West Hollywood should have some of the best coffee shops in the city, with its relatively pedestrian-friendly layout and its concentration of creative types who love nothing more than staring at screens or screenplays (usually both). For sure, there’s no shortage of places to get a cup of Joe or a latté.
There is, however, no Intelligentsia. I lived near the original Intelligentsia on Broadway Avenue in Chicago for a few years. You could say I “studied” there, but mostly I drank coffee, ate insanely delicious “monster” cookies, and people-watched.
So I was excited when Intelligentsia came to Silver Lake in 2007, but it was bittersweet, because I knew I’d never drive that far.
Things are looking up, however. Jones Coffee Roasters in the new West Hollywood Library building is, undisputedly, some of the best coffee in the city. An offshoot of the original coffee shop in Pasadena, Jones may be a few years behind Intelligentsia in its quest for global-domination, but all the right ingredients are there.
Best yet, it’s the only place I know in WeHo serving cold-brewed iced coffee. Cold-brewed coffee is the result of ground coffee beans steeping for 12-to-16 hours in room temperature or cold water. No heating is involved, and less acid is extracted from the bean during this process, resulting in a coffee that’s both easier on the stomach and unique in flavor. It’s sweeter and more complex than regular hot-brewed coffee. A good cold-brewed iced coffee is, in my humble opinion, the mark of a truly serious and high-quality coffee joint.
If you like iced coffee, you need to try it. It almost doesn’t taste like coffee the first time you do. It’s smooth, with no bitter or burned aftertaste.
And the cookie was good too.
Jones Coffee Roasters is located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard.
