The Budding Latinx Coffee Scene (Part 1)
I love coffee shops. Their design, energy, and products have the power to turn a passerby into a regular. Over the last year I explored coffee spots beyond my local comfort zone and came across some SoCal gems that I connected with on a deeper level, what I’ll call the Latinx coffee shop. These shops were centered around the same premise as other specialty shops – exceptional coffee quality, warm hospitality, and unique design choices – but each one had some reflection of Latinx culture in their name, décor, products, or people. To a passerby, these aspects may simply serve to differentiate a shops’ physical uniqueness, but to someone who shares Chicano-Latinx heritage, these shops are the representation I didn’t know I needed until I stepped in and experienced the energy first hand. The shops below are some brief examples close to my stomping grounds, but I’m excited to keep exploring this budding coffee scene.
Hola Adios
On the border of Newport and Costa Mesa, Hola Adios derives its name from the common Spanish greeting and sendoff. You don’t have to be a native Spanish speaker to know the words, especially in Southern California where many city and street names are derived from what was historically the dominant language in California (the state was a part of Mexico before acquisition by the U.S.). Step into Hola Adios and you’re immediately greeted by a burst of color – beautiful Mexican blankets, pillows, and bags of various colors and patterns hang along the wall in the store’s sundries section and turquoise radiates from the walls and accent furniture. A long line is no bother here as I can take the time to appreciate all of the colors, intricate designs, and textures of their curated products. As you make your way to the front of the line, you pass a machine turned work of art – a striped-metallic turquoise, white, and yellow La Marzocco Linea PB. Its design compliments the Mexican inspired sundries and ties together the aesthetic of the space. Hola Adios credits the paint job to friends from east LA who’ve worked on low-riders for years, and this espresso pumping obra de arte truly reflects the energy and vibrancy of low-rider culture.
Buenas Coffee
A few blocks up, deeper into Costa Mesa territory is Buenas Coffee. It’s nestled in a business park, and adjacent-connected to a co-working space by the same owner (brilliant business strategy anyone?). Buenas is shorthand Spanish for the common greetings/send-offs buenos dias, buen dia, buenas tardes/noches, etc. The name evokes a pleasant welcome, which is exactly the ambiance you’re greeted with when walking through the door. A marigold orange accent wall-arch beams from the opposite end of the long rectangular room, which becomes bathed in sunlight in the mid morning courtesy of the garage door at the corner end. My favorite part of Buenas is the menu: you have the coffee shop classics (e.g. drip, cappuccinos, lattes), but also a generous selection of Mexican inspired drinks, including a cafe de olla style americano, an horchata (a cold cinnamon and rice sweet drink), a taza de maza latte (uses a mazapan syrup), and, my personal favorite, the palo santo, a cappuccino served over ice and garnished with espresso salt. The palo santo syrup is sweet, smokey, and savory all in one, and is the perfect anytime drink. If you’re craving a sweet treat to pair with your coffee, Buenas carries pan dulce (conchas, cuernos, galletas) from Rosa’s, a local panaderia in Santa Ana. If you’re more of a salty-savory foodie, Buenas carries killer chorizo breakfast burritos from El Pico De Gallo, but they usually sell out, so come early and hungry! Buenas also carries sundries from local Latinx and LGBTQ artists as well as espresso from AKA Coffee, a first generation women-owned roasting operation out of the bay area.
Closing Thoughts
Each of these shops is excellent in its own right: good coffee, friendly staff, and great vibe. What elevates them beyond other shops, beyond retail coffee chains, is the extra layer of intentionality. For me, it’s the homage to the Chicano culture that shaped Southern California. It’s the self awareness of the broader cultural interweaving within the coffee industry and the shops’ footprint in Southern California, which has a complex-entangled history with Mexico, Latnix immigrants, and now first generation Americans walking the tightrope between cultures. But these places, they are welcoming-unpretentious spaces of culture to be sipped and savored one cup at a time.
But by no means are these the only locations blending coffee and culture, merely the nearest to me (within 30 minutes) that I’ve visited with some regularity. On my list to explore is Confidential Coffee in Long Beach (they recently whipped up a pumpkin spice horchata cold brew which has my heart rate RACING thinking of that caffeine hit), Cafe Calle in South Central, and Picaresca Cafe in Boyle Heights. Thank you, and buenas/adios amigos!
Closing
