Portola Coffee Lab
| Address: | 3313 Hyland Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA |
| Phone: | +1 714-884-4714 |
| Site: | portolacoffeelab.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 6AM–9PM 6AM–9PM 6AM–9PM 6AM–9PM 6AM–9PM 6AM–9PM 7AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Flavia Ungureanu
Review from: 9.27.2011 The mark of a superior coffee place: self-reliance, a.k.a in-house roasting. The result: superior tasting coffee, superior freshness, superior cappuccino... and an expertly made cappuccino is another sign of greatness. Unbelievably good Mocha! contains in-house made ganache: not too sweet, not too bitter, just right. They have this original take on a Chocolate croissant: yum. The Cherry tarte (not always available): double yum. Peanut butter snickerdoodle: rich, decadently sweet (a bit too much so for me). I bought 1/2 pound of their coffee named "Alchemistic" ($12.75) - unbelievably fresh, aromatic, "wake-me up" smell from the beans and after they were ground at home. Made a great cup with my French press and the newer drip brew method. Its one of my two all-time favorites. Infinitely better than most coffees I bought in the past because the roasting is moderate, not done to redundancy. The way I see it, Americans seem to enjoy the "French" roast method (intensely roasted, many times burnt and bitter tasting) better because theyre used to the ubiquitous drip coffee machine in which one can use a fairly small amount of dark roasted coffee and still get some flavor in their cup. This method also seems to usually block most of the burnt taste. If you buy coffee in Europe (in bean form), most of that coffee seems to be less dark in color and richer in aroma: ranging from hazelnut hints to dark cocoa/chocolate or apricot/cherry-like flavors. Usually undiscerning palates will only detect sourness instead of peach/apricot (fruity) nuances. I think I like this place better than ... wait for it... Kean coffee (both locations). Truly as good as a coffee place gets! Ground breaking (all the unusual brewing methods they have available) and yet they can make a mean traditional cappuccino! I hope they keep it up.
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Trina D.
Ive never been a coffee connoisseur but there was that brief stint in college when I worked as a barista at Kerckhoff coffeehouse at UCLA, so I do know my coffee drinks. Portola Coffee Lab takes coffee to a new level. They wear lab coats. Theres coffee brewing for 10 hours. They are the quintessential hipster coffeehouse, locally owned, serving the community. You can order from a clipboard list of traditional drinks: cappuccino, latte, americano, machiato, mocha, chai latte. They have their specialty drinks like the Kyoto iced coffee which is brewed overnight for 10 hours. They even offer pastries, brunch items, and cookies. They have day old items that they sell for $1 so you might score a great treat if you play your cards right. I had the chai latte and Chris tried the cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso. We ordered the French toast and breakfast burrito as well. The food was not terrible but it wasnt amazing either. But the drinks were amazing. This is how milk foam should look! This is what a chai latte should taste like. Portola is your place for coffee, if thats your thing, but if its not, theres Seventh Tea Bar right next door. Its a beverage haven for all types.
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Micah Wiles
My friend swears this place has the best coffee so I decided to give it a try. He recommended the mocha since I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I arrived early one Saturday morning and was surprised to see that there was a line already forming. However, it moved pretty fast. I ordered a mocha to drink at the coffee shop. They have wooden tables setup or you can sit at the bar. I also ordered a breakfast sandwich. It was about $12 total, which is kind of pricey for a coffee and sandwich but since my friend promised me it was worth it, I gave it a go. The coffee comes with a cool foamy design made from the froth, which I was impressed with. The mocha was delicious, rich and creamy. As for the sandwich, it was a bit too bland for me so I asked for some of their salsa, which added just the kick it needed. Overall, I wouldnt make this place my go-to coffee place because its out of the way for me but if I am in the area, I wouldnt mind stopping for a bite and drink.
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Edison Graff
Simply put coffee roasted to its fullest potential. Wow! I thought while in here from Las Vegas and since it is National Coffee Day I should search out a new coffee lovers paradise. Boy did I find it at Portola Coffee. Simple no flash menu and drinks focused on the magical bean is what you while find here. Even the Vegan friends will be delighted about the milk alternatives. I ordered the classic hit americano $3.00 and was I impressed. The drink was actually offered to me in a nice ceramic mug to break away from the paper cup only GREEN MONSTER company. Then it was love at first sip. Creamy caramel smooth full body roast that could not have been done any better. I enjoyed the coffee in the beautiful tranquil court yard out back surrounded by flowers and other green landscape. Perfect ample seating to accompany the perfection in the cup.
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Anna Reach
Amazing coffee. The plaza is usually packed when I come on the weekends, but its a great place to grab some coffee and to get work done when you need to get outside of the house. I love the environment of this area, its refreshing and nice to be away from coffee shops that are right next to campus. I dont know a whole lot about coffee, but I drink enough of it to know what quality coffee is. I usually stick to a cold brew, but if Im craving something sweet Ill grab a vanilla latte. The cashier is always nice, and the baristas seem to really love what theyre doing. Pros: - Quality coffee - Great work environment Cons: - Long lines, long wait - Only one restroom nearby (always seems to be occupied) Definitely recommend Portola!
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Paul Miyazaki
The coffee is pretty good, I had the Kenyan coffee. The low score is because of how I was treated personally. I will start off by saying that all the people working that day were really nice and helpful. But they forgot about my order and I was left sitting at the end of the bar for 10 minutes. Thats fine, I understand mistakes happen, even though there was only 1 other customer there at the time. When one of the baristas noticed the mistake, he told me that he would refund the purchase to my card and I thought "Oh! Thats incredibly nice of them, I love this place." It has been a week and a half and no such charge back has been issued. I dont like liars.
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Christine Ashton
My absolute favorite place to go. Before I moved back to Irvine, Id drive all the way from Laguna Niguel on the weekends just for coffee. Theyve changed the way I think about coffee, the way I drink it and even how I brew it at home. Ill never go to a Starbucks again. Trust your barista here, even if you THINK you know about coffee. Be open minded. They have a wealth of knowledge to share. Their staff is great - knowledgeable and friendly. They know me by name. Their food is delicious too. Seasonal salads are phenomenal for lunch and the breakfast burritos are fab. Its great to see a small, independent local business thrive.
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Corrine Byrd
if you are a coffee nerd you will love this place, especially if you love machiatto and black coffee. It is like Teavana for coffee in that the employees actually know about coffee and what it takes to brew it right. The customer service is also very excellent, however unlike Teavana the great results are not as easy to do at home because they use very unique equipment that looks like a laboratory . A very fun experience, but if your used to sugary lattes you better come open minded or you will dislike the flavorful reality of true coffee
