Best Espresso, August 2011

Whether you favor cappuccinos or lattes, machiattos or mochas, the engine that drives them is espresso. If a shop pulls a bad shot, that foamed milk and sugar are simply masking a flawed product. Born in Chicago and with outlets in Silver Lake, Venice, and Pasadena, Intelligentsia is as famous for its baristas as for its beans. Fruit forward, with a hint of caramel nuzzling under a rich amber crema, its direct trade Black Cat is the only proof you need that espresso can have all the complexity of wine. Don't pass up the single-origin offerings, however, such as the delicate Finca from Nicaragua. 

Other locations: 

1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd.,
Venice, 310-399-1233

55 E. Colorado Blvd.,
Pasadena, 626-578-1270