Tierra Mia Coffee

i believe i may have been an insect in a former life, probably many former lives. this was revealed to me in a dream, but more importantly, i was born with an intrinsic love of all things creepy and crawly and a severe hypersensitivity to caffeine, which is actually a pesticide that independently evolved in several unrelated organisms. to me, this is evidence that i am a bug who god still hasn't managed to permanently defeat. i have a friend who says she once tripped on too much caffeine. because i am diagnosed with a mental condition (ocd) that predisposes me to minor hallucinations, i think the answer to the question of whether this could happen to me is "i dunno, man, probably," and the threshold for what would trigger it is probably unusually low. i'm telling you this for two reasons: one, cafés are not high on my priority list for reviews, so you know it means something if i have something to say about this one. two, i usually stick with the tea here. i can tell you the coffee is good, though, because every once in a while, i want to lose my whole mind, as a little treat. you know how it is. various power-hungry harlequin goofballs are spending obscene money to try to get everybody to go to war with each other out here; we're all just doing our best. well, i am happy to report that tierra mia's best represents an easy kind of excellence. the horchata-inspired drinks are an obvious favorite, and i do highly recommend them, but there's plenty of other interesting options on the menu as well, and the warm pastries and various other baked goods are also worth getting. the defining trait of this café is the sort of latin remix they've put on various western-standard hot beverages (which already can't even really be considered european because coffee of course originates in east africa). this does make the place feel distinctly californian in a way i find quite lovely. but it's also just a really solid café all around, and i think the reason for that is the pricing. everybody has some kind of vendetta against the larger chains these days, and it's often for a valid reason — "boycott starbucks for their oppressive labor practices", "boycott blue bottle because they're owned by nestlé, which is stealing all the water on earth and selling it back to white collar losers", etc. — but the trouble is that in this economy, that kind of consumer activism feels like a hobby for people above a certain income level. if you're not going to go to the big chains, where will you get tea and coffee you can actually afford? tierra mia is a pretty good answer. it is still a chain, to be fair, but it's a smaller california chain, and that makes it feel like a somewhat better place to spend money. and, importantly, you won't have to spend all that much. prices are surprisingly reasonable for a place whose location & visual trappings might trick you into believing it's a little too hip for your wallet. i do really like the physical space, too, on that note. the ridiculous exposed i-beams are pretty charming (what did this part of the building used to be used for? why are they running right through where the line should be forming?), and i like the wood molding details of the bar itself. i don't spend much time sitting around here, but i definitely could. when i want to grab something to drink on my way to work, this is usually where i go, and i think that will continue to be the case. at least until this brand is bought by amazon or whoever, at which point: oh no

Their signature horchata latte lives up to the hype! Cozy atmosphere inside, was able to get a quiet nook seating with outlets. Did not use their wifi but great place to chill and catch up on work/life.

Great place to study or complete a task online while ordering coffee great vegan options

I’ve been here twice and for the second time there was this homeless person who entered in and the smell was bad. As for the beverages, I ordered chocolate Mexicano both the times. Love it. It’s also a nice part if you wanna like work for a bit, but they strictly close at five.

The atmosphere is nice and cozy, the drinks were good and actually lower than I expected in the terms of price. I was also glad they had caffeine free options even if they are a coffee shop given that I didn't feel left out when I came to get something with my siblings as we waited for a concert. The workers were also quick and friendly. 🙌