The Boy & The Bear
Curator’s note
The Boy & The Bear roasts its own Colombian-first program in Los Angeles and treats every store as a named, authored room; the brand's Pasadena buildout took an SCA Coffee Design Award at Portland 2023. This is the 2016 original, The Black Store, and the black-on-wood room still reads like the argument the whole brand was built on.
A 24-hour cold brew, the shop's original recipe, poured ready to go or built into a latte with milk of choice.
Smoked trout with cucumber, dill and pickled onion on country bread, served until 2pm.
The coffee
Everything on the bar is the house roast: Colombian-first single origins, roasted in Los Angeles, poured as espresso and pour-over, with the Emerald Series carrying the rare lots. Retail bags are origin-named (Bolivia: Finca Rosita, Peru: Juihuay) at origin level rather than full farm-and-roast-date detail.
- Coro-Cora
- Typica, Caturra
- Washed
Banana · Dark Chocolate Body · Dry Cherry
- El Ubérrimo
- Caturra
- Washed
- El Ubérrimo, Francy Liceth Castillo
Red Berries · Orange Rind · Plum
- Emerald Series: La Cristalina
- Caturra, Bourbon
- Natural
- Finca La Cristalina, Luis Jose Valdés, Café Cuatro Generaciones
Grape · Black Cherry · Milk Chocolate
- Emerald Series: Yulieth Mora
- Pink Bourbon
- Natural
- Villa Pastora, Yulieth Mora
Strawberry · Cream · Peach
- Emerald Series: La Esperanza
- Pink Bourbon
- Natural
- Finca Buena Vista, Susana Mences Obando and Edgar Motta
Apricot · Panela · Raspberry
- Peru: Juihuay
- Typica, Bourbon, Castillo
- Washed
- Juaihuay Community
Milk Chocolate · Orange · Honey
- Bolivia: Finca Rosita
- Geisha
- Washed
- Finca Rosita
Caramel · Peach · Honeysuckle
- Ecuador: Intag Blend
- Bourbon, Castilla, Typica, Villalobos
Grapefruit · Rose · Peach
The room
A full black palette with natural wood and copper accents in a Nordic-cabin frame, built for what the brand calls a sense of arrival. The design practice is brand-wide and awarded: the Pasadena sibling room holds an SCA Coffee Design Award from Portland 2023.
The vibe
Photos
People
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