brewing, and if your altitude is low.

[ornate ingot]

What's the difference between recipe brews and manual?

[weary chasm]

Well. Recipe brew is you just let the robot control

Manual is well.. Manual?

You choose the pour patterns and you can pause.

[ornate ingot]

How does the robot know what how many pours, temp, etc?

[weary chasm]

Recipe from the recipe card or the app sends it

If you do it via these methods then the max is 95c

Ideally you do want 95c recipes for your ultra lights.

Imagine you travel to the mountain areas to demo your water. Or for yourself. Is it an excuse to say the cup is bad because your boiling is only 95c?

Constraints do have creative problem solving.

[ornate ingot]

Maybe I should make a more intense water for high altitude brewing

[ornate ingot]

Anyway, why would 95 C be ideal for ultralights?

[weary chasm]

I don't think it's "ideal".

I think they chose 95c because it works in different regions and altitudes.

As in. Off the top, would be Denver, Colorado where boiling is 95c or 203f

But I guess the recipe would auto get downgraded 2 degrees c?

[fiery crypt]

https://tenor.com/view/creepy-mcdonalds-ronald-mcdonald-gif-25639406

lol

[cedar otter]

Fuhhh I ordered too much coffee

🫥

[tight gorge]

Wdym

[fiery crypt]

https://tenor.com/view/clown-mcdonalds-oh-wow-surprised-gif-16021560

[opal junco]

like the backup stuff you had to buy after all us weirdos emptied out your aviary stash? or did the moonwake and botz stuff hit

[fiery crypt]

i mean we ready to buy botz shit too though lol

[cedar otter]

September, botz, counter culture, luminous all landing within 7 day period

And moonwake

September landed yesterday, moonwake probs landing tomorrow, lumi and ccc landing on Weds, and botz prolly landing Weds/Fri

[crystal skiff]

you can brew ULs fine at 95c

[raven path]

Moving down to Costa Mesa soon, any local roaster and specialty cafe reccos down there near Newport/Irvine?

[cedar otter]

Moongoat, Daydream, WIP, Stereoscope

[crystal skiff]

This aji is very good

[cedar otter]

i got 8 of these hahaha

[fiery crypt]

Damn I gotta swing by

[ornate ingot]

I really just need a bucket sized guinness butterscotch cream latte

[dull adder]

I just realized Ondo is closed on Monday 😭
I planned on bringing a friend there and I wanted to try the Aviary Coffee

@cedar otter will the store be open on the 4th?

[weary chasm]

Rip

[dull adder]

We're going to Endorffeine too. Trying to think of somewhere else

[cedar otter]

Yaaaas

[cedar otter]

After this week, we will open 7 days

[dull adder]

Yeah I saw that on Instagram which made me realize you're closed today

[cedar otter]

I mean… I’ll still be at the shop today haha

[dull adder]

I'll come stare at you through the window lol

I can find another coffee shop, it's all good

[weary chasm]

private session

[dull adder]

What times? 😅
We're interested

[cedar otter]

Probably 11-2

[dull adder]

Sick we'll come by!

[cedar otter]

Gonna go to endorffeine now then go over to ondo haha

[dull adder]

We're already at Endorffeine
Or are you saying you're stopping by here?

[cedar otter]

Yes leaving home now lol

See u in 15 😂

[dull adder]

The rare espresso today is Pepe Jijon, roasted by Sey

[cedar otter]

Yup

[cedar otter]

Are you still here?

[crystal skiff]

dang i gotta make a socal trip soon

ya'll sound like cool people

[cedar otter]

@dull adder after getting an espresso shot from Ondo: “this shot was better than the Rare Espresso from Endorffeine” 🤣

[dull adder]

"Best coffee shop in LA"
-me

Seriously though love the shop. Beautiful interior, all the toys, something for everyone and done well

Huge thanks

[primal laurel]

Is @young spindle still making an appearance

[young spindle]

yea

Sunday

@cedar otter what's a good time

[cedar otter]

it will be busy all day I feel like

we've been getting busier and busier

but feel free to come thru

allen said you and him are helping us close on Sunday?

LOL

[weary chasm]

What a great problem to have.

[young spindle]

What time is closing

My rates are really high

[cedar otter]

3pm

[young spindle]

Moonwake bar takeover

Oh Ondo is closed Mondays? Bryan let's go bother sherry on the Monday LOL

[cedar otter]

not after we grand open

it will be a 7 day operation after you come haha

i wont be taking any time off for a while

[young spindle]

I forgot it's full open 🫠

[cedar otter]

hopefully I can find a full timer

that can work like... sat sun mon tues

so I can have mon tues covered

[young spindle]

Tempted to come after lunch

I feel like I'm gonna wake up at like 10am

[cedar otter]

yeah tahts fine

[cold apex]

if the commute wasn't 45 minutes...

[weary chasm]

"for the experience" right?

But yeah. 45 min commute one way is rough

[boreal solar]

Hey we need you.

[fiery crypt]

you need a barista homie?

[cedar otter]

I think I found someone temporarily

[cold apex]

thats code for "i dont want any of you degenerates in my cafe'

[cold apex]

nuh uhhh ..

[boreal solar]

I need someone to serve my ultralights to disgusted IE community members who just want a good strong cup of coffee.

[cedar otter]

I hate the word strong

Is it TDS?

Ratio?

🫥

Every time a customer asks if our coffee is strong….

[boreal solar]

They’re usually looking for something bitter with a traditional dark roast profile in my experience.

But that’s not the case 100% of the time either

[weary chasm]

Do you ask what they mean? Lol

[cedar otter]

I just give them decaf

[weary chasm]

Is your decaf "strong"

[cedar otter]

Very

[cedar otter]

👀 🤖

[fiery crypt]

aint nothing but a mfin pour over paarrrrttyyy parrrtyy

[tight gorge]

12oz always keeps me from buying

[fiery crypt]

Scared ?

[tight gorge]

^ this

[ornate ingot]

Does Botz have a spotty track record or something?

[tight gorge]

that said, as per my name sake, anyone want to split?

lol

[ornate ingot]

If the track record is clean, why the concern?

I interpreted this to mean Botz has a clean track record of roasts

Gotcha. I did hear from one person today that the Costa Rica tasted baked

Different discord

Not in LA but @cunning yoke

[fiery crypt]

im gonna have to help danny

[ornate ingot]

Unrelated, just had lumi instant and to me it's pretty good

Tastes like lumi

It's actually nice

I'm gonna spro the 200 hour anaerobic or whatever it was

[cedar otter]

I got blank bags at the shop

[cedar otter]

Put it on filter today and it was lovely

[cunning yoke]

I love Botz but he doesn't have absolute consistency, but there's basically no roaster who does. TW is the closest for sure though

[ornate ingot]

Can't seem to find any indication of how much coffee is in the lumi

On the scale it reads 7.5 oz incl. bag

Dry aroma-wise, reminds me of the bowl of noodles I got from Qin West in the same plaza as Endorffeine

Spicy, nutty, meaty

[cedar otter]

200 grams

[ornate ingot]

I really want that noodle now

[tight gorge]

those noodles are fire. underrated spot

vietnameese spot is bomb too. pork bahn mi is fire.

[ornate ingot]

That was so good

Like a more acidic version of that bowl of noodles

[cedar otter]

😂

accidental vinegar drops

[ornate ingot]

I just looked up Qin West on maps and there's a whole bunch. I had no idea it was a chain

[tight gorge]

rip me neither, I hate it now

[primal laurel]

For me, the tasting notes always promise more than the coffee can deliver

[compact hound]

That can be said with like 90% of roasters tho

[primal laurel]

I disagree. Botz's promise more than the typical listed tasting notes

[cedar otter]

Also botz go ham on the tasting notes

[primal laurel]

That's what I mean

[cedar otter]

What does he roast on? Bullet?

🤔

[boreal solar]

Botz is pretty good from what I've seen. They used to do really well with a Buckeye. Not sure what he uses these days though.

So what you're saying is that if I drop my bags to 100g and charge the same price you'd be more likely to buy? 🤔

I figured. I was just being a smart alek.

[cedar otter]

oh I have considered H&S for sure

Just have backlog of roasters I promised to carry....

and Botz order got delayed

I think I need one international soon (outside of canada)

[boreal solar]

I've heard good things about buckeye from a supprot standpoint. They sort of resemble Dongyi/Yoshan which makes me wonder if they're outsourcing though.

[boreal solar]

+1 for Glitch.

[cedar otter]

Mandarin is carrying them, and they are impossible to get a hold of

I even emailed them in Japanese

[boreal solar]

hmmm... Kurasu might be interesting since its a tad darker. Not my thing but specialty dark roasts are hard to come by in this area.

[cedar otter]

yes, I actually signed up for their wholesale acct too lol

[compact hound]

I guess thats fair

[cedar otter]

all your support allows me to move more beans and try more roasters. Thanks y'all

[boreal solar]

I should bring you some of mine to try when I upgrade my roaster. For now I can't really keep up with orders with my little bullet though. 😅

[cedar otter]

you've been supporting harder than some friends I've known for years

[compact hound]

You’re a cool dude and carrying good coffee

Having owners like you is going to help improve the coffee scene here

[fiery crypt]

You’re a cool dude and carrying good coffee
Having owners like you is going to help improve the coffee scene here x2

[cedar otter]

[cold apex]

i got the finca costa rica coming in soon

[cold apex]

<3 :). plan on coming in on july 6th. but i might come sooner. who knows

[cedar otter]

we're open july 4th

I wish I had a small grill in the back

secretly make burgers

and cause a small fire

[boreal solar]

Need to go all in and use a smoker. Claim it’s smoke from a coffee roaster if anyone asks.

[cedar otter]

Giving away these oreos for customers tomorrow

And selling these for a dollar

[carmine coyote]

Took a trip to Mandarin with @vivid violet and another friend. Ordered some Glitch Columbian, traded with a coffee mate, as we liked the other's better.

@cedar otter recommended Ondo to both, plus a new friend we made there.

[mellow sonnet]

💀 when i went there was only ethiopian left

[ornate ingot]

I was there yesterday, all I could order from Glitch was the iced pour over which admittedly was very nice

Definitely better than my own (very few) attempts at iced pour over

Meanwhile this 200 hour lumi... easily the best anaerobic I've had, although from a very small sample size

Still enjoying it as spro

Do anaerobics tend to be harder to extract evenly as spro?

[ornate ingot]

I almost never see this kind of pattern on my usual washed coffees

[tight gorge]

Just in time to grab the last cold brew growler

[ornate ingot]

Result-wise I'm already getting what I want

Just making observations. The grind looks a lot finer, like straight up powder compared to other beans ground at the same setting

[ornate ingot]

Same grind setting

[fiery crypt]

he sells growlers

[tight gorge]

Yeah, pricey but worth it at my rate of consumption which is a two shots of cold brew after lunch

[drowsy knot]

Not an espresso expert but ran about 5lbs of my anaerobic natural brazil through my decent over the weekend for a fundraiser and never had a puck like that. Unibasket with puck screen - no bottom filter

[fiery crypt]

how many oz are his growlers

[tight gorge]

32oz for $24

[primal laurel]

Yeah was gonna suggest to try to grind coarser

[cedar otter]

I used to sell these too. A lot cheaper than that price LOL should I do it again

single origin flash brew

[cedar otter]

aiite

Prodigal Ecuador COE coffees are on bar next weekend

with September's Buttercream LOL

it's gonna be the most polarizing offerings

[fiery crypt]

Try it out for a week or so and see how it goes. I mean it is summer

[cedar otter]

I used to do 64 oz

for about 20-22

[fiery crypt]

Are they light roast or medium?

Even though I’m a light roast mfer I find that cold brews /flash brews are best with mediumish roasts

[tight gorge]

Light is dank tho, minimizes the brown notes the most

[rich anchor]

lol yep

[tight gorge]

Might be 64oz actually. 32oz sounds tiny haha

[cedar otter]

Brewing buttercream on filter 3.0 tasted like weed today 😂 maybe I shouldn’t push it as hard

Around 21% EY

[rich anchor]

It’s certainly a coffee that excels on espresso

It’s good on filter, but it’s a creamy sweet espresso

[cedar otter]

Yup waiting for that to degas more

[rich anchor]

But yes, very opposite to a COE from Ecuador lol

[cedar otter]

I need to order more september 😱 almost sold out

[cedar otter]

Just 3 bags remaining

[rich anchor]

I’m not a dairy drinker often, but buttercream also makes a stellar flat white

[cedar otter]

I can imagine!

[fiery crypt]

Butter cream latte over ice

[cedar otter]

buttercream in our guinness butterscotch cream latte

[drowsy knot]

Happy Grand Opening!

with my two fav ladies ❤️

[ornate ingot]

Pulled 8 more shots of that coffee, all parameters kept equal except I ground it a little coarser each time. By the end, there was hardly any resistance left, like 1-2 bars max. Still looks uneven visually

I will say, every single shot tasted good

Still prefer the original shot with the finest grind size, most sweetness by far

[compact hound]

Which botz did you get 👀👀👀

[ornate ingot]

On my way to Ondo!

[drowsy knot]

I have to stop buying coffee 😂

[drowsy knot]

Grab a taco too if you’re not veggie/vegan, they are amazing!

Not familiar with Botz roast level. Anyone know how it compares to TPC/Aviary? Not sure which to open first…

[muted river]

Is that a co ferment??

[drowsy knot]

Had to look it up on their site: The “washed” lot from Mate Matiwos, actually ended up being designated as a “white honey” because not all of the mucilage was removed at the end of the 48-hour fermentation.

[primal laurel]

Huh so weird, yeah the coloration probably related to the processing somehow then

[primal laurel]

What ice cream flavors are you picking up

[compact hound]

Aviary and TPC roast significantly lighter than botz does

Botz is comparable to prodigal

[drowsy knot]

Thanks that was my instinct and I ended up opening the botz 👍. Gonna let those others rest

[drowsy knot]

Yeah those flavor notes are silly, lol

[crude citrus]

@cedar otter congrats on the grand opening. Thanks for the last serving of the Geisha too. Will have to come back again!

[cedar otter]

Thank you for coming!

We got dangerously low

[cedar otter]

Thanks for coming!!

[opal junco]

I'll be there tomorrow with a few others, so account for at least two other BANA weirdos checking your stock 🙂

[cedar otter]

Might serve these on bar

[slate niche]

congrats on the grand opening! came by earlier today and got to try the supersidra and barbie girl gesha on filter along with some of the spros available w/ a couple of friends

[cedar otter]

ohhh thank you!!

shoulda said you're from the discord group hahaha

I normally have a nice washed coffee for spro/filter but I got wiped out

[slate niche]

all good! everything we had was plenty tasty. hopefully i’ll be able to swing by another time!

[cedar otter]

@young spindle bar takeover

[weary chasm]

Mini popup in a shop

[fiery crypt]

That was fun

[young spindle]

thanks for showing up to the kimoi meetup 🥲

congrats to @cedar otter for grand opening!

[fiery crypt]

For reals shout out to @cedar otter !

[compact hound]

Huge thank you to @cedar otter for letting us stay well after closing ❤️

[cedar otter]

Thank you all for coming and sharing your coffees with me (and everyone else!)

[weary chasm]

Thanks for the melodrip sale.

[weary chasm]

Definitely trying to get your nomad to a new home. 😂

[drowsy knot]

Also posted this in the zerno channel but in case anyone else here is messing around with layered shots: https://visualizer.coffee/shots/4c701ac0-63a9-4398-9c78-e145e3265f63

tldr it was tasty 😂

though ran much longer than I expected

[mellow sonnet]

i really need to buy that kinto sepia carafe 👀

it fits under the filter 3

im still doing jank remove drip tray stuffs

makes me not like using it

[fiery crypt]

the sepia color is dope

[weary chasm]

Very nice.

[weary chasm]

It's so nice

[cedar otter]

I have last one

[mellow sonnet]

stop tempting me 😭

[tight gorge]

New coffee shop in SM. The fact that they have a SO PO menu gives me a glimmer of hope.

they use cognoscenti beans though

[cedar otter]

lmao

is this 2012

[young spindle]

Amai coffee madge

[tight gorge]

La la land and Lamill missing on See and Be Seen is egregious

[surreal pivot]

MCO has great coffee

[tight gorge]

im a bit upset that I have never been, bean selections looks very nice

[drowsy knot]

Lamill mostly people don’t notice cause the celebs walk down from my neighborhood in their pajamas like trader joes. Everyone kinda looks the same with bed-head and covered in cotton print

[surreal pivot]

Loquat has no parking. Should be disqualified

[tight gorge]

Pre-restaurants it was manageble, now its so bad

[weary chasm]

Not neutral vero glass weigh a lot.

Maybe it sounds obvious. But lol. Their latte glass are at least a pound.

[surreal pivot]

It’s not worth even trying to go

They should close that place next to it that always burns their pizza slices

[tight gorge]

I event started getting the coconut latte from 1802 roasters lmao

[weary chasm]

Is La mill good?

I've seen their bags at whole foods and it does look pretty

[tight gorge]

No, just a spot to see celebrities

[tight gorge]

that place is dankkkk

I saw frodo there once lol

[surreal pivot]

I liked it the first time I went. Then every time after they burned my crust

[tight gorge]

fair, i moved out of the area and havent been in 6months

[surreal pivot]

Is Be bright worth checking out?

[tight gorge]

owner won US barista last year after trying for like 10 years

for that alone I want to check it out, prob a latte place like most in LA

[surreal pivot]

Hmm I’ll have to catch them at smorgasburg. I avoid melrose at all costs

[tight gorge]

Ondo, file systems and be bright all there!

[dull adder]

Loquat on a Friday morning I parked up the hill from there. Plenty of parking if you can walk

[civic crest]

across the street in the neighborhood?

[fiery crypt]

lol why do you avoid melrose ? parking?

[civic crest]

i like to stay in my westside bubble lol

[compact hound]

Was unimpressed with the 3 drinks i got from MCO when I went last year. Spro, cortado, iced latte

[compact hound]

Shin’s is so fucking bad

[compact hound]

I think elijah wood is a little bit of a foodie

[tight gorge]

Shins was objectively good when they opened

[compact hound]

Okay to be fair i ordered slices

I can definitely see it being better as a whole pie

[tight gorge]

And to be fair to me I only ordered cheese and pep skipped the rest

[compact hound]

My slices were all so dried out and i waited so long to get it

I was the only one there

[tight gorge]

lol

[compact hound]

This was like 3 days after opening

[tight gorge]

Not a hill I will die on tbf

[compact hound]

Do you like holbox

[tight gorge]

Nah

It’s a crime their dishes need salt

[compact hound]

I’ve never been but i hear good things

[tight gorge]

Mariscos zazaza is my top choice

[compact hound]

Never had it

Or heard of it

Must investigate

[tight gorge]

They nail the Baja flavors, only place I can say that does that

Like everything has legit flavors, now I want some

im getting a Cafelat Robot today, pretty hype about it

[surreal pivot]

Try that on a Saturday or Sunday 🤣.

[surreal pivot]

I can walk, there’s just nowhere to put my car. Friday mornings I’m usually at work

[surreal pivot]

Latte I got there on Sunday was 🔥

[civic crest]

ah yeah i've only been on a weekday lol

[surreal pivot]

I see those spots are further east on melrose which is less of a head ache. But mainly the crowds and uptick in violence

[compact hound]

Where are they located? I cant find it

[tight gorge]

https://www.google.com/search?q=mariscos+za+za+za

only open for lunch, loreto is the night time restaurant

[compact hound]

Appreciate it! Definitely gonna keep this on the radar

[cedar otter]

He won this year and hasn’t tried competing for 9 years

[mellow sonnet]

i tried going to be bright last year and they were doing renovations 😢 its a little over 2hr drive for me

def want to go and try again thou

i met the owner at a coffee event and tried their beans and its pretty good too tbh

[opal junco]

hmm @cold apex am I remembering correctly that you're into photography? i guess open question for all, wondering if you have recs for a couples photographer

[cedar otter]

Lol “renovation”

[tight gorge]

spill the beans

[cedar otter]

Send me a DM

I can't publicly talk about it

[tight gorge]

All good, not my business. Must be juicy though... haha

[cedar otter]

haha it's something so dumb

not anything juicy really

but like first time business owner 101

[low mantle]

Ive been lurking here to get more info on the LA coffee scene.

I hit be bright a month back or so any bought some beans and a few drinks. You get a free espresso for buying beans.

My wife still talks to this day about their special Carmel latte they offer. It was tasty. We also thought the kid friendly play area was a nice touch. LA tends to not be children friendly so it’s a nice to feel welcomed.

[tight gorge]

My son liked Awakening, they have a large space in the back and usually a cybertruck is parked there https://g.co/kgs/csr7bHZ

[cold apex]

i don't unfortunately, though i recommend going through instagram/facebook for photography accounts/groups or peeling through profiles of married friends and seeing who took their wedding photos or family photos and the sort

[low mantle]

What kind of photography? My cousin does photography for some coffee related companies. Another friend does photography for a lot of surf/clothing brands.

[low mantle]

Oh neat, I’ll check that out. I’m on the west side of LA so that isn’t too much of a trek for us.

[tight gorge]

having lived on the east side for 4 years, its rough out here

🚨 Curious how many people here would be interested in a "book club" for coffee. We do a group buy of a coffee and I mail out samples to everyone. We all get to try it and compare notes. 🚨

[opal junco]

like an engagement shoot. Been looking along the ig/website route but everyone is crazy expensive (like...p64 territory) so I figure if I'm gonna drop that kind of change, I may as well take a recommendation

[mellow sonnet]

Isn't that basically Mystery coffee league

Try it and compare notes

Realize how bad I am at tasting 😢

[compact hound]

That would be sick!

Maybe do it like once every 3 months?

LA coffee club sub

[tight gorge]

Yeah, but this is the SoCal club, its obvi cooler 😎

and yeah im thinking every 3 months or so.

really just an excuse to carry the momentum of the previous meetup and grow the SoCal community 💫 ✨

[compact hound]

That would be sick

[tight gorge]

I'm thinking this bad boy to start on easy mode. I'll personally buy the 1kg of beans to kick it off and yall just pay for shipping. Deal?

if we do 30/40g dose based on your preference we can fit 20+ people

[compact hound]

Dealioooo

We need to get more peeps on tjis

[compact hound]

Would you want me to share this on IG to see if i can find more peeps with interest?

[tight gorge]

yeah down for that, willing to give first dibs to anyone here first. Shipping should be like $5 max Id say

[compact hound]

Bet

Venmo you rn fr

[tight gorge]

haha. lets see how much hype we generate in the next day or so. But regardless down to do it even with a tiny group.

[compact hound]

Lfg

[dull adder]

I liked the photos from our wedding photographer. And I believe she wasn't too expensive, but idk if she only does weddings. She did an engagement shoot with us
https://laurenkovacik.com

[cold apex]

i already got a bag from my sub, it just finished resting and i cant wait to drink

[opal junco]

i have this sneaking suspicion that after i'm tired of trying to snipe the hype TPC/aviary drops, i'll just get an H&S sub and be happier
...oh wait the sub is sold out isn't it

[cold apex]

btw id love to join, i have a hard time finishing bags...i like a little 30-40g. my attention span is small for coffees

[drowsy knot]

I’m in and on the east side so might not even need shipping. Happy to pay either way though! Also just bought a vacuum sealer if you want to bag and label all official-like

[drowsy knot]

taking me back…😂

[carmine coyote]

I'm interested!

[dull adder]

Same! Also I only drink 18g per day, sometimes no coffee. It takes me a while to get through bags

[thick depot]

me too!

[fallen gulch]

might not be the best to do hs sub coffees since half the people here probably have subs

also could be neat if the bags were doles out in person at a meetup too (although gas would cost more than shipping for a lot of us lol)

[tight gorge]

true, there does seem to be some good interest on this one as is. Open to any recs for sure. I recall during the meetup people loved letty so I think a flavor bomb would be well received.

I also have fomo about this coffee myself haha

[drowsy knot]

a dozen hundred gram bags from bk? 😂

[tight gorge]

this is ideal but when is the next meetup haha.

[fiery crypt]

Might be Down

[low mantle]

Anyone try this Wilson coffee in Costa Mesa? $19 a lb for certified organic coffee. Supposedly they’ve been roasting since the 80’s. I worry it’s gonna be coal. 😬

[tight gorge]

since the 80s... for sure coal

[low mantle]

Their about section on their website says the son took over the business in 2011.

My wife says their standard milk they offer is raw milk too. That’s a bold move.

[tight gorge]

i was into raw milk for a bit, then stopped. the company I bought it from has had a few salmonella outbreaks since 😬

[low mantle]

My son’s friend got salmonella from the organic pastures milk. It was rough for him.

I can’t stand it personally. It’s just so strong in flavor.

Also the price is insane, like $12-15 dollars a gallon.

[compact hound]

Raw milk obsession is cringe IMO

[tight gorge]

The best raw milk is the one you get in shady mexican farms. Milk the cow straight into a styrofoam cup, add chocolate powder, coffee, and everclear and get drunk.

[low mantle]

Everclear probably helps kill all the harmful bacteria.
Win win.

New roaster (to me at least) in Long Beach is Cafe Cuate. Gusto bread is carrying it.

Get yourself a $7 dollar concha you won’t regret it.

[dull adder]

Isn't raw illegal?

[low mantle]

Not in California.

[dull adder]

One of these years they'll reach the third crack

[boreal solar]

I was into raw dairy for awhile as well. Cheeses in particular appealed to me while I was apart of the keto craze a few years back. I also grew up on a dairy farm so I had a preference taste wise for fresh milk. That said, I don’t think it mixes well with commercial applications given the higher chance of contamination along the way.

Also I’m surprised it’s allowed in a cafe setting unless there’s a disclaimer on the menu visible whenever an order is placed.

[fiery crypt]

I think it taste good but don’t go out of my way to cop it

[cold apex]

I'll send you some of mine if you want :). I think that the new ethiopia drop from SEY might be really exciting, has a lot of universal hype

And the upcoming COE Ethiopian drops (Basha, Mate, Ututie)

https://www.seycoffee.com/collections/coffee/products/2024-bekele-belaychow-hora-ganet-ethiopia

Feran shilling ^

[fiery crypt]

Yum

[cold apex]

Same crop as 005

I also think that the iridescence from H&S is hype, but also imgonnagethtesubanyways

(im not the only person in this though, if majority don't have the sub then totally shoot for that or the librada)

so far i think im the only person here with it, and i can always just drink along with you guys

[tight gorge]

Ya, bonus of people having is it that yall can drink along haha. I have the 005 myself and splitting the Sey version 🙃

[ornate ingot]

Got a nice testimonial: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9SpANmP1nd/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

empiricalwater

@pack.kati prefers @empiricalwater GLACIAL profile for its clarity.

Full testimonial by @pack.kati:
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Instagram

[fiery crypt]

meet up at Ondos for FOMO splitting

[left inlet]

@fiery crypt I definitely want to make to this meetup.

[surreal pivot]

Just ordered this since I missed out on 005. Excited!

[fiery crypt]

Same

[tight gorge]

Slightly better ven diagram

[fiery crypt]

Fixed it

[south brook]

down for this as well!

[opal junco]

ye in case my react wasn't a clear signal, i'm down, either for the shipping or a small local meetup

[tight gorge]

Yee, I’ll send out deets tomorrow morning

[surreal pivot]

I actually don’t mind Canyon. The crowd that frequents is gross, but if you can get past that it’s not that bad

[fiery crypt]

Hipsters? Lol

[surreal pivot]

Something like that yeah

[tight gorge]

Alright fam, proof beans have been procured.

Here is a google form to get your info. If you already said yes then you are in, I will cutoff list once we hit our max of 17ish people.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfHXN80wnyCoaWKR2LRII7VQJcNIZcdMeha8qjAuTOws-XrnQ/viewform

Heres who I have confirmed, still fill out the form so I can send ya the beanz

[civic crest]

@tight gorge have you been to petitgrain boulangerie

[tight gorge]

Yeah, my wife got me their croissant. I was good but nothing special

Croissants is a saturated market nowadays

[civic crest]

i just tried their kouign aman and was pretty happy with it, a bit flufflier and not as dense as the typical ones you get

[tight gorge]

Ooh I’ll try that next

[compact hound]

Facts I also feel like most are so similar it really comes down to preference

I can’t say one place is SIGNIFICANTLY better than another

[cold apex]

croissants are so yum, but ive yet to find a place that just does DAMN good bread that isn't accompanied by a ridiculously gentrified price per loaf

i know your tiny ass rustic bread is not $12 because it doesn't taste like $12

[compact hound]

I dont got the bread to be spending money on that kind of bread

At this point i just have to learn to make fire sourdough at home

[cold apex]

the worst part about growing up in your culture's food is realizing how disgustingly overpriced restaurants are

[compact hound]

Unfortunately basically all restaurant food is overpriced and a lot of restaurant owners really can’t do much about it

This case is true especially in LA

[cold apex]

i am italian through and through and vehemently hate italian restaurants. how the fuck are you going to tell me that some pasta and eggs—a poor mans dish—is $24????

[cold apex]

yeah i understand that absolutely

i live in a moderately low income area (by california standards...) and its just unfortunate out here

[compact hound]

I’m at the point where idk if something is “reasonably priced” in todays economy or I’m just being straight up ripped off

Like i’ll catch myself being like “yeah that croissant was worth like $8” and then be like wait thats actually kinda fucking insane LMAO

[cold apex]

LOL . im lucky to have a ton of really nice affordable places nearby and i always try to take my business there (or to the grocery store) when i can

but its unfortunate because sometimes you wanna get a nice dinner for the wifey/gf and you end up spending 3x as much for hardly marginally better food

if i bite into something and my first thought is "i could make this at home" i'm not looking forward to the bill 😭

[compact hound]

Yeah its painful trying a new restaurant and then being down like $70+ after having the most mid meal

Its basically gambling

[cold apex]

I suck at that. I don't think ive ever gambled and won in my entire life

And yet i still do it

[drowsy knot]

After I’d been out here about 10 years I went back east to visit my granny in small town New Jersey. Stopped at a bagel place and got coffees and food for the four of us. Pulled out a 20, a 10, a 5 and started looking for singles. Was getting worried and then the told me it was $17 🤦‍♂️

[fiery crypt]

fine dining seems like its becoming a scam lol

food just drenched in oils lol

[tight gorge]

Has anyone tried the fondry croissants? Skeptical of the hype

[surreal pivot]

Was just about to ask what the best croissant in LA is

Haven’t tried Fondry yet

Baker’s bench has a really good one although it’s a different take on the classic croissant

[compact hound]

Just get them at loquat or kumquat

Theyre good but its definitely not worth waiting an hour+ for

I did indeed wait tho LOL

[tight gorge]

By different you mean vegan

[compact hound]

I got there like an hour before opening so i could secure everything i wanted to try

The raspberry pastry thing was my favorite

Their onion danish is pretty dank too

And the choco croissant

[tight gorge]

bru then it’s a dank place

[compact hound]

Its good but dont set your expectations that high

LMFAO

[tight gorge]

Just say it

[compact hound]

I mean i dont want to straight up say its fire and then you getting disappointed after waiting in the lines

I guess for me no pastry place would be worth a wait longer than 20 mins

I did it out of hype and so i could say i tried it before everyone else because i want to be so different and mysterious

[tight gorge]

As a foodie you have to get used to lines, it is what it is

[compact hound]

Oh absolutely true

I wait all the time for a ton of new places

Its worth it to me but i know for majority of others its not

[tight gorge]

Same

[compact hound]

I mean i just rationalize waiting by thinking i’d be wasting my time sitting at home watching bullshit on my phone anyways

[surreal pivot]

I was trying to nice hahaha! But if they didn’t tell me it was vegan I probably wouldn’t have figured out that that was the difference

[compact hound]

Its an activity

[tight gorge]

That vegan butter hits different ya know

[surreal pivot]

I don’t mind lines as long as when I get to the front whatever I’m there for isn’t sold out

[compact hound]

Thats probably the most painful sting to experience as a foodie

It’s happened to me a few times now

[surreal pivot]

The places that make no effort to inform those in line that their most popular items/reasons for the line has sold is beyond infuriating and unacceptable

[compact hound]

I mean it is pretty hard to predict or know these things too though. Sure they can give you a rough estimate but once you’re in line you’re in line

Like if im 30 mins deep into waiting

It’s a challenge and I can understand it

[surreal pivot]

A lot of places intentionally produce a limited quantity to increase hype and demand. I don’t accept that as a practice lol

[compact hound]

Thats totally different though and I’m not surprised

No way for us as consumers to actually know when places are intentionally doing that though

[surreal pivot]

Educated guesses can be made. When a spot has been open for a bit and the lines are predictable they have a good idea of how little is too little. They’re not stupid

[compact hound]

Yeah thats definitely true as well but I also know little to nothing about the restaurant business to know the logistics behind these things so I can’t really form too concrete of a take on this

[surreal pivot]

Howlin Rays for example. When they first opened they’d be sold out of a few popular items. But credit to them because they quickly adjusted and didn’t opt for the fake “we’re sold out try to wait in our hour long line again!”

[compact hound]

If a place is hype its hype i understand the gamble of waiting in lines and if i dont want to take the risk i simply wait for hype to die down

I think thats just the most reasonable approach to it

Nothing can really be done about this issue

[surreal pivot]

Waiting for the hype to die is my preferred strategy 75% of the time

It’s more fun that way haha

[tight gorge]

What the hype spots right now

[surreal pivot]

The Benjamin

[tight gorge]

Looks fire

[surreal pivot]

Right? I’m just waiting for the hype to die lol

[compact hound]

Quarter Sheets has been around for some time bust still has crazy hype same with Courage

[surreal pivot]

You can avoid lines at Quarter sheets very easily now. Online ordering or just go right when they open and there’s no hassle

[compact hound]

All omakase is hype but thats just res based

Fondry is still hype

[tight gorge]

I would show up at courage at 640am to avoid the lines

[compact hound]

This is the way

[surreal pivot]

Is courage worth it? I’ve heard mixed reviews

[compact hound]

Too bad i dont like eating that early though

I fucking love courage and its my favorite bagel spot but it’s montreal style

So if you’re an ny bagel snob thats ignorant its probs not the place for you

[tight gorge]

The tomato bagel there is so fire

[compact hound]

Its actually funny bc a place in NY just opened up thats basically a courage dupe

“Apollo bagels” for those curious

[compact hound]

1000%

Idgaf its like $8 for half a tomato bagel its so fucking good

[tight gorge]

lolol

[compact hound]

I also like they dont nuke it with cream cheese

I hate having like a half inch thick layer of cream cheese

[surreal pivot]

Never understood that lol

[compact hound]

Either do what LA said and go super early to avoid any sort of wait or just go on a weekday

Weekdays can have wait too though but fri-sun 100% will have a wait

@tight gorge you gonna go to any of Kato’s summer sundays?

I dont got the bread to go and im getting FOMO

[fiery crypt]

I don’t like to wait in big lines for foods lol

Especially if it’s just bread

[compact hound]

Totally understandable it’s not for everyone

[fiery crypt]

I will wait only at ondos for filter 3.0

[tight gorge]

Just don’t claim the restaurant next door with no line is just as good

[compact hound]

This hits so hard

I literally want to strangle people when they say dumb shit like thiss

[tight gorge]

Never been

[compact hound]

Also its nails on chalkboard when i hear “yOu KnoW thE foOd is GoOd whEn it’s DirTy aNd iN the HooD”

[surreal pivot]

But when this is actually the case people get upset 🤣

[compact hound]

Which is like less than 10% of the time

[surreal pivot]

It does happen though.

[surreal pivot]

It’s music to my ears when the convo is about a Jamaican spot and people say “you know it’s good when the customer service is rude AF”.

I’ve tested the hypothesis and it’s undefeated so far 😂😂

[compact hound]

Respectfully i think its just a ridiculous stereotype that can be said about countless restaurants and it’s mid food at best 99% of the time

[tight gorge]

Aight ima drop my secret gem next time y’all go to endorffeine or loquat. https://maps.app.goo.gl/BXDVtw4v4WBa6Dbe7?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

Get short ribs and thank me later

[surreal pivot]

Haha I’m not saying it’s scientific and willing to admit it’s ridiculous. But from my experience it has proven to have merit

[fiery crypt]

I hardly eat out anyways lol

[surreal pivot]

Damn that looks good! Skipping endorffiene and going straight there

I actually might have that for a late lunch today if they don’t close early

[tight gorge]

do it.

[fiery crypt]

I’ll fuck with this if I’m every in the area

[weary chasm]

I think you're supposed to say "all the ingredients are made fresh daily in house using ingredients sourced from farmers market and/or erewhon" lol /jk.

But yeah. Varying grades.

[weary chasm]

Probably kind of whack economy if you visit a theme park and the food isn't too far off the price you'd pay outside the park now...

[weary chasm]

It's pretty good though. I don't usually wait though

Walk by. Order. Go to stereoscope. Order. Walk back. Pick up

[tight gorge]

Just noticed the croissant goat went to ondo today 👀 @cedar otter

[cedar otter]

Oh he’s here like 3 times a week

[tight gorge]

You must make good cortados

[cedar otter]

Hahahaha or we happen to be one block from the gym he works out from

[civic crest]

I saw that too. I see him at Wednesday fm all the time too lol

Tell him to make you canalés

[tight gorge]

I dm him about his croissants all the time and never get response. I think he has ptsd about it

[compact hound]

Need to know more about this dudes croissants

[tight gorge]

He was the pastry guy at Konbi

[cedar otter]

The man def has ptsd about konbi

[compact hound]

Would also like to know

[cedar otter]

He ended up closing his business due to rising costs

[compact hound]

Does he sell his pastries these days?

[cedar otter]

And people not wanting to work during the pandemic

No

[compact hound]

F

[tight gorge]

They went from best new restaurant in America by bon appetite to closing overnight

[cedar otter]

We just commiserate about small business ownership in california

[tight gorge]

I first found out about konbi from the bon apetit article lauding their bathroom soap. When I went to Paris is visited the soap shop and they said one day they woke up to a ton of US orders. lol

I still have some of the soap, I put it out when I have parties at home

[cedar otter]

konbi was an aspirational figure for lots of small cafe/food biz in LA

[tight gorge]

Truly was, someone had a dream and decided to full send it.

[compact hound]

Never tried konbi smh

[surreal pivot]

Damn I stopped paying attention to Bon appétit right around that time due to the controversy. Missed out on hearing about Konbi

[opal junco]

oh yeah, dang... https://www.bonappetit.com/story/konbi-closure-akira-akuto-interview

[weary chasm]

Ohhh. This place was popping. Also across the street from the current quarter sheets pizza.

*I guess they never changed the sign... Generic pizza

[ornate ingot]

Damn. Wtf

Idk if this is possible for a croissant but the idea crossed my mind, what about selling it online to avoid the costs of brick and mortar?

They could send the croissant flattened and then with the included pump you pump it back into shape

[cold apex]

i want good omakase so bad

[compact hound]

People like their croissants flattened these days

I will never understand it

[compact hound]

Can’t recommend any since I’ve never been

[cold apex]

literally the dumbest thing ever imo

[ornate ingot]

Then it sounds like it's comeback time for them

[compact hound]

Agreed

[weary chasm]

i've only really been to 2, but iunno, its really good.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kurisaki-redondo-beach

at last time it was $120/pp

the aesthetics of the place is super basic

so all the money goes into the food.

otherwise,

DIY omakase at your local Tokyo Central.

visit the one in gardena. its probably one of the biggest.

they even have a restaurant inside now.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/waka-sakura-gardena?osq=sushi

[ornate ingot]

What was that water with the 40 ppm dissolved oxygen? I got an interested party, lol

[weary chasm]

the one with all that marketing?

https://www.tiktok.com/@thehungryfoodie/video/7302540496642018591?lang=en

https://www.ophorawater.com/

[ornate ingot]

THAT ONE

Thank you

[weary chasm]

we didn't get to brew gesha or some fancy $$$ coffee with it.

not enough kettles.

[ornate ingot]

https://tenor.com/view/why-whyyy-neden-ağlamak-üzgün-gif-19603232

[weary chasm]

some things you do because you can.

[ornate ingot]

We should have done it

[dull adder]

Have you been? Is it any good?

[weary chasm]

Sample size 1. But it was pretty good for the price.

Like the stuff downstairs (Tokyo central) is already pretty high floor.

Now you get some amount of service.

There's medium fatty tuna available

And the uni was not fishy

*to me.

I'm sure maybe you could have a more sensitive taste

The prices were actually not bad.

======

"omakase" by the budget

Level 1
$20-30) omakase by buying the assortment nigiri at the Tokyo central

Level 2
The prices for the restaurant inside Tokyo central is not super high. The combo packs are where the "value" is. Mostly it's like $5/2 items. But $10/1 item for stuff like uni.

So maybe if you're getting 10-15 items it'll be like $50-75

---

Level 3

The omakase at kurisaki is pretty nice. 15 pieces. Presented pretty well. I've been twice and it's been great. But I don't have another expensive one to compare it against.
$120/pp, call before to reserve and ask the price. it fluctuates based on market.

[dull adder]

Awesome write-up thanks!
My wife was interested, I'll pass this along and we'll likely end up going sometime soon.

[weary chasm]

i think every time i go its like a 1 hour 20 minute waitlist.

or well, the two times.

maybe you can dodge the times at specific slots.

i basically went, signed up. went back home (because i live closeby), and then went back when i got the text

[low mantle]

Here’s my families spot. It’s starting to get pretty popular so the wait times can be long. The food is super yummy. Coffee they serve is stereoscope.

https://www.nonnamercato.com

Show up 15 minutes before they start seating people - grab a coffee and grab a table. Bypass the wait time.

Don’t sleep on the peanut little drink. ….they use “peanut milk” and it tastes like peanut brittle.

[compact hound]

Nonna has been popular for quite awhile now

It’s good but their availability of items can suck

My sister lives like <10 mins away and shes gone at all times of day and more than half of the time the variety is slim

[low mantle]

I haven’t had too much of an issue with availability but I try to get there earlier in the day to avoid that. It’s surprisingly affordable which is a plus when bringing the family.

[tight gorge]

Bumping this again https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfHXN80wnyCoaWKR2LRII7VQJcNIZcdMeha8qjAuTOws-XrnQ/viewform

[cold apex]

~13 for 60 is really good

[cold apex]

do you want me to fill it out if im not participating this month?

[cold apex]

wow. you love to see it honestly

massive props. its really nice to see added flair alongside the tried and true basics like carbonara (half the restaurants around me dont even have guanciale)

that looks extremely good. im going to check it out one day :). was just ranting earlier about how disappointed i am when eating italian food out...but this looks really good. that summer nights menu is fantastic and affordable

[raven path]

Attended a cupping class today at Unincorporated’s Altadena spot. @royal chasm was teaching, had a great time! Love their coffee and Matthew’s a super chill guy. You can feel his passion.

And my wife is an awesome photographer 😂

[compact hound]

How many more peeps do we need?

[raven path]

Oh this is cool. Is this for pour over only or would this work as espresso?

[compact hound]

All beans can do both but you’d only be receiving ~40g so it would be more wise to brew it as pour over

[weary chasm]

Yolo

[tight gorge]

Yeah yolo. Three doses pp so enough to dial one shot at least

[tight gorge]

Yeah signup now to have you for next time

[tight gorge]

We’re at 9 total thus far. Got about 8 slots open still

Oooh had not thought of this. If diff batch then @cold apex you should join. No pressure with sharing the notes between batches haha

I ordered on Friday so prob a different batch right?

[raven path]

So how does this work? I missed the original post

[fiery crypt]

done

is it easier to ship or can we just pick them up from you somewhere?

[tight gorge]

Goal is just for all of us to try the same beans and share what we think/taste/feel here in the thread as we try them. Def open to cooler ways to share our thoughts.

A fun way to keep the SoCal community engaged 🙂

No costs other than paying for shipping which in SoCal it will be like $3.50 or so

[tight gorge]

Prob easier to ship it tbh

[compact hound]

I feel like this is a more approachable way for people local to us to casually get into EAF

Obviously a challenge to find ppl into coffee (at our level) who are not already in EAF

[fiery crypt]

no worries

[raven path]

Wow that’s rad. I signed up , I’m new to the hobby but excited!

[ornate ingot]

I was thinking it would be cool to have a competition where everyone uses the same coffee, and the victor is determined by who brews it best according to the judges

Are there comps like that around?

[compact hound]

Kumquat DTLA hosted an april brewers cup a few months ago

Im sure theres plenty of other lowkey ones but i personally never seek them out

[ornate ingot]

Is it the exact same coffee for everyone or April roasters in general?

[compact hound]

Same coffee for everyone and it’s roasted by april

[ornate ingot]

Cool

[low mantle]

Here’s another spot. She’s a street vendor. She does Sicilian comfort food. The arancini is fantastic. https://www.instagram.com/theggodmother/

[dull adder]

It's a 2 hour wait right now 😭

[weary chasm]

Lol

[weary chasm]

DIY from the food court?