Handsome Coffee Roasters

1/17/2014

I've been twice and several people were with me each time. Every espresso was burnt and bitter and no half and half to help force it down. I might be biased to Seattle, Italian and SF roasters and cafés but I don't think so.

5/17/2013

A delightfully simple and solid coffee shop and roaster. The Americano was full bodied and deep in flavor with a great overall balance. Their drip coffee was similarly impressive. We purchased their Ethiopia Limu roast and were again highly satisfied with the flavor via French press.

Overall this place is well worth a trip downtown for not just a proper cup of coffee, but a great coffeeshop experience. In addition their pastries are supplied by Bread Lounge down the street and deserve just as high of praise.

4/15/2013

Hipster central.  

Came here to try egg slut truck (which was delicious).  Handsome allows you to bring truck food in which is awesome and a great partnership.

The coffee is good.  The space is cute. They roast their own beans in house, but does that warrant $4 for a cup of pre-brewed coffee??  Not at all.  They don't individually drip-brew each cup and the cups are very small.  They only have one type of milk set out for you and trash cans are not within reach which make things pretty inconvenient.

I think people come here because there's no Intelligenstia or Lamill, or for you bay area peeps (Philz or Blue Bottle).

I will say an added perk is that they source their pastries from Bread Lounge nearby which has fresh and delicious pastries (watch out Urth cafe!)

Tip: pay $4 for the latte instead of the coffee so you don't feel as ripped off.

7/2/2013

Awesome coffee. If this place doesn't receive 5 stars, what will? Some people complain about Baristas' hipster attitude. Well, it's very expected attitude, and personally if the Barista is not like that, I become a little bit nervous about the place.

• 

  latte

  latte

7/29/2012

After a lot of hype, the coffee wasn't that tasty. The lack of any kind of sweetener, natural or otherwise, is limiting, snobby, and just plain annoying.

Since visiting, I bought some of their beans and enjoyed them at home, and they deserve 3.5 stars for those.

• 

  The 3oz coffee

  The 3oz coffee

8/3/2013

Our experiences here have been phenomenal.

1. They are some of the best in the world (seriously, look up the ownership), so they get to deny you sugar because good coffee doesn't need it.
2. Yes their roasts are light, the lighter the roast the more you taste the quality and flavors of the actual bean- NOT just the roast itself (hence corporate coffee/any lower quality coffee tends to be dark, so they can hide the low-quality)
3. I've had great customer service every single time.

Cheers guys, keep doing what you do (since you do it RIGHT!)

7/15/2013

I'm from the Bay area and I had heard great things about Handsome coffee so had to check it out during our visit in LA. I had a delicious cup of Cappuccino. The staff was friendly and helped me pick out beans for my French press.

• 

  Cappuccino.

  Cappuccino.

12/10/2012

I finally rolled down here to try this place, after reading about them on the LA blogosphere.    I have to say the latte ($5) that I ordered was pretty good...probably on par with Intelligentsia...I think I may still prefer Cognoscenti Coffee's use of Strauss Family Creamery Barista Milk  personally.

The place was full of seemingly smart people.....always a good sign for a coffee bar....and I watched as someone roasted up a set of beans while checking in on my social sites.

I will definitely return....most likely when I am passing through the area along I-5 or while near the Arts District.

• 

  Latte for here at Handsome Coffee....

  Latte for here at Handsome Coffee....

1/17/2014

I went to Handsome for the first time today. I have had their coffee before and have noticed it's a bit on the sharp side, like Intelligenstia (I produce events for a living and get to taste lots of different local cuisine and coffee offerings on the job). I pretty much live on coffee, love it, make espresso at home - but I'm old fashioned. I don't like excessively strong beans.  And I'm a little dubious about hipsters in general, and there were a lot of young men in beards (why would you hide your face? You'll never be 25 again!!), etc.  

Then I went through the line and got an espresso with 3oz milk. I couldn't drink it. I just couldn't get it down. I asked for sugar and there was none. Okay, okay, I get it, but when I work abroad, like in France where espresso is part of daily culture, they always offer sugar, so I don't think it violates any purist philosophy not to offer it.  I was told they brew it to enhance the sweetness, but honestly it tasted like motor oil.

So I sat and talked to my friend for our meeting for almost an hour and did not touch the espresso.  On the way out, I asked for a to go cup for my cold espresso and figured I'd add sugar when I got back to the office. The barista said he wanted to make me a new one, with the 5oz milk, that it was much smoother and the way to go. Totally free mind you.  It was delicious!  That really saved the day.  I still added sugar later :) but it was really quite wonderful without too. I'm fine with the too cool for school environs and will just sneak in sugar later, because they turned my dissatisfaction into a great experience and showed me how to enhance how I could use their product, and that's a sign of a well-run shop. (Also, everyone was very nice who worked the line.) So, they get 4 out of 5 (I'll make it 5 when they start providing sugar!) :)

1/2/2014

Nice folks behind the counter and a quality product in my cup makes me a very happy camper!

9/24/2012

If you like a ton of customizations/options in your coffee, like what Starbucks offers, this is the wrong place for you. In terms of coffee quality, this place is AMAZING.

Coffee:
The black coffee and iced coffee are some of the best that I've had in LA. This place screams coffee snobs, let me explain. No nonfat, soymilk, lowfat milk. No sugar substitutes and they have only whole milk. The coffee is strong, slightly acidic, and has that sour taste towards the end.

Decor:
Clean, simple, and a hipstery vibe. There's a decent amount of places to sit indoors, but no outdoor patio. there's a glass wall separating the lounging area and the roaster. You can actually see all the machines working and seeing how their roasting process.

Service:
The staff here are very friendly and very knowledgeable about all aspects of coffee. I mean they have to be considering there's a roaster in the back that's visible.

6/10/2012

This is my quick-points review as I reeeally need to get back to my awesome coffee and gazing at the handsome barista...

THE COFFEE:  as good as it gets.  They really do a great job of going back to the basics.  No cream, no sugar (they do offer milk), no frills.  They even offer to grind your beans to take-home (for those of us who don't have a grinder).

THE PLACE:  located in the inudstrial part of DTLA on Mateo Street.  It's clean-lined, light and lofty, minimalist, steel and tile, with wooden communal tables.  There's even a glass window overlooking the hotties working on the beans as they roast!  Awesome.   They're playing The Beach boys as I sip on my Colombian.

THE BARISTAS:  Good-looking, handsome, tattooed hipsters.  My kind of men.  :)

That's it for now.  Back to my cuppa joe and that guy across the way...

• 

  I cant believe this hottie lives across the street from my new Handsome boyfriend...!

  I cant believe this hottie lives across the street from my new Handsome boyfriend...!
• 

  oh, hello Handsome

  oh, hello Handsome
• 

  My new downtown LA boyfriend...he's tall, dark, and HANDSOME

  My new downtown LA boyfriend...he's tall, dark, and HANDSOME

6/5/2013

Great coffee and cool space complete with hipster asshole customers.  (If you have ever been to Blue Bottle in Williamsburg its the same exact crowd, just on the West Coast.)  The baristas were however friendly despite the clientele.

5/23/2013

Delicious coffee. Overpriced as expected.

I really wanted to give the place at least 4 stars...

...but they didn't have soy milk....

...why.... why no soy milk.....

...i swear its not some hipster bullshit where milk isn't cool anymore...

....i really hate the taste of milk....... and too pansy to drink coffee black....

anyway,

i also bought a bag of the beans. and WOW it was so good.

Sorry i forgot which one. it was the south american one that is sweeter, not too acidic (thats what i asked for and the nice lady at the counter recommended).

it's a nice place with big windows letting in beautiful lights during the day.

parking on the street, but if you go on sundays like i did around 4ish, plenty places to park.

really chill place to just drink coffee, chat with ur buddies, or read a book.

chairs (or stools) arent comfortable (and only about 10 stools?)

..suggesting you prob shudn't loiter around too long.

i shall be back ...only when i'm in the neighborhood.

12/20/2013

This place is real similar to blue bottle in the Bay Area which I am a big fan of.  Beans are a bit expensive but you pay for what you get.

3/2/2012

Sancho M.'s review is spot on.  If sour espressos are your thing come on down!  I also ordered some of their San Sebastian single origin to brew at home with the V60 and even tried the Aeropress... similar results.  If I get bored I'll try my Nel Drip this weekend or even the siphon.

Is it just me or are these beans just really dense?  Using my scale then grinding 28 grams just doesn't seem to yield what I get from other well known coffee roasters?

I was and still am very hopeful to have a great local roaster, only time will tell if HCR is the one to fill that void.  Best of luck to this newer establishment.

• 

  They should CNC one of these on a wood tile near the counter.

  They should CNC one of these on a wood tile near the counter.

12/15/2013

Who knew a cappuccino had 5oz of milk? Despite the system trying very hard to be difficult, I appreciate the simplicity and the "espresso + 5oz" that I got was very good. Prob giving partial benefit of the doubt because they're local, but Handsome has a place in LA... even if that's a ways down the long list of excellent coffee shops.

2/9/2013

You know those people who go to Starbucks and give this kind of ridiculous order?

"Let me have a venti latte with two extra shots of espresso at a 135 degree boost for 2.4 seconds with a whisk of the sugar-free vanilla, and make sure none of the that foam goes over the cup. Add a little bit of unicorn poop sprinkles on top, but only a dabble."

I have no idea what the eff I typed, but you get the gist.

So what my point is... is that those people will burst into flames upon entering Handsome Coffee Roasters. You only have two choices: espresso or espresso with milk. In three sizes. No add-ons, no subtractions, they don't display to you all the different ways you can make a barista's life miserable.

SUCH TYRANNY!

I will say this though. The coffee roasters? They're handsome.

I got the espresso with milk and it was lukewarm. The cafe itself is clean, and I saw quite a few bald Irish men with flaming red beards, which acted as my entertainment for the evening. I love the Irish.

So to be honest, the three stars come from the handsome coffee men, the bald men with the flaming red beards, and the overall cleanliness of the place. :)

2/18/2013

A friend of mine gave me a lovely bag of HCR coffee....Aida Batlle's Finca Tanzania.  The beans are a beautiful light toffee color and the flavor is very mild and mellow.  I get hints of chocolate and caramel.  If you are not craving cracky bold coffee than this is a great coffee to enjoy.  A perfect way to start the day!

Thanks Anthony C.!

6/21/2014

Terrific coffee.  I got the iced brew two days in a row -- it was hot brew that has been in the fridge, so it's not hot brew thrown over ice -- which would be watered down.  It's bracing and flavorful.  Cool place, and the service was terrific.  Wish I lived in downtown so I could go daily!

5/28/2014

tis okay.

8/17/2012

Umm...best coffee place in los angeles, hands down. The expertise of Intelligentsia, the quality of product of lamill & the educational, friendly, appreciative, wonderful customer service of...no place in Los Angeles.

The bakery products they offer are also superb. Their espresso+milk concoctions are beyond belief. Beautiful, delicious, potent & dreamy. It's more than just coffee people.

Their lack of parking is a bit of an annoyance, considering their industrial downtown location, but 5 mins of spot searching is well worthwhile.

ENJOY THE BEST!

2/27/2012

Handome Boy Coffee School...

is very easy to hate on.

Mustachioed, inked baristas, a menu so simplified that it screams for attention, a location bordering on random, coffees that each have their own twitter stream...

Yeah, so easy to hate on but fuck it. I kind of love it.

The coffee was great -- bright, clean and immediate -- and the place is clean and relatively uncrowded.

Bad: we ordered the 3oz coffee and milk and they came out cold. Because there is so little coffee in it that it is hard to stay hot. But when I mentioned this to the woman behind the counter, she explained and offered a cup of brewed coffee as consolation. Nice move.

I bought a bag of Fisticuffs Espresso. $22. Really expensive but fuck it.

Awesome: they'll email you a credit card receipt. Yay for paperless!

Bad: Parking. Nothing to be found.

Anyway, I like what they're doing, it's less sceney than Intelligentsia, and it sort of bridges a few different downtown neighborhoods.

1/13/2014

They don't offer much of a variety but quality makes up for that. Their coffee's just about perfect. The staff are quick, clean, and hospitable. The place is also clean and inviting. Perfect for catching up on quick work, a read, or friendly conversation. Also, I must congratulate the workers on their mastery of designs on their espressos.

7/6/2013

This is my happy place.

I absolutely loved everything about Handsome Coffee Roasters, from when I first spotted their menu written simply and beautifully on the outside pillar, to drinking the last drop of my espresso. Coming from Texas for a brief LA vacation, my boyfriend and I made sure to make a stop here first thing in the morning on day 1 of our trip... and then we came everyday after that.

I think there's something incredible about this place, knowing that your coffee would be made with great care and quality, as well as knowing that your service would be reliable and top-notch. Also, their pastries were amazing. Though high in price, I think the experience is well worth the cost. My only regret is that we forgot to check out the roasters in the back... I think we were too busy enjoying our cup of goodness. They also had a taco stand (Guerrilla Tacos, I believe) outside their cafe on one of the days we visited; the tacos were amazing, a treat for foodies like us.

All in all, I would highly recommend this place for those who enjoy being in a place that is passionate about service and coffee, with no additional drama.

12/4/2013

Even just thinking about this spot makes me want to get up and drive for coffee . It is flawless coffee that tastes like the bold coffee I grew up on in the south. I love taking my over starbucked friends here and not tell them they can't have soy, sugary, caramel in their coffee ;) .  Or god forbid....tea It's for people who appreciate coffee, Not a cup of candy.

1/6/2014

A high end coffee shop with no cream or sugar.

That's all you really need to know.  If you drink your coffee black, enjoy not being annoyed when you get your expensive coffee.  If you enjoy your coffee a tad sweet or a bit creamy, go over a few blocks to Stumptown; they understand people like us.

4/7/2012

Hmmm totally not impressed. After all the hype I felt my experience at Handsome was a let down.

There was plenty of parking so that was a plus. The interiors were interesting- some parts were cool some were weird. I really liked the copper pipes and wood shelving for their coffee bags but was not into the labor camp style gray walls by the bathrooms (especially with those sconces- it looked like a modern prison).  I peeked in the back room where they had the coffee roasting which looked pretty cool.

Their coffee is okay. It wasn't mind blowing, at least not for the price I paid. $4 for a small iced latte- and they don't even have 2% milk just whole milk. They don't even have sugar- apparently they don't want to give us the option of sweetening our coffee. Strange. I feel like I should stand outside around the corner and sell packets of sugar and other additives for the coffee. I could probably make a killing.

I think I'll stick to my usual at Proof Bakery or Demitasse.

9/27/2013

It doesn't even deserve a half star. The coffee is OK I guess but the service sucks!
I've been there more than 5 times and always order extra hot but the coffee is always cold. And customer service is the worst. Why should you pay $5 for a shitty and cold coffee with the worst service?!!

1/2/2014

Good cup of coffee, taking the idea of coffee too far... I drink it black but only offering whole milk as your one additive is silly and not very customer friendly.

Hilariously hipster vibe but very friendly baristas. Worth checking out, but personally keeping Intelligencia as my goto coffee joint.

12/13/2013

No sweeteners or non-dairy milk... This places sucks!

9/12/2013

Cute store, nice staff, and very small menu. You can literally order a cold brew, pour over, or espresso with milk. There is NO sugar which is fine for me, but I know some people like to add their own sugar. I tried the pour over. The coffee was good, there was no bitterness or acidity which was great.

11/26/2012

Absolute garbage. I felt like i was being mugged when i asked for a cup of coffee and the guy hands me whats a medium size at best and then proceeds to ask me for $4.00..... ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!! the coffe was pretty terrible and not worth $4 ... Actually it SUCKED. I still have a terrible taste in my mouth... the taste of poo. NOT to mention the ridiculously uncomfortable seats.... wow i really feel like sitting on some crapy stools and "enjoying" my cup of coffee.

SAVE YOUR MONEY and go down the street to Bread Lounge and get yourself a fair priced coffee that is actually delicious...

4/10/2013

I love Handsome! It's probably one of if not my favorite place to get coffee. It's a cute little place close to the heart of downtown LA. The atmosphere is relaxing, and I like the industrial vibe I get from it when I walk in. Their menu is as basic as it gets. I think that's why I like it better than Intelligentsia because it's straight forward. The baristas are super cool too; they're always friendly. It's a great place to get some studying done or to just talk and hang out. This is one of the places I always have to go to when I come home. They also just got T-shirts that look pretty classy, too. Love Handsome! It was also recently in a car commercial. The place is that distinct to me that I recognized the location haha.

5/25/2013

Strong, incredible, perfect coffee.  Really rad area and super nice baristas.  I told them I was intimidated and didn't know how to order and they were so, so sweet!

11/16/2013

So good. Drinking the espresso and enjoying it. Clouds are rolling In outside and everything seems legit.

6/20/2012

I love their name! So cute... but it wasn't as good as I expected it to be!
I also expected lots of handsome people... haha

Anyways, the interior reminded me tooooo much of intelligentsia.
I liked that the menu is straight to the point. Just coffee.
The coffee was good.... Not great.

3/15/2012

Bars are not all things to all people. My local dive is perfectly fine for foreveralone nights, but when a first date's going pretty well, I might head over to The Thirsty Crow for those super tasty (yet strong) cocktails. Each of these serve a different purpose from going to a literal brewery like Alesmith down in San Diego, where the craft, the materials, the process is king.

Handsome was like the latter for me: a pilgrimage to the home of modern coffee. The temple does not disappoint; the craftsmanship, the design, the first-row seats of Actual Coffee Roasting is very inspired. As uncomfortable as the seats are for killing the Sunday NYT, they're great for chilling and gawking at Tobey Maguire.

But although the atmosphere was great for a first date, that's not why I was there. My expectations of The Best Third Wave Coffee (tm) weren't really met because I've had better black coffee. Ironically, it was a Handsome cup from Balconi on the Westside that reigns supreme as my best cup of 2012...but that was $6, literally 50% more expensive than the Handsome $4 drip.

11/26/2012

Dear Gawd.  Seriously?  $10 for two lousy cups of coffee?

I really don't care that you guys roast your own beans.  I really don't care that you're too cool for school.   I really don't care that you've "minimized" the menu by taking out the "fancy words" - even though the whole world has been trained to recognize and use those words now when they order a cup of coffee.  I don't care that all of the dudes that work here wear skinny jeans and have finely trimmed hipster mustaches.  I don't care that you guys think that you're UBER cool because you opened in the warehouse district of LA which makes your shop out of the way for virtually anyone who wants to go there.  I don't care that your coffee beans cost a FORTUNE.  I don't care that you think your 8oz excuse for a cappuccino is supposed to be the best ever.  (It's not.)

I just want a decent tasting cup of coffee okay?  And sadly, despite the pretentious air of self-inflated superiority these guys put out, their coffee isn't even that.

After being told that the coffee we were about to taste at Handsome was going to be the best coffee tasting experience we'd ever have... we couldn't have been more disappointed.  So much so that we both tossed ours in the trash after about 4 sips.  10 bucks down the drain.

And seriously... who the hell names their shop Handsome?  Geezus dude.  Get over yourself.

It's a big skip for us.

4/3/2012

Debating between a 3 and a 4 star.. where is the dam 3.5 star button!  Had the iced coffee here.. very well made (though I still like my demitasse kyoto style iced coffee more!)

Kudos for a friendly staff, bonus points for the high tech iPad checkout system, and way cool for the see through glass that lets you peek into the roasting room.  Decor is really fun too.  

What's holding me back?  No small bites when we went (looks like they just ran out), no wifi, the no sugar/sweetener thing! The small bites is probably something they'll iron out after working out their kinks, and hopefully wi-fi is something they'll consider down the road..

About that no sugar / sweetener thing.. yes, I see that you guys want to be very purist with none of the fru fru stuff that "other places" offer and I can commend that.  I actually do like my iced coffee black nowadays, but think about your 7th and grand scotch specialty bar, or a ruth chris steakhouse.  Those places are obviously specialized in something; but they'll still have a beer and/or cocktail menu on the sides for the less scotchy folks, or a tasty salad or roast chicken for the less red meaty types right?

I'm starting to learn more about coffee, but don't want to only be able to come here with specific aficionado friends! it's a great place-- so i'll give it a four now with these points of potential improvements and considerations~