We decided to head up north so that Bert could try out Mostra Coffee...
which I had raved about several weeks prior.
Christmas decor was now on display...
Although there were only two of us, we got three drinks. Two of them were actually small shots, so to me (heh heh), that counts as just "one" drink.
Sadly, they had run out of their Philippine beans from Mindanao (the southern region). They only had a 50 lb supply and it was sold out shortly after its unveiling during their two year anniversary event at the end of November. Their next shipment comes sometime in March, according to one of the owners.
While we waited for our coffees, Sam Magtanong, one of the owners came over to chat with us and another couple sitting at the back table. He explained the process of their company procuring the beans from a coffee farm in Mindanao (where he was actually born) as well as befriending and making relationships with the coffee farmers. Many beans from the Philippines are not sold as "single origin" but mixed with other beans in blends. You would be hard pressed to find any single original beans from the Philippines sold in the U.S. The coffee farmers don't really have monetary incentive to make a product that isn't in "demand" especially in the Philippines. Most of their coffee is blended and pre-ground and not of that great quality. Sam was telling us that the coffee farms are 1600+ feet above sea level in mountainous regions. The time and effort it takes to get was quite intense. It took three hours up the mountain to get to the coffee farm and this was by carabao (Philippine water buffalo). We really enjoyed hearing his story and his passion in bringing a quality product to the States. It means even more when it is done by the younger generation Filipino Americans.
I liked the creme brulee'd cappucino last time with D, so Bert also wanted to give it a try. It was fun to watch roast master Mike Arquines torch the top again.
Our other drinks were the Salted Caramel con Panna (cream) and their Campfire Series drink (espresso shot), which was basically a S'mores in coffee form, sans the marshmallow, which bummed me out a tiny bit.
We loved all of the drinks we tried. Of the three, I really liked the Campfire espresso shot the best while Bert liked the caramel (after he mixed the housemade cream topping). All that caffeine was worth it. You may as well insert an IV of that stuff in our arms.
Since "we were in the area", we stopped by Champagne French Bakery to do a quick pick up of just two pastries, the same ones I got last time I was here.
As great as these looked (especially those mini desserts), we stuck with just our two choices, the Jesuit and the almond croissant.
I saw that they offered the Buche de Noel log dessert, which was cool since it's a traditional French specialty (although theirs looks to be on the plainer side).
Our almondy choices...
OMG, almonds almonds and more almonds.
You can't go wrong with an almond pastry here.
Previous visit to Mostra:
November 2015 with D
Previous visit to Champagne French Bakery:
November 2015 (also with D)
Before heading down to lunch in City Heights, we made a stop at Lucky Seafood grocery store in Mira Mesa where we bought some freshly roasted chestnuts and a few donuts at nearby Donut Stop. I had a craving for a particular Vietnamese soup...
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