coffee w/ bailey #33: some crust bakery

we love going to super dog-friendly claremont to stroll up and down their quaint streets, filled with indie shops. when it comes to coffee, of course they have a starbucks and a coffee bean, but today we caffeinated ourselves at some crust bakery. added bonus: it's a bakery!


i don't know how many coffee shops actually bake their own goods or how fresh they really are but you can be sure you aren't going to get day old breads here. plus they serve a really good coffee. they brew monkey & son coffee, which is fair trade and organic. that's a win win to me!



i ordered two pour overs but i noticed the water they used was just sitting in a pot on a warmer. i don't know if this is standard practice or if the girl just didn't know but a warmer is only going to keep water warm. you need hot water to brew coffee; around 200 degrees hot for proper extraction. they are ruining a perfectly good bean by under extracting it. i would rate their coffee as being mediocre :(

i will give them another try to see if this was a fluke but if that's how they prepare a pour over, i will not be seeking caffeine at their establishment. as a bakery though, they are top notch.

some crust bakery, claremont ca

photobomb

bailey tried to photobomb my picture! i was photographing my coffee yesterday, when who comes walking around the corner of the chair? bailey! i decided to use this picture anyway because well, that's life.

this is another of my silly leprechaun mugs. this guy doesn't look as sly as my other leprechaun mug but the blessing is spot on, plus this mug holds more coffee. lol

may the good lord take a liking to you...
but not too soon

coffee w/ bailey #32: top o' the mornin' to ya

coffee with the girls

a coffee surprise

yesterday hubby surprised me with two bags of klatch coffee (do i have the best hubby, or what). he brought el salvador orange bourbon (my favorite) and a new one we've never tried before, ethiopian sidamo adem chilcho. according to their website "the flavors become defined in the cup as raspberry, blueberry with hints of dark chocolate, providing a bright acidity within a creamy and juicy body." mmm, i am looking forward to giving this one a try!


i was going to take a picture of the coffee with bailey, but she decided to make it a picture of bailey with the coffee. lol

coffee w/ bailey #31: peek-a-boo

i brewed a pot of klatch coffee's el salvador la avila in my chemex this morning and as i was going to take a picture, i noticed little bailey peeking through the handle! silly girl.

coffee w/ bailey #30: coffee bean

yesterday coffee bean was celebrating their 50th anniversary and to celebrate, they were giving away cups of their anniversary blend... FREE! hubby and i (and the doggies) went to our local shop to partake in their celebration. who am i to turn down free coffee?

we were very surprised to be given the 16 ounce cups. we were totally expecting to walk out with 12 ouncers. THANKS COFFEE BEAN.

coffee bean, claremont ca

how do you take your coffee?

i take mine with chihuahuas :)

coffee w/ bailey #29: archie's american diner

while in monterey, we didn't have time to go to an actual coffee shop, so we had coffee with our dinner at archie's american diner. what a cute diner! we didn't go inside because of the doggies, but the outside was adorable and we placed our order at the window!

they serve tully's coffee there. the guy brewed us a fresh pot of (pre-ground, pre-packaged) coffee, but we were cold and that was better than nothing. at that point as long as it was hot, it was fine with me.
bailey didn't mind the weather as long as she's wrapped up in her nice, warm blankie :)

this is the "coffee" our hotel supplied. have you ever made hotel coffee?

coffee w/ bailey #28: java station

on our way up to monterey, we made a pit stop at the java station in santa barbara. we had been driving a few hours and it was time to caffeinate ourselves for the 2nd leg of our journey. as you can see it is a very colorful coffee house. it is not in downtown and is pretty much off the beaten path. if i hadn't mapped it out prior to leaving home, we would never have just stumbled upon it.

these are the brews we picked. kona blend for me & daughter #1 and firehouse for hubby.

the inside was quite large with a beautiful fireplace to warm your bones on the colder days & nights. there was plenty of seating inside & out and lots of parking too.

bailey's favorite spot is resting on daddy's lap.

"time to go already?"

we didn't have time to finish our coffee there because we were on a schedule and we had to make it to monterey before nightfall. with coffee in hand, we continue our journey.

coffee w/ bailey #27: ryan bros coffee

our weekend of coffee has come to a close, so on our way home, we stopped in temecula for one last coffee at ryan bros coffee. what sets this shop apart from the others is that they also serve wine and have wine tasting events, which makes perfect sense since temecula is southern california's wine country.

they have stores in san diego, san marcos & temecula, though i don't know if wine is available in all locations. you can get a small, served from a pump pot for $1.55 and they have free wi-fi. our experience here was average. maybe it's because our morning coffee was exceptional or maybe it's because they are only average.

they share a large patio space with chipotle, which you can see just beyond the little gate in the picture below. they also have a couple of tables in the corridor so you have your choice of complete or partial open air.

ryan bros coffee, temecula ca

coffee w/ bailey #26: the blue mug

day two's first stop was at blue mug in escondido. wow. this place was very cool. i have been to a lot coffee shops but i have never been to a coffee shop like this before. when you first walk in the door, you see the counter with 18 glass jars of beans. each jar is labeled with the bean and a flavor description. you choose your bean, they grind it and brew it for you in their pour over brew bar. i had the italian and hubby had the sumatra.

i asked for 2 small coffees, expecting them to be the standard 12 oz, but to my surprise, their "small" is 16 ounces; and it was only $2.40! their next size up, the large, is 20 ounces for only $2.50! this was the bargain of the weekend for sure. their coffee is supplied by santa cruz coffee roasting and did i mention, they have free wi-fi?

the shop is l-shaped which allows for a pretty good size outdoor patio. it was extremely relaxing and the coffee was delicious. as you can see, we made ourselves right at home :)

the shop is pushed back from the street. you won't see it just driving by, so you don't have the traffic sights and sounds interfering with your coffee experience. if you are a local, or just passing through town, this place is a must go to.

blue mug, escondido ca

coffee w/ bailey #24: the lofty bean

this past weekend was dedicated to bailey and to finding a great cup of coffee. i had mapped out several coffee shops before we left home so we wouldn't waste any time. we drove down to encinitas saturday morning for our first cup of coffee.

our first stop was at the, very dog friendly, lofty bean. there was even a dog inside the store! the barista reached under the counter and handed him a cookie without even batting an eye. when we got there, the line was out the door! it took quite a while to get this shot with no people in the way.

each cup is brewed when it is ordered and the brew methods they offer are french press ($2.00), pour over ($3.95) and the syphon ($6.50). this photo shows their selections for the day. (we had the pour over honduras capucas.)

bailey enjoyed the early morning sunshine as we sipped our coffee and planned our day. next on our agenda is fun time for bailey. we are taking her to the beach!

the lofty bean is located on the corner of n coast highway 101 & a st, in the lofts at moonlight beach. we will definitely be back. the staff was very friendly and there seemed to be a lot of regulars. even the customers knew each other!

the lofty bean, encinitas ca

coffee w/ bailey #23: charlie's coffee house

there's a new coffee shop in town! charlie's coffee house opened last year in the quaint little town of south pasadena.

they brew jameson brown coffee, which is roasted locally in pasadena. i had the house coffee which had hints of almond, cherry & chocolate. it was quite good. i also tried their giant chocolate chip cookie, which wasn't very sweet and a little overpriced. i didn't notice a price tag on the shelf, so i got a bit of sticker shock when it rang up at $3.00. note to self: next time, no cookie.

picture source: yelp

there is plenty of seating inside and out plus a comfy little loft upstairs. on the side of the building there is a little courtyard with a couple of tables and a staircase to the loft area. on the day we visited, all the inside seating was taken, but since we had doggies, we enjoyed the courtyard area.

picture source: yelp

parking is pretty limited in the little lot so you're better off trying to find street parking. there is a cute little lawn area set aside for the doggies to do their business, which is a really nice touch, and very much appreciated.

the barista was very friendly and made us feel right at home. he even brought out a bowl of fresh water for our doggies. bailey was too busy enjoying lap time but aoife went right for it!

if you are looking for a change of scenery, and who isn't these days, add this place to your list of go to coffee shops; plus they have free wi-fi!

corner of monterey rd & pasadena ave, south pasadena

coffee w/ bailey #22: int'l coffee house

i was looking for a coffee shop in brea a while ago, so i asked yelp for help. if you don't want starbucks, there aren't many options but number one on the list was the international coffee house. they are tucked away in the brea village, across the street from the brea mall. something a little different about this coffee shop is that there is a pool table in the back of the shop and they also have an open mic night. brew of the day was french roast, so that's what we had.
indoors there are a couple of comfy upholstered chairs but most of the chairs are wood. outside there are two tables that can seat 8 people and there was an ashtray on our table, so beware, smoking is allowed. read last week's post to see why i mention this.

they have been known to have a dog bowl of water on their patio but it wasn't there this morning. it was getting pretty hot out there and the employee saw we were coffeeing with two dogs, so she should have brought it out.

but whatever, i travel with our own water for bailey anyway.

click on the next picture to enlarge it, then look at the reflection in the window. you will see bailey standing next to africa!

international coffee house, imperial hwy, brea ca

coffee w/ bailey #21: augie's

last weekend we went to augie's coffee house in redlands ca. i've heard good things about them and they roast their beans in house, so i was intrigued. it's a cute little coffee shop in a brick red building, you can't miss it. there are only two tables outside so that could be a problem if you are coffeeing with a canine, as we do. there was a steady stream of customers, which is a good sign; some took their brew to go, others enjoyed it indoors. even though the weather was in the upper 90's, we had ours alfresco (or should i say al calore!). today they were serving guatemala la soledad.

hey, who is that handsome guy and cute little doggie? oh that's hubby & bailey! lol

augie's coffee house, redlands ca

coffee w/ bailey #20: the roadhouse

when in temple city, we like to stop in at the roadhouse coffee shop. if you know me, you know i love the independent coffeehouses. they've been there since 1994 and despite starbucks opening up in the same shopping center, they have managed to stay in business. at the roadhouse, i was happy to see they brew coffee from jones coffee roasters, an independent roaster in pasadena, ca. it's like the little guy helping the little guy to succeed. awesome.

the only problem on our visit was that, since bailey was with us, we had to sit outside. that wasn't the problem though. the problem was that we had a smoker to the left of us and a smoker to the right. it was rather disgusting and even doggie was sneezing. however as soon as they left, the air cleared and we could enjoy our brew and the fresh air.

bailey still looks a little woozy in this shot from all the smoke.

but when the air cleared, she was happy again.