This week the fiancée had a bad day prompting me to cheer her up with an impromptu date night. We drove down the street for some sushi, but at the end of our dinner we weren’t quite ready to go home just yet, so we went to one of our favorite spots in the neighborhood: Aroma Coffee & Tea Company.
Aroma is a rather popular café with a line that wraps around the venue during peak brunch hours on any given Saturday morning. We spotted this café even before we moved to Studio City, but for some reason did not try it until over a year later. It is now one of our favorite places to get a strawberry tart and of course, coffee.
Appropriately priced for a residential house-turned restaurant on Tujunga Avenue just north of Hollywood Hills, Aroma offers a delicious brunch menu (including southwest-inspired options), slightly overpriced baked goods, and a decent selection of beverages as shown below.
In order to understand my coffee reviews, you will need to know that I use Starbucks as my measuring gauge, as it is neither gourmet nor vending machine quality. It’s more or less an acceptable standard. That said, Aroma’s coffee lies just past the Starbucks line. Nevertheless, at $2.50 a cup, and with unlimited refills (should you choose to use a mug and enjoy your coffee at their homey venue), Aroma’s coffee is much like the venue itself, a hidden gem.
Review: I smelled my cup and was able to distinguish the earthy notes and mixed berries undertone described by the label. It emitted a sweet aroma (pun intended) that yielded a promising start. Upon tasting this full-bodied coffee, I was greeted by a mouthwatering subtle bitterness, a gentle crisp that massaged my taste buds. As my tongue waved goodbye, my sip left a pleasant citrusy aftertaste, and a hint of what appeared to be amaretto — a welcomed surprise.
Overall, it was a good cup. Not the best cup, not even a great cup, but it was definitely a solid choice, specially at its price point. However, and despite its great qualities, I regret to inform that Aroma’s coffee was not a memorable experience. The Ramdolfi Score: 5.4/10.
Caffeinated In Los Angeles 