Crave – food & drink
Like your coffee California-style? Surf City Coffee Company offers specialty coffees, food & more in the tradition of the California coastal experience.
The employee-owned company has 3 locations—Aptos and Scotts Valley (Santa Cruz County), and Moss Landing (Monterey County). I visited the company’s original store at 9105 Soquel Drive in Aptos, off Highway 1 at the Rio Del Mar exit (east side of the highway). The impressive menu features coffee, tea, smoothies, freezes, bagels and “breakfast dawners” dishes. From the palm tree swaying in the breeze outside to the surfboard & artwork on the walls inside, the store conveys a classy yet fun, surfy feel.
To appeal to java enthusiasts across the spectrum, Surf City Coffee offers dark roast coffees like the Orca Blend and Fair Trade Organic Cowabunga; medium roasts such as the Fair Trade Organic Great White Blend and Surfer’s Blend; light roasts like the Costa Rican; and a variety of decaf options. I was in a hurry to head up the coast so I grabbed an iced caramel latte to go. It had a rich espresso flavor with just the right amount of caramel sweetness.
If you’re outside the area, Surf City Coffee has a Coffee of the Month Club. Coffee lovers can sign up online to receive the coffee of their choice for 3, 6 or 12 months.
Surf City Coffee is a USDA certified organic coffee roaster licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and by the California Certified Organic Farmers Association. It’s organic coffee has been Fair Trade Certified by Trans Fair USA. According to Surf City Coffee’s website, Fair Trade practices include:
- Paying farming families a fair price for their harvests that provide them with a decent living wage.
- Helping small farmers gain access to needed loans for working capital.
- Establishing direct, long-term trading relationships between buyers and farmers.
Surf City Coffee believes roasting is an art, not a process. And that comes through in their coffee.
