r/SanDiegoCoffeeBeans

I had the opportunity to attend a coffee class recently at San Diego Coffee Training Institute and wanted to share my experience. SDCTI is a newer organization that is part of the Talitha Coffee brand and shares a building with the Talitha location off of Morena Blvd. They offer a variety of classes ranging from barista skills, filter and/or espresso methods, latte art, or cupping & sensory essentials. There is a modestly sized room sitting right behind the cafe that has a multitude of espresso machines, grinders, pour over equipment, and tables to properly learn everything around coffee.

Matthew was our instructor who offered a wide knowledge base from his time working in the coffee industry for many years. We started with a standard SCA cupping procedure with two different Talitha roasts. This was my first cupping experience so I was unaware of what went into the process. We spent about 30 minutes evaluating and discussing the fragrance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and more. It was fun to sit in silence and let the senses do the talking as we tasted two very different roast profiles. One thing I learned from this process was that it is not always necessary to pick apart very specific flavor notes. Rather, it is perfectly acceptable to use the "2nd layer" from the SCA flavor wheel when finding the notes in a coffee. I tend to get frustrated when I try a new coffee and can't taste the "mango" or "black tea" notes so it was nice to hear that this is something that comes with MANY years of cupping experience.

We then moved into a brief lesson on pour over methods and technique. Matt wanted to use the ceramic Kalita Wave dripper due to its ability to produce a nice, sweet cup while being rather forgiving for beginners to pour over. We worked on pouring height and technique using a 1:16 ratio with a two pour approach. It was nice to get hands-on advice on how to get the best extraction possible from a pour over method. Finally, we were able to learn some tips and tricks around milk steaming. I enjoyed using some of the higher end espresso machines to get a feel for how powerful a commercial machine can be.

If you are curious to either learn the basics around specialty coffee or level up your game as someone with experience, SDCTI likely has a course that will be of interest to you. They have some fantastic instructors and are willing to listen to your questions and help you get the most out of your experience. Check em out!

Roaster: Memli Coffee

Bean Name: Honduras Las Calaveras

Single Origin / Blend: Single Origin

Origin: Honduras

Roast Date: 04/06/2026

Process: Washed

Brew Method: Espresso, Pour Over

My second bag from the legendary Memli Coffee out of San Marcos. Mehmet is not only a 3 time US Cup Taster's Champion, but he also happens to be one of the most meticulous roasters in the county of San Diego. I was able to snag a few bags during his recent 30% off sale and I am sure glad I did (see previous link for 20% off if interested). This bag is a Honduran washed coffee that references sweet and chocolatey tasting notes. In the bag, I was getting the milk chocolate and baking spice aromas right out front. This carried through to the ground coffee which was more intense and had even more spice notes. This was one of the stranger beans I have dialed in if we are speaking from a "normal" metrics standpoint. Here were my first 4 espresso shot metrics, all using a 10s pre-infusion and 18g dose with around a 42g output on my 078s grinder:

1: 20s with 2.5 grind setting

2: 21s with 2.0 grind setting

3: 23s with 1.5 grind setting

4: 23s with 1.2 grind setting

What is wild is that every one of these shots turned out fantastic, some of the best home espresso I have ever tasted to be honest. Even with the grind setting going finer each time, the shots seemed to continue to pull very quickly but the taste stayed consistently good. This was the finest grind setting I have ever used on my 078s as well. I would say this roast has the best balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice that I have ever tasted at home. I will continue to test finer grinds to see how the body changes, but all of the above shots had a fairly nice body and did not feel under extracted at all. There was silky sweeet milk chocolates that help into the cup with some lighter "holiday" spices on the back end. I tried one cup as a pour over using Mehmet's recommended 12g dose with 4 pours and while very different from the espresso (obviously), it held onto some complex flavor notes that was very satisfying. I am newer to pour over so it is difficult for me to compare this to other roasts, but I know that his beans are often best on pour over and want to keep experimenting in that space.

If you enjoy lighter roasted coffee and have not had the opportunity to try out some of Memli's beans, I would highly recommend doing so.

The team behind FRINJ Coffee is kind enough to answer some questions about their work in Southern California. I was stoked to speak with their team at World of Coffee and learn more about how they are pioneering California-grown coffees. The first coffee tree was planted in 2002 and now has production spanning from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Ask them anything about California-grown coffee, Geisha, farming, processing, and what makes this origin so unique. This is an exciting opportunity to learn more about a company that is pushing the boundaries of specialty coffee.

Drop your questions below in the comments!

Roaster: Cafe Suavecito

Bean Name: Guatemala Acatenango

Single Origin / Blend: Single Origin

Origin: Guatemala

Roast Date: 03/31/2026

Process: Honey

Brew Method: Espresso

Cafe Suavecito is a micro-roaster that operates on an Aillio Bullet in South Bay, San Diego. They focus primarily on light to medium-light roast profiles and source from a variety of different origins. Their goal is to make specialty coffee more accessible to those just getting started. It is great to see more roasters popping up in the South Bay as this is currently an underrepresented area for the San Diego roasting community.

I was excited to get my hands on their Guatemala Acatenango roast which appears to be roasted at a medium to medium-light level. In the bag, I was getting notes of pecan, toasted almond, and cacao on the nose. Once ground, I found it shifted a bit to lime, mango, and pecan. On espresso, I went for a 1:2 dose which was recommended by the owner Daniel. All of my shots yielded a beautiful, dark color with excellent tiger striping. There was a slight acidity with some citrus notes that was followed by a balance of nuttiness to round it all off. This one was simple, yet so smooth. I could see this being a daily driver on espresso without a doubt. Check out their site and order a bag or two!

Finally tried Jaunt after seeing it recommended constantly. Went with their Mid-Dark.

Method: 16.6g in, 33-33.4g out; DF54v3/4 grinder; a humble Bambino+ machine. Pictured is a flat (very) white (I’m a foam boy).

Beautifully straightforward bean. The “chocolate” is very present, as with most mid+ roasts. At this point I prefer to just say I can smell and taste the *roast* rather than deferring to “chocolate.” Aroma immediately gives “dates” to me.

Extremely smooth espresso. No bitterness, very comforting to sip. But being mid-dark the espresso flavor easily penetrates milk. I’ve tried it now as espresso and in a cortado, flat white, iced cortado, and a full iced latte. Flavor is never lost.

I also tried a flat white sweetened with a little honey, and it brought to life the “molasses” flavor note that I wasn’t getting otherwise. I think a go-to drink for this bean will be honey and sea salt.

Roaster: Excelsa Coffee Company

Bean Name: Excelsa Vietnam

Single Origin / Blend: Single Origin

Origin: Vietnam

Roast Date: 03/17/2026

Process: Unknown

Brew Method: Espresso

My long overdue review of the coffee I picked up in March after the post here on/by Excelsa.

I stopped by their cafe in Ocean Beach and tried a pour-over (done with a Chemex), and an espresso. I thought the pour-over was fine; very smooth and mild. Their espresso for me was better. Definitely a unique flavor and one I'm having a hard time putting into tasting notes. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I was never able to replicate it at home, but did get something tasty.

I won't go through all my attempts, as it took many tries to get to a cup I was happy with. I think my mistake was thinking my first attempts were over-extracted, as they were quite bitter. Once I corrected the other way, grinding coarser, and pulling a longer ratio, I got something I liked very much. I think this might be the sweetest coffee I've ever had. Something akin to toasted marshmallow and graham crackers.

18g in, 60g out in ~1 min, at as much of a straight 9 bar pull as I can get with my Argos lever in manual mode, and using a fellini move.

I also had some good cups made in an aeropress.