This isn’t the cutesy little independent coffee shop that you would expect. Instead think of a sleek, industrial, almost-streamlined cafe with lots of natural light and a full menu of tasty Italian sandwiches and pizzas. They just so happen to also have a full espresso bar– the verdict: delicious. There wasn’t any spice to their version of a Mexican mocha, but the velvety chocolate and cinnamon was quite tasty. Unfortunately, the staff here wasn’t very chatty so I’m not sure what their house espresso was. Just know that it’s good.

Cafe Calabria is located at 3933 30th Street, San Diego, CA. 

As I was planning our trip a few weeks ago, I spoke with a friend of mine who lives in the southern Puerto Rican city of Ponce. She grew up on a coffee plantation and is as passionate about coffee as she is about animals (she’s a veterinarian by the way). She gave me a list of four coffee shops in the San Juan area which she claims has some of the best espresso on the island. Because of the heat and the over-abundance of cocktails on this trip, we were only able to visit two of them.

The first stop on our journey was down near the cruise docks on Recinto Sur. Surrounded by gift shops and restaurants, somehow the interior of the place was cozy and calm. It looked and felt super familiar. Part Old San Juan charm and part hipster coffee shop ala Intelligentsia or Blue Bottle. We ordered our coffees, took a look around, then plopped down in their comfortable seating area. Their beautiful red roaster caught my eye as well as the burlap sacks of single-origin coffee from just kilometers away on the island. 

The coffee was very good. I ordered an iced mocha which was made with a natural chocolate to help cool down as well as a machiatto to get a better idea of the quality of their coffee. The first thing that I noticed was that my drink was incredibly hot — served at a much higher temperature than I am used to in the States, yet somehow the beans weren’t burnt. Instead, I was delighted to find a well-rounded brew with a deep malt flavor and bright (not tart) acidity.

Needless to say, I was very pleased to discover that Puerto Rican coffee does measure up with some of the greats like Costa Rica and that there are totally hip coffee shops that aren’t tourist traps in the OSJ area. Prices are incredibly cheap (compared to the crap at Starbucks) and the baristas are very friendly.

Cuatro Sombras is located at 259 Recinto Sur, Old San Juan, PR. 

When I caught wind that there was a new specialty coffee shop opening up in Santa Monica, I was only marginally interested. When I was told they’d be serving Oregon’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters, this new cafe became an instant destination. Primo Passo Coffee Company has only been open a couple of weeks, but with a little more work in terms of atmosphere and accessibility, they have the potential to become the premier specialty coffee purveyors for Santa Monica.

After a weekend of torrential downpours, the skies began to clear as we found a parking space right in front of Primo Passo. Once we walked through the door, it was clear that this new shop was following in the hipster coffee trend of minimalist-chic design with an industrial meets vintage edge. While this style of coffee shop may seem a tad overdone, Primo Passo was flooded with light and its bright white walls and tall ceilings made for a light and airy space. The first thing that I noticed about this place was its lack of tables. A few metal chairs lined up a small portion of the front area before you hit the coffee bar while a long wooden communal table (standing room only) took up most of the back area. For wi-fi users, I was surprised to see that there were over a dozen accessible electrical outlets, although the general atmosphere does not have that camp out with a large coffee to answer e-mails kind of vibe.

Coffee-wise, these guys pass the test. While they still don’t rank in my most favorite Westside coffee establishments, it’s apparent that they’re really into coffee and have a high value for quality. There are still a few improvements to be made, especially in consistency and skill, but they’ve got a solid foundation.  I’d take a trip to Primo Passo over Caffe Luxxe a couple blocks away for a quick caffeine jolt any day.

Primo Passo Coffee Company is located at 702 Montana Ave., Santa Monica.