Where to taste the future of Bay Area coffee

Cultural flavors abound for specialty drinks that make global regions shine

2024-02-04 - By Cesar Hernandez and Mario Cortez

The Bay Area has long been an instrumental region for the proliferation of specialty coffee in the U.S. But for so long, its face was white. That’s not to say that people of color weren’t vital to the sector’s growth — especially when you consider where coffee is grown and harvested — but shops often catered to white audiences, only offering the same few European-inspired drinks.

Today that’s no longer true; in fact, the current state of coffee is increasingly multicultural. Homegrown outfits founded by people of color like Philz Coffee, Red Bay Coffee and Grand Coffee, among many others, helped kick-start the shift. Those efforts have continued with an explosion of new shops that speak to this change and can be categorized in four cultural groups: Asian, Yemeni, Ethiopian and Latino.

The approach of each group varies, with most shops offering specific drinks drawing from the flavors of a respective culture. These drinks live outside the milk-and-sugar box, mixed with fresh fruit juices, herbs and spices to unlock a whole other world of flavor. Take Outset Coffee in San Francisco, with its fruit-flavored coffee, and Lacàphê in San Jose, offering custard-topped coffee, and Oak-Dar in Oakland, which pairs ginger with java. Others in this cultural wave place great emphasis on a particular coffee-growing region. Berraco Coffee in Cupertino exclusively uses Colombian coffees; Sextant primarily highlights Ethiopian coffees; and Proyecto Diaz focuses on Mexican coffees.

This changing face of specialty coffee has been in the making for a long time. “Americans have the luxury to basically never consider … the international nature of coffee,” said Paolo Bicchieri, a writer from Eater San Francisco who covers coffee extensively. It’s a new age of specialty coffee and the momentum behind it is palpable. The success of places like Not Latte in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood revealed a demand for drinks catering to Asian communities; Outset Coffee has since capitalized on that hole in the market. The boom of spiced Yemeni coffee, too, revealed another energized base that’s thirsty for a new kind of coffee. And a crop of pop-ups in the city like Calaca Coffee and Paper Son Coffee use familiar Latino and Asian flavors to create a more approachable vision of coffee for everyone.

The ceiling for the genre has been torn down and the future looks bright. — Cesar Hernandez

Asian

While each country in this enormous land mass has its own complex coffee culture, there’s an affinity for flavors that might seem unconventional to the western palate. That means caffeinated cups are infused with fresh fruit juices, egg custard and even root vegetables like ube. Several cafes in San Francisco effortlessly blend South and Southeast Asian influences in the cup. Modeled after Vietnam’s modern cafe culture, a recent boom of shops in Little Saigon in San Jose offers a glimpse at how the country drinks coffee. Beans in this category cover a broad range: some use robusta coffee — the most abundant variety in Vietnam — while others use single-origin arabica beans from local and non-local roasters. — C.H.

Lacàphê

Modern Vietnamese drinks melding tea-shop flair (like boba and lychee jelly add-ons) and third-wave coffee quality draw hourlong lines at this San Jose strip mall spot. Lacàphê bears the aesthetic trappings of modern coffee shops frequented by young people in Vietnam with contemporary versions of traditional beverages to match. Its Saigon-style coffee comes with a fluffy cloud of salt foam atop a milky iced coffee sweetened with condensed milk. Hanoi-style egg coffee, a classic drink made with custardy whipped egg over black coffee, also gets a new spin with an egg foam and dusting of cocoa powder above a mocha-like iced coffee. The ube coffee feels wholly original, with black coffee atop ube-flavored milk stained a vibrant purple. These are made with a blend of robusta coffee beans, the coffee varietal preferred in Vietnam, and more common arabica beans. — Mario Cortez 740 Story Road, #5, San Jose. 408-564-6237 lacaphe.square.site Outset Coffee Co-founded by Heng Qiu in 2023, Outset makes stunning fruit-flavored coffees inspired by Asia’s booming coffee culture, especially in China. The refreshing, tangy Outset Americano, coffee paired with orange juice and tea, is modeled after drinks from Shanghai, which now has the highest number of coffee shops in the world. The durian latte, made with the pungent fruit and espresso, has Thai influences, while the Yuja Americano draws from Korean flavors with the use of citron, citrus and honey preserves used to make tea. What’s especially striking about Outset, aside from the audacious flavor pairings, is the hybrid approach, adding customizability from a boba shop to a specialty cafe: Drinkers can choose their levels of sugar and caffeine. — C.H.

790 Valencia St., San Francisco and 90 New Montgomery St., San Francisco. 510-934-6693 outset.coffee

Paper Son Coffee Pop-up Paper Son Coffee does it all. If you’re looking to try some beautiful coffees, all of which are sourced from local roasters, visit on Pour Over Sunday. But if you prefer additional flavors, Paper Son offers excellently constructed drinks. The frothy, pandan-flavored Aerocano is made by aerating an Americano with the steam wand to create a creamy mouthfeel — like faux nitro cold brew; it’s then garnished with the tropical green vanillascented pandan leaf. On the refreshing side, the passion fruit tonic, a fizzy espressobased beverage brightened with passion fruit syrup, veers tropical. Approachability is a central tenet for owner Alex Pong, offering something for any amount of coffee literacy. The coffee pop-up has a residency at Neighbor Bakehouse, a bakery in San Francisco’s Dogpatch. — C.H.

2343 Third St., Unit 100, San Francisco. 917-432-7080 papersoncoffee.com

Yemeni

Because Yemen is a Muslimmajority nation, alcoholic beverages are rarely consumed in social settings; instead, gatherings involve drinking coffee and tea late into the night. Yemeni coffee shops, as a result, have longer hours (some as late as 11 p.m.) and comfortable seating that encourages long conversations. Many local Yemeni coffee shops have large murals detailing Yemen’s role as the first mass exporter of coffee, depicting how the crop was traded for spices and goods from all over the world. It’s a style of shop rooted in centuries of tradition that can still feel refreshingly new to many a wellversed coffee enthusiast. — M.C.

Delah Coffee

San Francisco’s first Yemeni cafe introduced this style of shop to the city in 2022 characterized by spiced coffee, lounge seating, Middle Eastern pastries and late-night hours. Its namesake delah pots, used to serve large batches of aromatic coffees and teas among groups, are another key trait. Delah also offers espresso drinks like rose lattes and a Yemeni latte rich with spices, which come in 12and 16-ounce cups. Since opening, Delah has added locations in Oakland and Berkeley, and a new one is in the works for the Financial District. — M.C.

370 Fourth St., San Francisco; 420 W Grand Ave., Oakland; 1807 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. 415377-2444 delahcoffee.com Mohka House

In Oakland’s Dimond District, Mohka House celebrates its namesake port city that exported the world’s first highly prized coffee, said to bear strong cacao notes, by 16th century traders. Like other

cafes in the genre, drinks here are made with Yemeni-grown beans and come spiced, as is customary in different regions. The Jubani coffee is made with cardamom, ginger and coffee husks; the Sana’ani — in the style of the capital city — is a strong black brew softened with cardamom. Unlike most other Yemeni coffee shops, Mohka House also has parklet seating, in case the lounge chairs are all taken up. — M.C.

2139 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 510-479-3217 instagram.com/ mohkahouse

Heyma Coffee

Heyma Coffee opened in late 2023, providing UC Berkeley students a spot for study sessions and neighbors a place to lounge and chat over pots of coffee and tea long past the hours of other nearby shops. Like its Yemeni peers, Heyma makes spiced drinks with raw coffee imported from Yemen. But these beans get a local layover, where they’re roasted by staff at Oakland’s highly respected Proyecto Diaz Coffee. Having a local artisan roaster makes all the difference in espresso drinks, and in taming the intense ginger in drinks like the hot Rada’a-style coffee. — M.C.

1122 University Ave., Berkeley. 510-570-2993 instagram.com/ heymacoffee

Ethiopian

Ethiopia is the birthplace of the addictive, roasted fruit seed we know as coffee. Yet, in America there are few shops owned by Ethiopians. The country is one of the leading exporters of the crop in Africa and worldwide. Some of the most flavorful and prized coffee varietals, like gesha, were born in Ethiopia — before traveling across the globe. Coffee is an integral part of the culture, with intricate coffee ceremonies that span hours and foster a reverence for the beverage. Here, there are drinks paired with spices and ginger, which add extra zing. — C.H. Sextant Coffee Roasters Sextant Coffee Roasters is among the few Black-owned specialty coffee shops in the Bay Area and the only one that mainly highlights Ethiopian coffee. Owner Kinani Ahmed, who descends from Ethiopia, comes from a family that’s been working in the coffee sector for five generations. Inside his SoMa cafe, burlap sacks of green coffee are piled high on shelves and the scent of recently toasted coffee swims in the air. This is the kind of place you visit to sample the majesty of beans sourced from coffee’s birthplace. — C.H.

1415 Folsom St., San Francisco. 415-355-1415 sextantcoffee.square.site Yagere/Oak-Dar This roaming cafe brings the flavors and aromas of Ethiopian coffee ceremonies, which gathers friends and family over brewing pots, to farmers’ markets around the Bay Area. Owners Dagmawit Bekele and Getu Yilma brew single origin Ethiopian coffee with water inside a jebena — the tall pot traditionally used to brew coffee in Ethiopia. The smell of burning frankincense is the signal that coffee is ready. The house coffee is unique, with the addition of a sprig of rue enhancing the coffee’s flavor with a sweet herbaceous aroma that hides a little bite. The ingredient is believed to be both medicinal and a repellent for bad energy, and a 4-ounce pour will both jolt you awake and make you a believer. — M.C.

746 Grand Ave., Oakland and 39400 Paseo Padre Pkwy., Fremont. instagram.com/oakdar

Latino

Because coffee can grow on a large portion of Latin America’s longitude, from Brazil’s large farms to single-varietal estates in Mexico, many cultures have proudly embraced coffee growing and drinking. Locally, shops speaking to Latino sensibilities focus on celebrating this rich history by making brewed and espresso drinks with beans from the many high-profile growing regions found in Latin America. These coffee shops also offer drinks flavored with Latin American ingredients, like dulce de leche, chocolate and unrefined brown sugar. The combination celebrates familiar flavors while adding distinct cultural signifiers. — M.C.

Berraco Coffee

Berraco Coffee is the Bay Area’s only Colombian coffee shop. Inside the spacious cafe, there’s a TV showing the coffee farms of the country. There’s a wide selection of flavored drinks but the shop’s strength is brewed coffee — with five methods available like pour over, AeroPress or siphon. You have the choice of various single-origin beans and varieties like the sweet, juicy pink bourbon. If you have the time you can do multiple tastings or just a single cup. Make sure to take home a bag of beans, which the cafe will grind for you, if needed. — C.H.

19110 Stevens Creek Blvd., Unit A, Cupertino. 650-906-1987 berracocoffee.com

Cafe De La Olla

Find playful espresso drinks that draw inspiration from traditional Mexican sweets at Cafe De La Olla, a tiny coffee truck in Union City. Owner Agueda Ulloa adds mazapan, a crumbly peanut candy, and horchata to flavor her lattes. The house mocha is made with Chocolate Abuelita, arguably Mexico’s most popular brand of traditional hot chocolate characterized by a sweet profile. The namesake cafe de la olla — coffee brewed in a pot with cinnamon, anise and unrefined sugar — is always sure to warm you up. To pair with your beverage, Ulloa also bakes colorful miniature conchas with flavors like Oreo cookie, strawberry and classic vanilla sugar. — M.C.

1780 Whipple Rd., Union City. 415-678-5150 cafedelaolla.square.site

Proyecto Diaz

After a decade of roasting and farmers’ market pop-ups, local roaster Proyecto Diaz Coffee opened its own West Oakland shop last year. Inside the minimalist space — accented by Oaxacan black clay figures, plants and family photos — staff specialize in preparing beverages made with coffee from prime growing regions of Mexico and Latin America. Find pour overs made with single origin beans from Veracruz or Oaxaca, that show off Mexican terroir, or opt for the cafe de olla latte, which bears a light cinnamon scent. — M.C.

1416 20th St., Oakland. proyectodiazcoffee.com