Handsome Coffee Roasters: Lookin’ Good!

We’ve been treating each and every one of you to a most delicious and affable coffee in the form of Handsome Coffee Roasters out of Los Angeles, Calif.

Hand-brewed within the parameters worked out by our guest coffee program managers (Otter and Canaan) and baristas, it’s been impressive to say the least and Super Hero-like to say the most.

Notes like these have been flying around: “We have been playing around with the samples you sent and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” wrote Otter during the build-up to offering Handsome Coffee Roasters here at The Wormhole. “At what temperature are you guys pulling the Los Naranjos as an espresso?”

Answer directly from Handsome Coffee Roasters co-founder, Tyler Wells: “We’re pulling Los Naranjos at 18-18.5 grams in and 27-29 grams out. About 25 seconds. It’s fruity, creamy and pleasantly balanced.” It’s no surprise he’s taking the time to answer emails such as ours personally, when we spoke with him over the phone for this article he was out making deliveries.

“I do it every Monday and Wednesday and it’s my most productive time of the week,” says Wells. “I make a big loop, visit coffee bars and restaurants; it’s a nice way to stay in touch with our customers even though they’re surprised to see me showing up personally.

“[But] I’m the service guy and I like to know what’s going on, to drink the coffee at your place and hear what’s going on first-hand,” he continues, discussing his changing role within the company as Handsome expands. “At this point in the business it’s very interesting. I’ll have a meeting with the creative director from a hotel and then go back to the shop and have to repair a fetco.”

These guys are good. Now, more.

L.A. Gets Handsome Cafe

Nascent coffee scenes are fledgling and fun, and you can get some of such a thing in Los Angeles these days, at–you guessed it–Handsome Coffee Roasters.

They’ve recently opened up in L.A.’s Arts District at 582 Mateo Street in a cafe with open views of the roasting operations that’s already a coffee geek destination, no doubt. The space is sleek and eminently viable. “The new space turned out better than I imagined,” says Wells.

The human aspect of the vibe, however, is more fuzzy-warm panda bear than order-correctly-or-else. A mixture of “coffee geek” and non-judgmental drink slinger define the hospitality that pervades the company, says Wells. “Two things: one, we know we’re not going to be everything to everybody, so we’re not going to try. We have a core group of customers who absolutely love what we do and we’d rather be amazing for fewer people.

“[The second thing]: In the coffee bar, the motto is to treat everybody how they deserve to be treated,” he continues, espousing and crediting inspiration for this to well-known New York City chef, Danny Meyer. “You can go spend $400 on a meal at one of his spots wearing whatever you want, and they’ll treat you how you deserve to be treated,” says Wells.

This is regularly reinforced at the cafe, top to bottom. “We talk about not losing sight of the value of every single customer that comes into the cafe,” says Wells. “They’re paying for something and have expectations. We have people who fly in from Australia and we’re their first stop. I flew to Chicago to go to Intelligentsia Coffee and it was my first stop, and if someone had been [rude] or sloppy, I’dve been like, ‘I flew to Chicago for this?’

“[We’re constantly] trying to get across to our staff the different expectations people have, whether a coffee geek or someone who’s just tired and headed to work. If people want to nerd out about coffee, we’re all about it. If they just want it to-go, we’ll do it quick and with a smile.”

That pays dividends, notes Wells. “I’ll read online reviews and people will say we didn’t have this sugar or that milk, but we were really nice, and I can stand that review.

Handsome Coffee Roasters: The Goods

That’s the philosophy and that’s customer service side of Handsome. Well, here’s their actual philosophy/mission statement as writ by them:

“We will make amazing coffee the way we think it should be made. Full stop. Our way may not be for everyone, and that’s okay: we’re not making coffee for everyone…we’re making coffee for you. For those who value craftsmanship and quality over convenience and cost – we’re your huckleberry. –HCR”

As far as the on-site product, they keep it near-perfect simple. They basically offer three drinks: espresso, brewed coffee and espresso with milk. They each come in three sizes (three-, five- and ten-ounce). Simple. And good. “We buy really sweet, delicious milk that’s responsibly raised; [we] buy the best coffee beans in the world, then roast them really well. That’s the situation and that’s what we do.”

There is method behind the method. “Before changing the perception of what coffee is to people who drink it, our customers, we’re really trying to have a pure representation of what coffee is. In our coffee bar we have only whole milk, no substitutes,” says Wells. “[We offer] four items made from two ingredients. We don’t charge an exorbitant amount but we ask what it’s worth, because we pay more so the farmers can make a living and invest in their coffee. It’s a commitment to supporting people who are doing good work. There’s a difference between saying it and doing it.

We’ll be saying and doing Handsome Coffee Roasters all during the month of May, 2012, but you’ll find it being gracefully (and hospitably) slung here at The Wormhole from time to time, much as we can. Handsomely, in fact.