Connoisseur Coffee Company — Restaurant in North Fair Oaks

Connoisseur coffee is the right place if you want a strong coffee drink. First, before you ever park or get within 100 feet of the building, you'll pick up the fantastic, caramelized scent of darkly roasting coffee beans. It's a rich, wonderful fragrance that carries down the block. Second, there's some free, off-street parking adjacent to the building. It's tight, but it usually has 1-2 spaces open.

Now, about the coffee. Get an espresso drink, and don't be afraid to ask them to personalize it for you. They don't have a cortado or gibraltar on their menu, but we asked, and the owner was happy to make two for my colleague and me. It's a strong espresso, and I was wide awake and ready to go afterward. The flavor was strong, maybe a little astringent, but the flavor was satisfying. You can buy the roasted beans by the pound if you want, and there are also a plethora of loose leaf teas that are of fine quality.

A downside of the space is a lack of seating. It's great if you want to grab and go, but I think it would be even better with some seating. Let's be real, you're here for the coffee and espresso. It's good, maybe over-roasted, but a solid 4/5. Besides, the wonderful aroma of roasting coffee beans is like none-other, and that is a quality benefit...

I’m relatively new to coffee - it’s been just a year since I’ve switched over from my daily cappuccino to instant black coffee. My last gourmet experience was at Bacha and this one blew me away with their variety of blends. Since it was a last minute coffee run, I didn’t have a chance to pre-order beans from their extensive menu but went for their vanilla hazelnut medium roast. The person helping me was extremely knowledgeable and patient and also helped me pick out a light roast for gifting that was perfect. Both beans were roasted just 2 days prior so were extremely fresh, and mine was ground for me on the spot.

On the side where they sell their coffee to go, I ordered a cappuccino which was one of the best I’ve had in recent memory. The coffee was so rich and not sugary sweet. It doesn’t hurt either that their coffees cost half what you’d get in neighboring shops (plus there’s a nice discount if you have a combined order...

They've been roasting coffee longer than we've been able to leave online reviews and I really respect that. It's always interesting speaking with a person who has a passion for what they do and I found that here. I came in with a list of five beans to try and the owner gave a recommendation for the Connosieur Espresso blend, which was what he was serving at the coffee bar. It was much more nuanced than the dark roasts I usually love. Delightful. I'll be ordering some tomorrow because the 2.5lbs we came home with is almost out.

I really liked the coffee, but even if I didn't, I have a lot of respect for folks who carry more passion in their little fingers than many do in their whole lives. Coffee preference is such a subjective thing so I would be embarrassed to give fewer stars to someone who's been doing this lovely work as long as...