An Evening in LA

As we finished cupping early we (Andy Newbom and Fernanda from Elan) had the opportunity to head into the heart of LA to visit some cafes.  We made the slow trek into LA on the confused silly string-like freeways towards Silver Lake.  Our first stop was the newish cafe of Lamill, which is a very stylish cafe, red and green and tourqois colors with clean lines.  We subjected ourselves to the hardship of MORE coffee, after cupping 35 samples of coffee previously in the day (it is a hard job, but someone has to do it).  We enjoyed some espresso and some COE El Salvador on the Clover. From there we made the short trip down Sunset Blvd. to Intelligentsia's Silver Lake Coffeebar at Sunset Junction.  Again we were treated to some great coffee, a shot of SO Santa Teresa from Volcan Panama (tasty, rich, heavy bodied, nice acidity), and their new Kenya on the Clover.  After hanging for a while, drinking in the ambiance, we were lead by Nick (he in his Passat) and us in Andy's rented PT Cruiser, to Intelligentsia's LA Roasting Works for a tour.  This was a treat and I am thankful for Nick's willingness to forego his family time to give us the tour.  From there we headed back to Silver Lake to a cool wine store, to drink wine and eat some tasty franks.  All in all, it was a great way to spend an evening in LA.  It was great to meet some of the crew from Intelli and get to know them a bit.  Today we are cupping the last 19 coffees and then it is airport bound to get back to the chilly north.