Saturday, June 23, 2012

Los Angeles: Intelligentsia Coffee

When we hit the pavement on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice we came across Intelligentsia Coffee by chance. 


I was glad to find yet another coffee roasting house (thank you California) that took its coffee seriously and pumped out a tasty, fragrant brew. 

  
I was also glad to be proving wrong the misconception that there's bad coffee in America. Quite surprising really, this misconception, considering Americans are serious coffee drinkers. Throughout our trip in the USA I came to realise that its (coffee) is just different. Americans even have different coffee percolating apparatus that I am ashamed to say, I had never seen before until this trip. But then how many Americans can say they have the ability to make Greek coffee with just the right amount of crema? ...but I digress.



It was good to see a decent range of organic teas on offer as well. A hoorah to the past, a throwback to the good ol' days when America was under English rule. It seems one of the main reasons why coffee became so popular in the first place in the States was to stick it to the British once America became independent. They created their own coffee culture by relinquishing the culture enforced by the British during their rule.

This place was cool. The vibe was relaxed. The coffee was great. The crowd was varied and tech savvy, casually flicking through their smartphones while they lined up patiently. Hipster-ish even. Damn those head sock wearing hippies, they're everywhere and they find all the cool places!





What I didn't know then, was that Intelligentsia started out in Chicago, later opening up shop in Los Angeles and New York. Coast to coast domination.


If you're looking for an urban oasis with good coffee in Venice, check this place out, but be prepared to line up during peak times...which seems to be like all the time, at least the whole hour or so we were there.


Intelligentsia Coffee on Urbanspoon

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