Where Coffee Gives Me Life

My day comes down to coffee. The stronger, the better to get the day cracking. The coffee culture is alive and well in my everyday life. Whether I am writing or having a chat, coffee is essential. Finding coffee shops is on top of the list, so when visiting the expansive L.A. city, it was a bit of a challenge. But, I looked and stumbled to find some of the favorite on the tour of LA.Menotti cafe had me thinking about my Brooklyn days, with its velvety flavors, their bistro and communal tables peppered about. The cafe is right off the Venice boardwalk. Even though the whirlwind of the boardwalk can have you wondering where you are, Menotti brings you back with a smidge of reality. The dichotomy of the relaxed atmosphere and all the mayhem that is Venice Beach brings the place together. The funkiness, the quirkiness, and the hipsterness is one aspect that can be seen with the books about coffee and people reading at their tables. If you need a place and think while your coffee fills up your soul, Menotti Cafe has you back on the Brooklyn streets getting the world under your thumb. Menotti keeps it simple with the decor and the love for coffee. There is a communal bench set off to the side of the cafe, with two-seat tables around. Seats are taken quickly and a good flow of people coming in and out.Link in Image The next experience was one of a secret little shop. There may be some biases because I own a lot of their shoes. The store is not a true coffee shop; Tom’s is a shoe store on Abbot Kinney, the hipster, artsy, Williamsburg part of Los Angeles. The coffee shop has their own coffee beans that cannot be missed.Link in Image Tom’s shoe store deals a lot with indigenous areas around the world. They give back to areas, like Colombia and Thailand. They donate shoes, which are amazing, to areas that need some help. The design of the coffee shop is genius. When you walk in, there is a counter, for ordering, then it wraps around that opens in a big space, with shoes to the left and the cafe area to the right. It is all open and makes you feel you’re set where Tom’s coffee is grown. It is a a novel idea to pair Shoes and Coffee, but it somehow works. The funkiness of the comfy shoe paired with the deliciousness of the coffee cannot be beat. The vibe is one of a working, computer-based coffee shop. Meaning it is meant for people to come work or do what is needed. Out of all the times that I visited their shop, it was always busy. But, it was an inviting atmosphere. There is a communal bench that brings people together, which is what I believe is the reasoning of coffee.The next stop for the L.A., coffee experience was at DEUS, which is a shop made for the coffee, working person. The space is combined with a bike shop. Again, the combination seems like it does not fit, but the ambiance brings it all together. The coffee was on point and this shop has you feeling that you are in Bushwick. There is a bit of space and young’uns are working and on their computers. You walk in and the bike shop is off to the right, which gives the space open for coffee experiences, and the space jets outside for a bit more space.Link in Image I believe that coffee is intertwined with walking cities. Coffee is a sit down experience where you talk with the coffee and not on the go. Many people love the to-go or the drive-thru, but cities give you that opportunity to come in, and bring you closer to the community. One has time to unwind relax and get down to wha they need to do. It is conducive to work and getting some of your errands done. But, these three coffee shops bring together all the aspects of community, delicious coffee, and the ability to slow time down.The Americano was making my life come alive at Toms. The espresso they used was a little dark that brings the coffee flavor out in Americanos. Menotti cafe used a bit darker roast, which the flat white is perfect for. Try it. Enjoy it. Do it. DEUS was right in the middle. I enjoyed an americano, but I wasn’t feeling it. That brought me to their drip coffee that had me going in the right direction.