Compendium of coffee stops in the time of Covid March to June 2020 edition (from ceramic cups to paper)

March 15, 2020.  This was the first weekend that the spectre of covid-19 had become a reality for many. School was cancelled for the following week. There was talk of sheltering at home (that would come later) and mask wearing was not yet prevalent...

That was this weekend when my sis and I took our Saturday walk...

It was after a rain in North Park. The streets were not crowded since it was still pretty early.

Now this photo is the most significant. Look at it closely.

(photo from Subterranean Coffee Boutique, North Park)

Yes, it's just a coffee cup with a cookie, but it is a CUP. A ceramic CUP. A real cup.

This was mid-March.

Coffee houses were in the process of setting up protocol such as take out only, no coffee creamers or sugars out in the open (you had to ask). They had not yet said they would get rid of seating. That would happen the following week.

At Subterranean Coffee Boutique, my sister was able to have her coconut coffee in a real cup. And, we were able to sit down and enjoy it at their tables. No social distancing yet.

Later during our walk... we passed the SD postcard mural on the north facing wall of Belching Beaver....

I noticed that the St. John Garabed Armenian church is now closed. After looking it up, they had relocated, but I remember fondly that we attended the Armenian Festival there back in 2009; see that post here.

We went to Hawthorn so I could get some coffee. We sat under this shelf, where you could see Groot (from "Guardians of the Galaxy"


This is another photo that is significant. Lookee here...a REAL GLASS CUP.

I had asked the guy at the counter if my drink would be in paper and he definitely said, "No".

So here is my morning caffeine, Orange vanilla shakerato ordered with a chili poblano and creamed corn galette that we shared (the savory pastry that is, not the drink).


So delicious and artfully presented. I normally don't like vanilla anything, but paired with orange, this was a damn good flavor combo.

So this was the last time I enjoyed a coffee drink in the way it was meant to be presented, in glass and the last time, my sis enjoyed coffee in an actual ceramic mug.

I dislike paper cups so much but because of covid-19, all coffee shops are serving drinks in to-go cups.

Last coffee post from that day was my other favorite drink, the Metro at Cafe Calabria. This was espresso with tonic water and orange.  Very refreshing and yes, my second coffee'ish drink for the morning.

My sis and I shared a panini as well.  My Metro was taken to go...

At both Hawthorn and Calabria, the creamers and sugars were not  available; customers needing it would have to ask. At Subterranean, it was still out.

That following week, I met a friend at the local Starbucks where I ordered a Pineapple matcha drink. We had to meet outside because all indoor seating was removed. Tables were pushed aside and chairs were stacked.   Starbucks already has that app where you can order your drinks ahead of time, pay online and just pick it up. I don't do that since I don't like having too many apps on my phone. This was also the  last time I was in a Starbucks.


April 2020 - By April, everyone had been ordered to shelter in place for at least two weeks and it ended up being indefinite.  My cousin had gifted me a bag of my favorite espresso back in Deceber, the Short Strand by Andytown, a roaster in the Outer Sunset in San Francisco.  We had been several times in the past; their original location, as well as their newer locations in the Parkside Neighborhood; both on the same street; location 2 and location 3). I went through that half pound bag within a few days, making my own espressos and mocha at home.

Because many coffee shops had to close in March and April, some had to lay off their staffs. The loss of jobs was an unfortunate result of the virus's effect on the ecpnomy. Andytown had a special in April where shipping was free if you spent over a certain amount, I believe it was $50; PLUS they had 20% off everything, so I got four bags plus Aeropress filter replacements and a canvas totebag. I believe some money raised from theiror sales also helped out their out of work baristas.

I recently finished off the last bag. It would have been done sooner, but Bert and I also had espresso from Mostra and another roaster we were trying to finish. The Short Strand espresso is still my favorite.  Here is the description of their flavor notes from their website:

"Named after the neighborhood where Michael's granny lived in Belfast, the Short Strand is strong and invigorating, yet it might be the sweetest little espresso you've ever met. A powerful mix of smooth Central American and fruity Ethiopian beans, this blend is engineered to make a syrupy sweet shot with flavors of toffee and milk chocolate."

Sometime that month, I made a few of these coffee tonics with lime. I put it in a fancy heart shaped champagne flute, ha ha.

By the time May rolled around,  coffee shops were allowed to reopen, but still people were not able to sit inside. Still no glass or ceramic cups served, only paper.  This time, there were measures in place for folks waiting in line. This "distance" marker was on the sidewalk at the Dark Horse in Golden Hill.


They preferred contactless payment which was fine by me. Only a few people were allowed on the shop at a time.

I picked up a canned matcha latte for TC. They only allowed two cans per customer.

I also picked up a growler of cold brew for me and Bert.

which was promptly used the next day to mix with ube milk (this is a mix of rice, almond, and coconut milk mixed with a few drops of ube extract). I floated the layers first before mixing it.

At the end of May, Bert and I paid a visit to one of our favorite places, Cafe Virtuoso in Barrio Logan, where we saw our favorite barista and also local artist, MaryJhun Dandan.  Seating was also available both inside and outside. We sat inside, something we hadn't done for awhile. However, at the time of writing this post, the coffee shop is now providing only outside seating due to the recent surge of covid-19 cases.


Fast forward to June - Tahoe gold growler from Scrimshaw - TC bought one of these for me in May for Mother's Day. The Tahoe gold is a type of orange; the juice is infused in their cold brew with rosemary syrup. An interesting combination. We were doing errands early June and she pre-ordered one of these from Scrimshaw online. I waited in the parking lot while she picked it up. See the banana tree? There were bananas there several months earlier. Hope those bananas were put to good use and not just wasted.

That same day, TC and I stopped by Chiquita's on Home Ave for Burly & the Bean's last day as a pop up.  In March, the owner of Burly, along with his wife and young son put their business on pause and traveled up the coast of California to Oregon. When they returned in early June, their space in Azalea Park was no longer available for reasons I won't go into details but he tried to do a pop up until he could get another space.  Sadly, it didn't last that long. But the good new is he and his family have resettled in the town of Seaside, Oregon and already have a coffee kiosk (same name) up and running!


Offerings were limited.

Picked up a bag of beans from Nuff Said Roasting (local to S.D. and formerly tied to Burly & the Bean), an iced Vietnamese coffee for me and a regular hot coffee to go for Bert (who was at home).

I wanted to support them one last time before they moved.

In mid-June, my sis and I wanted to walk Miramar Lake. We stopped by Jaunt Coffee first. No seating inside. Masks required. Six feet apart, you know the drill.


We both got the black Hawaiian salted caramel - downsized to a cappuccino for me and the regular latte size for her.

I really love the coffee here. Why can't Chula Vista have a good coffee shop like this dammit.

Empanadas - one sweet corn and basil; the other ham and cheese. These were baked (would have been better fried but baked is healthier, I know).

After our walk, we went by Mostra Coffee in Carmel Mountain Ranch.


I got some bags of coffee for us - the Ghost Bear espresso and also the Vietnamese Lotus (Bert's choice). This was the iced Choconana cold brew which was obviously, to go.

Their massive communal table and other side tables were gone or put aside. Distancing markers were kegs. Very creative.


During another visit the following week, this time with Bert...we came to try these.

Their set up for their specialty drinks...They have a blow torch to brulee certain drinks.

Below, the Turon cold brew.  The jackfruit syrup in there was way too sweet. It did taste like the liquid version of turon (a Filipno banana fritter, sometimes stuffed with slices of jackfruit).


The other specialty drink was the Champorado cappuccino. I never grew up eating chaporado, which is like a chocolate porridge. It is considered a breakfast food and some folks even eat it with salted dried fish.  The cappuccino size was perfect. Lattes are just too huge.



Still in the month of June...after the 5th, I was officially on Summer Break. It had been a challenging semester working as a counselor.  I was ready to take my break. I spent my weekdays going out solo. Bert, still had to work from home. Many of my friends were also working from home and some chose not to go outside, which I totally respect. I on the other hand, went out pretty early (7:30 am and beyond) to explore out of Chula Vista. No one is out that early it seems. I enjoyed the time alone as well.

Sometime in June, I went to OB, checked out the street art and walked the pier.  I stopped by OB Beans...

I ended up getting their summer special, which was basically a bulletproof offee with cherry syrup and soda water.


And here it is...

It was really refreshing - the sun was starting to beat down. For us San Diegans, we experience "May Gray" and "June Gloom", both of which I like. I love the clouds and the coolness of the weather. Plus, having no harsh suns makes for nice photos with no shadows.   By the time I got my coffee, the cloud cover was already gone, dagnabbit.

On another solo morning, I went to document the street art murals on businesses that were boarded up as a result of the protests against police brutality.

Still no regular cups but seating was available outside at their parklet. I was able to get a seat by myself to enjoy my Metro and a panini (cotto salami, egg and cheese).

Homemade espresso and tonic. This time, I garnished with a lime slice and used a pilsner glass (thank you Dollar Tree).


Dark Horse in La Mesa was another stop during the month of June. Did you know you can watch folks play pickle ball across the street? It's quite cool to watch.


We enjoyed our shared coffee outside.

Bert's go to drink, the Salted maple latte with oat milk

Cool design on the cup! But it doesn't beat the beauty of drinking coffee in ceramic cups.  In due time, right?



There were some other places we went to but I didn't bother taking photos of the coffee since it wasn't that exciting to see especially if latte art was lacking.



I ordered more bags of my Andytown and am also finishing up a bag of Zip Zinger, which is espresso from Dune Roasters (based in Santa Barbara), which I got from our recent road trip to Carpinteria.  Which reminds me, I should do some of those posts as well.  I am still trying to fit in blogging in my "new normal" schedule. It's been nice going out in the early mornings to explore instead of staying on the couch loading photos, ha ha.  I have about a week and a half before I start "working from home" again and I want to use my time wisely...

Hope everyone is doing all right so far.