Subject: Coffee

• Newport Hipsters Paralyzed

  Yes, it's true. Even Balboa Peninsula's ultimate ennui establishment has been forced to close its doors. Alta Coffee, home of stunning baristas, live music, freshly brewed coffee and - as written about in Best of OC 2005 - a damn fine vanilla soy chai latte, is closed this hazy Monday. What could force me into Starbucks, with its alluring T-mobile hotspots and sickly-sentimental soundtrack for the Starbucks-sponsored movie playing in the background? What could cripple the Alta? According to t

  May 1, 2006

• No Starbucks? Not a problem!

  With 7,100 Starbucks locations closing tonight at 5:30 for a three-hour, nationwide "training session," what's a coffee addict to do? There are dozens of local coffeehouses that should be cashing in and welcoming new costumers. A few worth a visit: • Kean Coffee, 2043 Westcliff Dr., Ste. 100, Newport Beach, (949) 642-5326. • Gypsy Den, 2930 Bristol St., Ste. B102, Costa Mesa, (714) 549-7012. Also at 125 N. Broadway Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 835-8840. • Avanti Cafe, 259 E. 17th St., Cos

  February 26, 2008

• A Guide to Our Advertisers

  July 1, 1999

• A guide to our Advertisers

  June 29, 2000

• Who Killed Cappuccino?

  May 31, 2001

• Ingratuity

  July 12, 2001

• A Reality Shrine for a Wired World

  January 3, 2002

• Martin Diedrich on Surviving Starbucks And Thriving With Kéan

  When I visited Kéan Coffee's new Tustin location last Sunday, it had only been open six days and already the lines were out the door. While that may have been due in part to staff still getting up to speed, it was definitely pulling in the punters. For good reason, it seems.The drinks menu is lengthy, with everything from the usual suspects (lattes, iced drinks, juices) to more unusual varieties, including Turkish caffè latte with cardamom, café au lait and açai fruit smoothies.I enjoye

  April 3, 2009

• Tustin's Lost Bean Coffeehouse Is How Starbucks Should've Been

  January 1, 2009

• Long Bach Holiday Pop Up Shop

  December 18, 2008

• Ed McKie Has Been Stymied in His Efforts to Create a Safe Space for Gay Meth Addicts in Santa Ana

  July 31, 2008

• [CD Review] Ida, Lovers Prayers (Polyvinyl)

  March 6, 2008

• This Hole-In-the-Wall Life

  December 27, 2007

• Love, Actually, Isn't Like This

  Feast of Love knows nothing of what it blabs on and on about

  September 27, 2007

• Meet the New Music Boss

  Not the same as the old music boss

  April 5, 2007

• Andean Express

  Libreria Martinez

  April 23, 2009

• Coffee. Talk.

  October 19, 2006

• 'Back to Square One'

  October 12, 2006

• Diary of a Mad County

  Aug. 16 - Aug. 22

  August 24, 2006

• Grub Guide

  March 30, 2006

• Star-bucker

  February 2, 2006

• Hey, You!

  January 12, 2006

• Hey, You!

  December 15, 2005

• Spilt Coffee

  November 24, 2005

• Better Than Health Insurance

  June 9, 2005

• Espresso Your Love

  February 24, 2005

• Malled

  June 3, 2004

• Make Mine Male

  October 3, 2002

• Iron Barista

  May 23, 2002

• Diary of a Mad County

  February 28, 2002

• Coffee Crusade

  January 24, 2002

• Villa Park

  September 27, 2001

• Tustin

  September 27, 2001

• True Believers

  January 11, 2001

• Tom Mitchell

  September 21, 2000

• Guide to Our Advertisers

  March 23, 2000

• Extreme Holiday Gift Guide

  December 16, 1999

• Virtual Pansy Road Game

  July 29, 1999

• The Starbucks Solution

  June 17, 1999

• Don't Panic, Drink Organic

  May 20, 1999

• Yo Quiero Mocha Java

  December 3, 1998

• Starbucks News, Including Four Imminent Closures

  Yet another round of Starbucks closures was recently announced, including a dozen locations in Orange County. Combined with those from the previous wave that are yet to shutter, that makes 15, four of which (in bold below) have definite closing dates at this time.The branches set to close are:Anaheim Hills: 721 S. Weir Canyon Rd. (Sycamore Canyon Plaza)Brea: 2435 E. Imperial Blvd. (Brea Union Plaza). Last day May 10.Brea: 745 N. Brea Blvd.Cypress: 5373 Katella Ave.Dana Point: 24502 Del PradoDana

  May 1, 2009

• Two More Frozen Freebies: One Tomorrow!

  Just as the hot weather hits, we get wind of two more giveaways, both in the name of charity.First up, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Drop by tomorrow, Thursday, May 7, between 4:00pm and 8:00pm, and they'll give you a free 12oz iced coffee. For every one served, CB&T will donate 25¢ to community charity Big Sunday. Note that the offer excludes Ralph's locations. Next Tuesday, May 12, visit any participating Häagen-Dazs location, also between 4:00pm and 8:00pm, and get a complimentary sco

  May 6, 2009

• In The Battle Of The Beans, Starbucks Should Be Worried

  Just as the new ads for Starbucks are lazy, the ones for McDonald's new coffees are horrendously grating, not to mention lowbrow. "McCafé Your Day" is bad enough, but how about "A Better Day is Possiblé"? Huh?. Or  "It's All About The Accent Mark"? Accent mark???.So I naturally assumed that the drinks would be awful too. After all, the worse the ad, the worse the food, right? (Note: this doesn't always work in reverse--Denny's and Jack In The Box sometimes create brilliant ads, but I'd ha

  May 11, 2009

• UPDATE: Not A John Lennon Latte In Sight...But Javatinis Still Impresses

  Good independent cafés are few and far between, so I count myself lucky that one of them, Javatinis, is right on my doorstep. Admittedly, the setting isn't the nicest, set in a lackluster strip mall on what feels like the edge of the world. The drinks list is familiar (including frozen drinks with names like Mango Tango), and there's a limited choice of food (bundt cakes, muffins and plain bagels, for instance). But the coffees are the real deal, created by people with passion for what they do.

  June 17, 2009

• The New Kéan Coffee in Tustin Has a Familiar Feel, Smell and Taste

  June 11, 2009

• The Benefits Of Social Networks: Free Ice Cream For Your Friends

  Starbucks is giving away a total of 20,000 complimentary pints of its own-brand ice cream from now until July 19 (that's around 800 an hour). The catch? You have to be on Facebook, and you have to nominate a "Friend" to receive the coupon (redeemable at local grocery stores).I've not tried the frozen treats yet, but the Caramel Macchiato sounds the best of the bunch (the others are Mocha Frappuccino, Java Chip Frappuccino and plain ol' Coffee). But if you're out of luck when you visit the Facebo

  July 8, 2009

• Starbucks Paying for Legal Defense of Former Barista, Admitted Statutory Rapist

  Generic picture of coffee lest Starbucks get snippy with any parodies of its stupid logo...​Better stop buying your Frappuccinos and whatever other drinks Starbucks brews--your hard-earned cash just might be going to the legal defense of a former barista criminally convicted of statutory rape. In a case currently winding through U.S. federal court in SanTana, a former Starbucks worker is suing the company and one Timothy Horton for civil damages regarding Horton's admitted statutory raping of

  August 19, 2009

• McDonald's Coffee Update--And "Free Mocha Mondays"

  Every Monday from July 13 through August 3, participating McDonald's will be handing out one complimentary reduced-size cup of hot or iced mocha per person as part of a "nationwide sampling". An estimated 10 million cups will be served over the four weeks.As for whether or not McD's attempt at cornering the coffee market has been successful, the Boston Globe reports that, according to the May 2009 survey by BIGResearch of more than 8,000 consumers, the company has "stolen share from java leader

  July 9, 2009

• Two-fer at Panera Bread Tuesday, September 29, In Honor of National Coffee Day

  ​Ask to 'Pay it Forward' and you'll get a free cup of the chain's Café Blend coffee. OK, it's not like you're getting a pumpkin spice latte or a caffè mocha, but, given the surprising lack of freebies up for grabs tomorrow, we'll take it. A free cup of coffee is a free cup of coffee, after all, whether you knock it back yourself as a chaser or give it to someone else.The promo runs all day at participating locations.

  September 28, 2009