Quitting his job as a corporate lawyer, Cafe Demitasse owner, Bobak Roshan, opened the first of four Café Demitasse just 6 years ago. Since, DTLA has paid close attention as his cafes continue making their statements in West Hollywood, Mid Wilshire, Santa Monica and of course in Little Tokyo, where DTLA gets their chance to savor the flavor of his creation….
Cafe Demitasse, meaning “half cup” in French or another way to simply say, espresso cup.
This USC grad is a LA native and although over the years he’s had to watch major conglomerate Starbucks set up a perimeter of competing coffee shops on 3 of 4 sides, he doesn’t worry one bit knowing that his intimate social community coffee hub, offering made to order caffeine and decaffeinated wonders, even after all the fierce competition, is still the local favorite. Plus, in the summer Demitasse features local talent.
So how does he compete with downtown’s selfish little real estate coffee shop leasing mermaid? Well, one of the ways is by serving up fine-tuned precision hand-crafted cups of coffee that deliver tastes that can only be accomplished when you roast our own beans, support sustainable farming and serve every cup made to order.
“We don’t even grind the coffee until you order it.” Explains Bobak – These days his beans come from El Salvador, Costa Rica, and as far away as Kenya but that changes pretty regularly, as do cup colors, season to season.
Yes, this explains most of it, the other explanation begins the conversation with, GIANT MARSHMALLOWS.
For hot cocoa loving patrons, Café Demitasse adds a marshmallow so buoyant and so enormous, you’ll have trouble consuming it before the thick hot chocolate gets its chance to melt it down.
Another fun addition: Kyoto-style cold brew coffee, set up every day, allowing the coffee to drip through the ice for collection in the next morning.
Fun. Fun. Fun and Drinks
Fancy heart-shaped latte designs. Yep. They make em. But it’s really the little nuances of Café Demitasse that add flavor to the well-lit, triangle-shaped interior borders, like cream and sugar to every experience. Another true delight is knowing that every Barista has their own signature drink that customers can only order while they are there.
Barista Dor, fixes the “Wolf and the Dragon”, an experimental pour that failed with espresso but worked well with a regular brew. His blend of mulling spices, maple, and scorched Rosemary, made for a very tasty, slightly woodsy blend perfect this past winter’s holiday season.
We stay up nights sometimes wondering what Cafe Demitasse will offer next.
One thing for sure, coffee consumers know their coffee and are well versed in café lingo. DTLA can safely say we’re in good hands with the Baristas of Demitasse, who seem to take coffee making to a deeper level, one that only the minions belonging to this café loving subculture can truly understand.
“The difference between baristas and bartenders”, says Dor, is literally just daytime and night time.
Being the foster parent for endless conversations within the community is awesome, but having a sense of what the community is looking for in a café as does Café Demitasse, is priceless. Mixed customers include locals from all generations, young and old, city workers, residents and tourists, and being located at the intersection of 3 separate neighborhoods gives Demitasse a chance to pay attention to what matters most in DTLA, being able to witness our community evolve. 135 S San Pedro St, La, CA 90012. www.cafedemitasse.com
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