Is Coffee The New Cupcake?

Coffee is on the move in Los Angeles these days…of the artisanal kind, as more Bay Area java rock stars with cult-like status are heading South and opening outposts throughout the city. Oakland/Brooklyn-based Blue Bottle has five proposed locations around LA- with plans to open two outlets on the Westside- Venice and Culver City- plus two additional locations on Beverly Blvd and another in Echo Park. The venture capital funded roaster acquired Handsome Coffee earlier this year, and although James Freeman- founder of the burgeoning coffee company- may know New York City much more than LA, he has actually grown to like the city and sees how many opportunities there are due to more space and affordable rents. www.bluebottlecoffee.com

Known for their mojito iced coffee, the beloved Bay Area coffee purveyor Philz Coffee has now landed in LA. CEO Jacob Jaber’s vision is to re-invent the coffee experience, one community at a time…the first one being Santa Monica where there’s a lot of tech companies and start-ups that require some really good fuel. Awesome Coffee, the Koreatown cafe from John Kim, serves everything from specialty coffee from multiple roasters to liquid nitrogen ice cream. Meanwhile, Kyle Glanville started out in the world of coffee just after high school while studying theater in Seattle. Since then, he’s gone on to build up the Intelligentsia empire in Los Angeles, and eventually founded two of the most compelling coffee bars in the city with partner Charles Babinski: G & B Coffee at Grand Central Market and Go Get Em Tiger in Larchmont. He thinks, without question, LA has the best coffee bars in the world. Get yourself caffeinated. www.philzcoffee.com www.awesomecoffeeshop.com www.intelligentsiacoffee.com