Cognoscenti Coffee Pop Up Shop, Eagle Rock

Sensing the impending demise of my latest adventure in all things boy related (TL;DR – its over), I set out last week (May 8th) on the quest to have an OG foodie day outside of the SCV just like old times! Crossing new places off my never ending list of new eats/drinks/desserts to try within my beloved City of Angels and beyond.

The first stop was Cognoscenti Coffee which I had been hearing rumblings about. If Ludo and Cakemonkey can rock the Pop-Up concept, why can’t a coffee place, amiright? Originally I had heard this place was in Burbank but according to Twitter, it was now inside a yogurt shop in Eagle Rock.

Sure enough, the address led us to a yogurt shop, however once inside we saw the set up! It wasn’t a kiosk or a cart, it was something so much cooler! It was so architecturally sound. Obviously there was some design involved. It was really cool!

Well, guess what? Yeekai Lim? The owner/barista/coffee guy pictured above in blue? Turns out homeboy is an architect! TRUFAX! So, not only did he design this whole setup, he also designed the logo. Check it! The “sunglasses” are coffee cups! OMGZ! So cool!

The menu was simple and featured all the essential coffee drinks. Third wave style coffee drinks. Meaning, the best kind. I was totally drawn to the whole magnifying glass situation. Super cool!

Two bags of beans were on display with two grinders ready to go. The options were Ecco from Santa Rosa and the always excellent Intelligentsia Black Cat. Although I had been hearing good things about Ecco (specifically that they were acquired by Intelli last year), I had never tried them. I’ve had Black Cat countless times, so it was definitely time for something new.

And this is where I talk about fair trade. Direct trade. Organic. The only way it should be.

Since I was going to be drinking Ecco for the first time, I wanted to try it iced. That is, afterall, my favorite way to have coffee and since I had been fighting this EPIC teacher cold for close to a month, I needed something refreshing. If you follow my Twitter stream you may have read about just how sick I have been these last few weeks, and I wasn’t exagerating. Even my kids are amazed by how long I’ve been sick with this silly cold. It happens about once or twice a year. Working with kids hits my immune system hard, and I end up sick for weeks at a time. I guess since I had managed to stay healthy for the past 5 months, I was past due, so no surprise there. Just annoying. Since my taste buds had been acting wonky, I was glad that I had the option to sweeten my drink with agave. Lots and lots of agave! Why, yes, they certainly do have agave, as well as other sweetener options, meaning sugar. Lulz.

So, what’s the verdict? I LOVED IT! Not only was the Ecco excellent, but the whole set up was just cool. And talking to Yeekai Lim as I enjoyed my drink was really great! Here’s a guy that is soooo passionate about coffee and he’s well informed too! He knows his coffee and he definitely knows his equipment. Just check his Twitter stream! I’ve been noticing this new wave of people that are becoming more and more passionate about the concept of fair trade and single origin and are striving to inform the masses. Definitely add him on Twitter ASAP and go visit! Personally? I can’t wait to go back!

Cognocenti Coffee

(Inside of Blue Dot Acai)

5110 Townsend Ave

Eagle Rock, CA

Check Twitter for hours.