INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

If it isn’t already, what will it take to make Los Angeles a great coffee scene?

It’s already slowly emerging, but it really has to start with individuals like myself willing to take the risk in believing there is a great marketplace with coffee to be shared for a local community as well as a greater coffee culture. It’s important that some of the larger roasters, locally, to keep experimenting and challenging the retail experience. That’s equally as important as a single individual with not a lot of resources, being able to present a different perspective on coffee.

What do you think makes the Los Angeles coffee scene unique?

With the exception of Intelligentsia in Silver Lake, we’re expressing a different kind of coffee experience for the client, driven by destination and not so much by sheer foot traffic. The approach in that respect, we’ll probably create a different outcome for that coffee shop. There are certainly shops that have been around, like City Bean and Coffee Conservatory, but they’re probably not getting the customer base that they deserve.

Do you have a preferred brewing method at home?

At home I’m just using a V60. I’ll typically stick with one origin for the entire week so I know how it changes from day to day.

Do you have any mentors?

I don’t have one particular mentor just because I’m working alone, but I have many mentors, and that’s really the coffee community I’m surrounded by, both locally, accessible through the internet and by watching barista competitions and seeing the different perspectives people have to offer. That makes sure coffee is always changing and always dynamic.

Where else do you enjoy drinking coffee in Los Angeles?

I’m a big fan of Intelligentsia Silver Lake, just their level of discipline. They’re always challenging themselves to produce a consistent cup of coffee that reflects all the hard work that takes place behind the café. I also like Cafecito [Organico], and if I’m on the Westside, I’ll swing by Intelligentsia Venice. Downtown, Spring For Coffee. Leo and Max and Ken. They’ve really built up a good team of individuals that are as excited about coffee as I am. The like-minded attitude keeps you on your toes. You don’t become complacent about producing one cup at a time. They’re also interested in experimenting with different methods and seeing what works for different coffees. It’s also nice that they’re using various roasters, like Ritual, and Stumptown, so I can have the opportunity to try other coffee locally. Café de Leche is also a nice local shop that’s close to where I live, that’s serving Stumptown.