Alta Organic Coffee Warehouse & Roasting Co. — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

If you want an ordinary coffee house, this isn't it. But it has its own special charm. It's almost completely a coffee wholesaler. ~ But amidst the big bags of wholesale coffee, they've set up a counter where you can buy cups of coffee and a few snacks -- and, (I think!?), some other beverages like tea. Don't hold me to that. ~ But coffee and snacks for sure. ~ You can also buy sweatshirts and t-shirts and, I believe one or two other garments ~ Outdoors they have seating. It's not formal or fussy at all. Just pull up a chair, and sit down. They're informally arranged like lawn furniture. ~ And there's also a picnic table that I love under a tree. Hardly anybody uses that. ~ Alta Coffee is directly across the street from Santa Cruz Bicycles, so a lot of workers from there will show up during their...

Having moved to Santa Cruz during the pandemic, it's been challenging to find things to do/ways to meet people. Trying out the local coffee shops has been a fun way to explore the neighborhood, but all the espresso I've tried thus far has tasted sour/under-extracted (I'm looking at you 11th Hour, Verve, and Cat & Cloud; I don't care how hip you seem or how cute your logos are). Alta's espresso is exactly what I want in coffee: rich, velvety, with just the right amount of bitter. I've been back every week since I discovered them, and the coffee is consistently good.

P.S. -- (written by the dog) The baristas here are always excited to see me and give me lots of pets and attention....

Alta is so good that we have the Ethiopian Natural whole bean shipped to NY for home espresso. Pairing an old school lever La Pavoni espresso machine and these beans makes for a stellar latte. As native Santa Cruzan's temporarily transplanted to upstate NY for a masters program, we miss the mountains, the redwoods and the ocean. Alta has become our taste of home. There are lots of great local roasters in upstate NY but Alta has a special flavor that we haven't been able to source. Good people. Good coffee. Thanks for flavoring...