One look at the coffee landscape in the US and one will notice very quickly that some of the best cafes and coffee roasters are coming out of Los Angeles. The 3rd-wave coffee revival has always sort of come from Seattle and Portland, but lately, LA has been really killing it with good coffee. No, great coffee! Some of my favorite coffee ever roasted comes from LA and some of my most memorable times in LA have happened inside cafes (both current and now gone -- I'm thinking of you Handsome Coffee!).
VICE's Munchies series explores this revival of American coffee culture with a close look at the production of coffee in Los Angeles. They visit Good Land Organics' farm to see how berries are grown, picked, and chosen for the best coffee flavor. Then they head on over to Intelligentsia's LA offices where you get a first-hand look at the discovery of the Geisha varietal and its overwhelming praise by the coffee community. And finally, you get a look at some of the best cafe's in LA -- Copa Vida, Portola Coffee Lab, and Portola Coffee Lab's experimental Theorem coffee bar.
Special appearance by a familiar face -- Michael Phillips formerly of Handsome Coffee Roasters, and now working for Blue Bottle.