An Early Look at LA Mill Coffee

(Flickr pic by Brainylagirl.)

We stopped by the new LA Mill coffee shop in Silver Lake on Saturday to see what all the buzz was about.

Based in Alhambra, LA Mill provides coffee to some of Los Angeles' best restaurants and prides itself on its top-notch beans (which it travels the globe to procure) and coffee roasting. The Silver Lake store -- still in testing phase, which is why it's only open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for now -- offers up food in addition to java.

But on Saturday afternoon, we were in the mood for some coffee. We called up our pal Jess, who happened to already be at the close by Silver Lake park, and met up at LA Mill's Silver Lake Blvd. location.


(Flickr pic by Majiscup.)

Designed by Rubbish Interiors' Scott Mangan, the LA Mill store is classy, although smaller than I expected (hence it almost constantly being crowded). We took our coffee order to go and walked back to the park.



(Flickr pic by HeCooksSheEats.)

Like Intelligentsia Coffee, LA Mill's coffee comes only in smaller sizes (no Venti big gulps here): 8 oz. and 12 oz. only. Maria took an 8 oz. vanilla latte, while Jess and I relied on the barista's recommendation: The organic Ethiopian drip.

It's good coffee. And yes, I even tasted the "hint of blueberry" that LA Mill promised. But it's not cheap: The bill for the three relatively small drinks came to $10.28.

I guess quality doesn't come cheap. Here's LA Mill's philosophy on scouting out the good stuff:

LA MILL goes to great lengths to find single origin beans that are distinct and delicious. Take our Ethiopian, for example. While most Ethiopian coffee is lemony, ours has more sweetness, due in large part to the more fully ripened cherries in the region where we buy the beans. Our Columbian makes its home high in the clouds of the Narino region; it’s the altitude that gives it a fruity complexity and a wine-like finish.

Climate alone doesn’t guarantee great coffee. That’s why we only work with estates and cooperatives whose cultivation, harvesting and processing are up to our high standards. We’re picky that way, Get used to it.

LAMILL COFFEE BOUTIQUE
1636 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-663-4441