Stumptown Coffee Roasters — OMG (Oh, Mocha Gods)

Jackie Mayuga | Daily Trojan

I’ve been to 44 different coffee shops in the last nine months, and I can honestly say that the Los Angeles coffee culture, though booming, is pretty average. I hate to say it because I feel like the entire city prides itself on being the cooler, less-intimidating, older cousin of more established coffee communities, but darn if I haven’t been super underwhelmed by the quality I’ve been dealt.

That being said, let me introduce you to Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Stumptown is a Portland-based coffee company that has made their way into caffeine-dependent cities such as Seattle, New York and, most recently, Los Angeles.

Like all DTLA hotspots, parking at Stumps (as I affectionately call it) is nothing short of nightmare. If you can’t parallel park, take an Uber; if you suck at directions, take a friend; if you’re afraid of jay walking/urban landscapes/exposed brick buildings … why are you in Downtown? The less-than-ideal parking situation is forgiven by open seating, cute lil’ succulents and the collegiate dream of outlets as far as the eye can see. Across the register is a modestly decorated standing bar for quick shots of espresso and grab-and-go businesspeople. There’s also indoor and outdoor seating for those who ritualize their java. Behind the register is an enormous glass window featuring the shop’s roasting area, one that subconsciously showcases how important the actual roasting is beyond the whole Instagrammable furniture aesthetic.

But who cares about that — let’s get to the espresso. Despite my great aversion to mochas, I decided to get a large one because 1) why not, and 2) Stumptown is known for their cold brew so why on Earth would I make the good decision to order that? (Ah, retrospect.) Needless to say, I absolutely dreaded taking my first sip because, uggghhh mochas what have I done? I don’t even like chocolate.

I forgot that mochas weren’t intended to taste like sweaty hot chocolate laced with overwhelming waves of sugar and sadness. Good ol’ Stumps, comin’ clutch with a harmonious blend of espresso and chocolate that didn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out from the excessive sweetness of chocolate or the shock of bitter espresso. I might even go as far as saying that the delectable Stumptown mocha has piqued my interest in coffee shop drinks that are neither lattes nor pour overs.

So massive shout out to Stumptown. They took something I typically hate and gave me a pretty stellar experience. Since they successfully flipped my anti-mocha taste buds, I’m looking at them to reform my coffee opinions. Who knows, maybe they can get me to start liking cold brew.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters is located at 806 South Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles.

Jackie Mayuga is a junior majoring in applied and computational mathematics. Her blog column, #JackieLikesJava, runs every Saturday.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Stumptown Coffee Roasters is based in Seattle, Washington. Stumptown is based in Portland, Oregon. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.