San Diego: “America’s Finest City,” the place with an abundance of beautiful beaches, and the place with never-ending summer weather. However, unknown to the majority, San Diego actually boasts quite an impressive coffee scene. Before you lay down your towel and sprawl out on the beach all day, you’re going to need a strong cup of coffee (and a lot of sunblock). Here’s your guide to five essential San Diego coffee roasters, so you know where to get the freshest, locally roasted beans.
1. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
With a bright blue logo of a surfboard strapped to the roof of a minibus, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters (BRCR) is the epitome of a San Diego coffee roaster. Located two blocks from the beach, BRCR is the perfect place to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the ocean breeze. Even though BRCR exudes California-casual vibes, it’s serious about coffee.
What to drink: Cortado and Pour Overs
By introducing the pour-over bar, and leading the farm to cup movement, BRCR has transformed the San Diego coffee scene. BRCR’s incredible dedication to serving high quality, sustainably sourced and direct trade coffee is recognized by its status as Roast Magazine’s Micro Roaster of the Year (2012) and winner of the Good Food Awards (2016). BRCR even has a certified Q-grader on site, so you know you’re getting a perfect cup of coffee.
2. Mostra Coffee
Mostra Coffee is named after the Italian word for “show, exhibition and performance,” and it definitely steals the show. For the past four years, Mostra served its delicious coffee out of its roasting warehouse, but it recently opened an official café and retail space in Carmel Mountain. This beautiful space features an “English industrial” design and houses the only Mavam espresso machine in San Diego. Although it is a little newer to the San Diego coffee scene, Mostra is here to stay.
What to drink: Crème Brûlée Latte and One Bra-zillion Coconuts Cold Brew
Mostra’s dedication to unique flavors and innovation is demonstrated by its two signature drinks. The One Bra-zillion Coconuts Cold Brew showcases Mostra’s use of flavor infusions for a concentrated barrel-aged coffee with a hint of coconut flavor. On the other hand, the Crème Brûlée Latte is a sweet showstopper, and the top is torched-to-order, just like the dessert.
3. Better Buzz Coffee
Life’s Better Buzzed! Better Buzz Coffee is a family-run coffee chain in San Diego. Whether you’re exploring the city, shopping at the mall or enjoying a day at the beach, you’re bound to run into a Better Buzz. This stylish, local coffee roaster prides itself in being a small batch, organic roaster that roasts-to-order weekly. Not only does Better Buzz have great coffee, but it also supports the Women in Coffee Initiative by sourcing from women-run coffee estates.
What to drink: Best Drink Ever (hot or cold)
A classic Better Buzz drink is the Best Drink Ever, which holds true to its name. This drink is a vanilla Americano which uses a house vanilla powder that provides a unique flavor and milky texture. All of the espresso-based drinks use Better Buzz’s standard espresso, Black Magic, which is a rotating blend of African, Indonesian and Central American beans that create a robust base for different types of caffeinated drinks that will get you buzzing.
4. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
Don’t underestimate this dark horse. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster that strives to be super-approachable, all-inclusive, and driven by employees and customers. This roaster is a bit quirky, contemporary and hip, showcasing an eye-catching logo and distinct design. Dark Horse takes pride in serving the highest quality direct trade beans that are roasted in-house daily and brewed through their main methods of pour over, french press, and cold brew.
What to drink: The Champ and Cold Brew
Dark Horse’s most popular drink is The Champ latte, which is also served in a smaller cortado format as the Mini Champ. This drink is a honey and cinnamon latte that perfectly balances sweetness, spice, milk, and espresso. The Cold Brew is also a popular drink and it uses Dark Horse’s Best Friend Blend, a blend of beans sourced directly from Guatemala and Brazil.
5. James Coffee Co.
James Coffee Co. began its journey as a roaster from a popcorn maker, but now it has it all. At The Space in Little Italy, you will find an eclectic collection of shops including a barbershop, optometrist, and one of the best coffee roasters in San Diego. James even has a classroom where you can attend cupping classes or learn to properly brew coffee. This trendy, cool, and industrial roaster specializes in producing handcrafted artisan roasted beans and offers a range of single origin beans and house blends.
What to drink: Honey Cinnamon Latte
The Honey Cinnamon Latte is James’ most popular drink because it perfectly balances many flavors. This drink reflects James’ focus on quality because it is crafted with house-made syrups and spice blends, and uses the Night Owl blend which adds notes of hazelnut and maple syrup. James values the quality of the coffee from the bean to the presentation of the drink, and serves its drinks with perfect latte art in custom designed Indonesian ceramic mugs.
While this short list highlights a few San Diego coffee roasters, there are many more great local roasters in the city’s growing coffee scene. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to enjoy high quality, specially-sourced coffee, and grab a drink at a local café, or brew some locally roasted beans in the comfort of your own home. Whether you prefer a latte or a cold brew, happy sipping!