Two drinks are introduced to Latinos when they are (truthfully) far too young: their first sip of beer, sneaked to them at a family party by one of their tíos
or tías, and their first sip of a warm cafecito.
Whether your first sip was a café de olla, black coffee, or the morning-suitable milkshake (frappuccino,) these hot and icy drinks can give you the pick-me-up you need for the day. Their flavors are more than just sweeteners with catchy names; if made right, they can also evoke memories and nostalgia.
Lucky for us, Los Angeles has more than a handful of Latino-owned coffee shops and restaurants that offer what some might consider some of the best-tasting caffeinated drinks in the city—from Picaresca Barra de Café in Boyle Heights, serving drinks like El Pino, a double shot of espresso with rosemary and chamomile syrup, to Gusto Bread in Long Beach and their ever-popular atole latte, which comes with heirloom maíz ganache.
And while these are great, things just got better because in the last year, L.A. TACO noticed a rise in at-home, Latino-owned coffee pop-ups throughout the city. So, of course, we’ve rounded up some of the best ones for you to support.
During a time when the current administration continues to target the Latino community with anti-immigration policies and rhetoric, uniting to support these coffee shops feels like an act of defiance against those anti-immigrant policies.
Yes, your coffee is political—so much so that reports are starting to come in that in Mexico, some coffee shops are starting to rename their Americano to the Mexicano.
The rebranding of the popular drink is Mexico’s way of protesting current government policies for those in the United States and letting their paisanos (friends) know that they stand with them despite being on the other side of the border.