Historically, one of the main problems with American cities was that their downtown areas were often soulless blocks of highrises and chain stores that ended up being completely deserted during weekends or, in some cases like Los Angeles, best avoided altogether. But in recent years, formerly abandoned buildings have found new glory as boutique hotels, galleries and food markets as is perfectly showcased by mega hip DTLA. And while DTLA still has a tragically high number of homeless people, it is now one of the most desirable areas in the city. With that in mind, was very curious to see how San Diego would shape up and whether there were any good places to get coffee in its city centre at all.

To my delight, I came across a huge outlet from Portland-based coffee brand Coava who I first visited in its hometown a few years ago. At the time, its roastery and main café were located in one of Portland’s industrial areas and despite this relatively inconvenient location, it was still packed. The café in downtown San Diego is located on the ground floor of the Westin Hotel and incredibly spacious.

The interior has a huge bar that includes a brew bar at its end and there is a great mix of merchandise and coffee gear to take home with you. The friendly baristas were only too happy to chat with my friend and me about their current coffee offering while preparing delicious cappuccinos and flat whites. Coffee cup in hand, we took a seat at one of the high tables that offer a great view of the toing and froing outside and surveyed the mix of customers dotted all around the café. This having been a Saturday, the activity inside was relatively muted and I couldn’t help but wonder if this space might not simply be a bit too big for its surroundings?

Yet, given the non-existent alternatives in this part of San Diego, Coava is, without a doubt, the only viable option to get a perfectly made cup of coffee within a one-mile radius. I really liked that there was a nice mix of seating options including a big terrace outside where you can plonk yourself down to catch up on the day’s news, chat with friends or simply stow away your electronics and doze off for a while.

In addition to its signature coffees, Coava San Diego also has a brilliant selection of beer and wine, delicious pastries from Nutmeg and hand-blended teas from Spirit. The large Coava mugs are also a great gift to take home to your coffee-loving loved ones. Best paired with a bag of its outstanding single origin coffee beans, of course.

As I wandered the streets of San Diego a few months back while waiting for my friends from Los Angeles to meet me for dinner, I stumbled upon a large converted warehouse that looked like a mini-mall for artisan brands and independent designers and it didn’t take me long to step inside the first shop I saw. Stacked with coffee-making equipment, merchandise and coffee beans from James Coffee Co, I first wondered if this might just be a cool little store aimed at coffee nerds until the shop assistant kindly pointed out that the whole building was part of James Coffee Co. but that the roastery was elsewhere.

To one side there is a barber, to the other, there is a training centre and elsewhere, you can find plenty of seating areas where you can plonk down and enjoy your cup of coffee. What I didn’t know at the time was that James Coffee Co. was founded by Angels and Airwaves lead guitarist David Kennedy who took some time out of his busy touring and recording schedule to focus on his other passion: coffee.

In the early years of the operation, James Coffee Co. was purely an online retailer before opening up this awesome big space in Little Italy and another location in Bankers Hill. Like so many other founders, David was driven by his passion for great coffee and right from the get-go set himself the goal to only work outspoken coffees produced by farmers who care about their communities.

That was also the goal for James’ brick and mortar locations, to create a vibrant community around coffee. Next to the previously mentioned businesses, the warehouse also houses a men’s fashion store, an eyewear designer and a company that makes bespoke greeting cards. James even teamed up with Canadian photographer and filmmaker Peter McKinnon to create a custom coffee blend and line of merchandise that includes pins.

I personally found the inside of the space to be a bit dark but there is nothing stopping you from grabbing a delicious pour-over coffee to go and standing outside on the opposite side of the streets and watching the planes fly overhead to land at nearby San Diego International Airport or taking your coffee on the road to wander around the buzzing streets of Little Italy. I certainly loved stumbling upon this gem of a coffee bar and its fascinating background. ROCK ON!

On the morning of my return to Amsterdam, I wanted to pay a visit to Coffee & Tea Collective, a coffee bar and roaster that had been recommended to me by Luis Oviedo of TJ’s Electric Coffee Roasters. A short Uber ride from Downtown later, I disembarked my ride and stepped into a violent stream of rainwater that was rushing down into the gutters and with my feet soaked in fresh California rain, I walked into the original location where everything started a few years ago.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit the US on many occasions ever since starting this blog and doing my bit to document the rise of cities like Los Angeles and Seattle as exciting alternatives to San Francisco and Portland. San Diego on the other hand though, was still a bit of a blind spot for me although I had heard some very promising things about the local coffee scene on the grapevine.

The interior of Coffee & Tea Collective’s HQ is clinically white and reminiscent of Nordic coffee shops, except with a Californian twist. A mix of different elements such as tiles and mirrors give the walls a cosy feel while plants add splashes of colour here and there. I took a seat along the bar from where I could perfectly oversee the busy toing and froing behind the counter and struck up a conversation with barista Rodrigo who was on duty that morning. He swiftly dosed a shot their Steel Frame single origin Colombian espresso to make a flat white while I took a gander around the space.

At the back of the bar, there is the San Franciscan coffee roaster where head roaster Stephen Freese carefully adds his finishing touches to a range of delicious coffees including the Yabitu Koba Forest from Ethiopia, a box of which I managed to bring back to Amsterdam with me and have been enjoying ever since my return. In addition, you’ll find big vats used to make cold brew, a must-have during those hot Californian summers.

The friendly atmosphere makes you feel instantly welcomed like you’re visiting friends and creates a space where you’re able to have an engaging conversation about great coffee, something that the C&T Collective team is very keen to have. Add a range of simple yet tasty looking dishes like avocado toast and a range of scrumptious doughnuts and you’ve got a reason to linger.

I should also mention that they have a newer, smaller outlet in the East Village in case you don’t want to head all the way out to North Park but as my local friend Ariel told me, North Park is where all the hipsters want to live these days.