Whether on canvas or in a cup, leave it to Laguna to offer great works of art

It seems easier to find a coffee shop in Southern California than a gas station (I'm one of those guys who like to test how far the needle can go into red [reference: Seinfeld], so I know a little about the subject).  In any reasonably sized town, you can bet you're going to find a few of the monster chains--Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, etc.--and, given the size of the city, may find two on the same block.

The real challenge is finding a truly unique cup of coffee in the midst of all of these shops.  Sure, you can rely on the dozens of coffee shops in your local neighborhood to provide your standard morning fix on the way to the office, but better coffee is out there.  Unfortunately, you've got to do a little searching to find it.

I'll be honest, I didn't just stumble upon The Laguna Coffee Company, I was on the hunt for a great cup of coffee.  As I said, it's not hard to find some decent coffee shops, especially in a small beach community.  Moreover, it's often easier to find some nice independent shops in these small oceanside towns than in other inland cities.  I happened to find another great shop last week in Dana Point-- J.C. Beans.

This time I wasn't willing to settle for the first shop I found. During my wandering my first find was a cute tucked-away shop in the Lumberyard Plaza.  The whole village area is beautiful, filled with quaint little shops, including stores with the usual handmade arts and crafts, a flower cart and more.  I was ready to choose this shop, but reconsidered once I saw they brewed Diedrich Coffee.  Diedrich makes some good coffee, but it's something I can get just about anywhere.  I wanted something unique and special to Laguna, just like the other handmade items found throughout the town.

After a bit of driving and eyeing a few places that popped up in a Maps search on my phone, I made a stop about a mile down the road from the town's main civic area at The Laguna Coffee Company.  This place could easily be missed driving down Pacific Coast Highway.  It's one small shop in a line of plain, stuccoed businesses.  Considering the appeal of the shopping district back up the way, one wouldn't be blamed for driving right past the shop without a second glance.

As I said though, I was on a mission and, as the worn out line goes, things are not always as they appear.  As I walked up to the window to see what the place had to offer, I quickly discovered that Laguna Coffee meant serious business as I saw the huge roasting machine sitting in the middle of the shop.

Sure, a coffee shop could just keep an old roaster lying around as a decorative item, but given the size of the place, it wouldn't make much sense since it took up much of the interior real estate.  Fortunately, the big hunk of metal isn't just for show as the store proudly boasts that they serve fresh "hand roasted coffee" that is roasted in small batches in the store.

While roasting in-house doesn't at all mean that the coffee is going to be any better than any other standard coffee shop, in this case, I'd be shocked to find any better coffee in town.  While I had a few options to choose from, I simply took what the barista recommended, the traditional brew of the day, Costa Rican coffee.  The coffee had a rich, full bodied flavor, yet it was still a smooth and enjoyable drink.

Laguna Coffee doesn't just pride itself on its hand roasted coffee and other drinks.  The shop offers a selection of food items in addition to the usual pastries one might expect, including made to order paninis and chicken and mushroom meat pies.

While great coffee is the main priority, it's an added bonus to find a shop that offers a nice atmosphere.  That's usually not too hard to come by when you're searching in an Orange County beach community like Laguna.  As mentioned, the shop itself is small since much of the inside space is taken up by the roasting machine.  A nice pleasant courtyard offers some nice outdoor seating, despite the plastic patio furniture and red and white checkered tablecloths that look like they're from a small mom and pop Italian eatery.  Of course, whether the place is crowded or not, you could always grab your coffee to go and head across the street and sip your coffee on the beach.

While the skill and care that goes into the coffee could earn the description of artwork worthy of Laguna, the shop goes further to support other local artists.  Two walls in the cafe are dedicated to local artist, Faye Chapman, who specializes in photographs of vintage vehicles.  I suppose it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to see local artists supported here since Laguna is known for being a world famous arts community.  However, it's still a bit of a pleasant surprise when most other coffee shops in Southern California are filled with standard commercial decor.  In addition to the artwork, Laguna Coffee's website lists some regular local musicians who regularly play at the shop.

Again, freshly made sandwiches, original artwork or a beachfront view mean very little if the coffee isn't up to par.  Fortunately, The Laguna Coffee Company offers all of these added bonus features along with incredible coffee.  Of course, I sampled a standard black cup of coffee and not any blended drinks.  I'm always happy to leave those luxury drinks for others to comment on.  I believe the standard black coffee is a naked indicator of the quality of any other drink a shop offers.  Based on the selection I had, I'm confident anything else ordered at The Laguna Coffee Company will be equally delicious.

The Laguna Coffee Company is located at 1050 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
For more information, visit their website: www.lagunacoffeeco.com

Now that's a smart cup of coffee!

Perhaps it grew out of necessity--needing something strong to help me through late nights of essays and exam-cramming during college--but I've never been a fan of the wide variety of mixed coffee drinks. I like my coffee simple, usually with nothing extra added. If I do order something other than a press or drip coffee, it'll either be a cappuccino or Americano. Occasionally I'll visit a coffee shop and sample one of their signature blended drinks. I usually end up disappointed with a drink that has lost any hint of coffee due to the excess of chocolate or other sweet syrups that have been added. Usually, these drinks turn out to be nothing more than coffee drinks for people who don't like coffee.

This weekend I was hanging out with some friends in Venice who said that I had to try a new coffee shop that opened up on Abbot Kinney, Intelligentsia. Knowing that my friend is very choosy with his coffee, I was certain that this place must be top quality considering the praise he was giving.

In most circumstances, I would just order a standard cup of coffee, but on this particular day, even the breeze from the nearby ocean wasn't enough to make ordering a hot coffee reasonable. Even though it was against my better judgment, I took my friends recommendation and ordered an iced mocha.

I've never tasted a mixed coffee drink that has tasted as incredible as Intelligentsia's iced mocha. Rather than just using a chocolate syrup and serving a drink that just tastes like an over-sweetened chocolate milk, Intelligentsia uses a bitter chocolate that perfectly compliments the coffee.

Intelligentsia's commitment to serving the highest quality premium coffee is clear in the design of the store. As expected with any shop in this trendy area of Venice, the decor is sleek and stylish. However, the layout of the place isn't meant to just compliment the look but actually has a purpose. Rather than walking up to a single counter to order drinks and then pick them up somewhere down the row, customers walk up to one of four kiosk-like counters. There they meet their personal barista who takes the order and prepares the drink(s) right on the spot. While this process seemed a little gimmicky at first, the quality of my drink made me a believer in Intelligentsia's mission to provide a unique experience centered around excellent coffee.

While I'm still partial to my standard cup of joe, I'm happy to know I can find an incredible, summer-friendly coffee drink.

Intelligentsia is located at 1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
For more information, visit their website: www.intelligentsiacoffee.com