Lofty Coffee Co.

A friend took me to Lofty’s a few years ago, and in all honesty the first thing I fell in love with was their Salted Caramel Latte. It was such a perfect balance of espresso, milk, and slight sweetness, that for a while it was all I would order. However, after a few more visits, I realized that Lofty’s actually boasts a diverse and wonderful coffee collection, each with their own unique offering.

Lofty’s has expanded quite a bit since they first opened in 2011. Most recently, they’ve opened a new location in Little Italy featuring a bakery. There are four locations around San Diego, but my favorites are Little Italy and the Roasting Works in Encinitas, each providing a different experience from a traditional shop and their other locations.

The Little Italy location has a bakery on site, which gives customer some insight into their baking process. They have a huge window that views into their kitchen and you can see all kinds of yummy goodies being made. The farmers market sets up right outside of the cafe on Saturdays, which makes grabbing coffee and shopping the perfect pairing. I’ve had countless Saturday mornings in this spot enjoying my coffee and pastries and then going for walk with Jeff. Parking can be tough on Saturdays, but well worth it!

Their Roasting Works is just a few blocks from the beach in Encinitas. Aside from being a wonderful location, this is a purist dream hangout place. As soon as you walk in, you will see their roaster encased in a beautiful glass room. Their coffee bar has charming rustic accents, making it very inviting to all of us coffee and tea drinkers. Aside from the decor, this venue stands out from other Lofty’s locations in a couple of ways. The coffee menu leans towards the purist palette, while the newly added food menu offers some different options as well.

I have frequented Lofty’s regularly throughout the years, and I have consistently been pleased with the various coffee orders. My go-to order remains their Salted Caramel Latte. Their cortaditos offer a great balance truly featuring their beans. They also offer a very nice list of single origin pour overs, one of them being Geisha beans. If you are still discovering what types of beans you like, this is a great way to test different option until you find the perfect one for you.

Be sure to check them out. Let me know which one is your favorite location 🙂