Downtown Coffee in... Downtown Honolulu is a hidden gem. It's the size of a bedroom containing only a counter to order and a booth for one pair to sit. If you want to sit down, go outside and find a public bench. If you come here, it is purely for the excellent coffee. It's run by friendly two people. The owner told me that the coffee scene is just starting to cross the pacific and Downtown Coffee is at the forefront. They roast their own beans for drip coffee and import Intelligentsia Black Cat (arguably the best espresso blend - flame war begin!) for their espresso drinks. The minute you start talking to the guy, you know that he's hardcore into coffee. And it shows.

My usual cappuccino had a thick mustache foam with just the right proportions to have the black cat compliment, not pierce through the milk. Great milk. The problem with Black Cat is that Intelligentsia keeps changing the blend, chasing the perfect espresso. The batch I had was really nutty, a very shallow after taste that left me unsatisfied. I like coffee that lingers. But this is a variable out of Downtown Coffee's hand. Bottom line: If you are in Oahu and are looking for a great coffee, stop here.

How do you make a cozy coffee shop even better? Add a beach! Honolulu Coffee Co is the Starbucks in Waikiki - It's everywhere. However, they have one cafe a block away from the water, creating a perfect people watching spot. Open the four person sized windows and you get a refreshing ocean breeze. Cafe Perfected.

Too bad the coffee is another story. Almost every cafe in Waikiki serves Kona coffee: an expensive bean because it's grown in Hawaii. A normal bag of espresso costs between $10-$15 whereas Kona starts at $20. The Kona that Honolulu Coffee co serves tastes extremely light. Either the roast is that light or my tongue isn't trained enough to taste the nuances in the coffee. It's not flavorful with only a mild bittersweet aftertaste. At least its a consistently bland.

The milk, on the other hand, is a roll of the dice. Cappuccinos always have foam with the right proportions, but the milk is rarely latte art quality. Sometimes it's water thin. Others, blobish thick. After talking to the Baristas, I found out that management tries to make latte art a requirement. Some of the Baristas and the managers can do it, so perhaps the coffee too will get better with time. If you visit the Honolulu Coffee Co Cafe on KalaKaua and Kaiulani, try to get a drink from Chris or Brad where you can get the best latte art I've seen:

Fantastic. Simply Fantastic. Barefoot coffee perfects the whole cafe experience. You walk in and smell freshly roasted beans. Couches align the edges of the walls. Big tables with electrical outlets litter the room. Smaller ones fill in the niches for those who want to chat. There are even tables outside to enjoy the sun. And of course, friendly baristas recommend drinks, confident in their abilities and coffee. It all culminates to simply remarkable.

If the environment wasn't already amazing, Barefoot also takes the crown from Red Rock as the best coffee in the bay area. (I don't like Blue Bottle). First, the presentation is bar none. The latte art is top notch, and the coffee plate is accompanied by a small spoon to scoop up the foam. The milk itself is the right temperature. The foam: not too hard, not too soft, a medium thickness. Not the type that leaves a mustache but thick enough to create a blanket of warm milk. Finally the espresso just compliments the sweet milk with a strong nutty start. As the drink goes sweeps the back of the tongue and down the throat, a bittersweet chocolatey finish consumes. There is very little bitterness with a silky coffee aftertaste. It's simply bliss. This is the second sweetest espresso I've ever had and would have been a god shot if it wasn't for Klatch. Go to barefoot coffee and experience this:

* Latte art was perfect, but I took a sip prior to taking a picture.

Ahh Santa Cruz, a piece of the beach in northern California. It's such a gorgeous city, with the most amazing lazy atmosphere. I wonder how anyone gets anything done in the city. Especially when you can stroll to a bistro, have a delicious luncheon outside, and finish with the home made artisan LuLu coffee.

LuLu's has an almost perfect location: on a side street in downtown Santa Cruz. The cafe has a sunroof, providing plenty of natural light for the earthy toned cafe. Each chair has an electrical outlet underneath, ideal for the work in the cafe types. However, LuLu’s is serious about coffee.

As I pondered what to order, I looked at the list of coffees they roasted on site. One was named "black cat", a famous blend by Intelligentsia for the coffee geeks out there. I asked the Barista about it. She said it was actually their own roasted blend, and that a lot of people asked her about it. That's when you know hardcore coffee people visit. And I wasn't disappointed.

LuLu's is the first commercial cafe I've been to where each drink is made individually. Every shot is pulled and milk steamed, specifically for one drink. If you go to StarBucks, you can see the employees holding a big jug of milk, steaming a gallon at a time. Not at LuLu’s. They are like the In-N-Out of cafes: it takes a while to get your drink, but it’s delicious. The coffee is excellent, a bit on the weak and bitter side, but still satisfying. The Barista poured each drink carefully, drawing latte art with magnificent skill. LuLu's lives, breaths coffee, and it clearly shows. Next time you are in Santa Cruz and need a caffeine fix, stop by LuLu's and enjoy.

Red Rock Coffee literally looks like a rock, a brick building with slabs of red. This gem in downtown Mountain View delivers terrific coffee:

I was actually quite surprised with Red Rock. Most people on CoffeeGeek agreed that Red Rock was ehh. Dana Street Roasting Company, a coffee shop just a few blocks away, was supposed to be the best Mountain View had to offer. But Red Rock has better coffee. Period.

I ordered my regular single shot cappuccino and was greeted by deliciously thick foam. Not too airy, not too creamy. Perfect. Red Rock's espresso complements the warm, airy milk, creating a soothing drink with chocolaty notes, a subtle sourness, that finishes with a pleasant tinge of bitterness. My only gripe is that the espresso may be a bit too subdued, which is ideal for those who like sweeter coffees. But next time, I need a double shot :).