The Abbey Coffee Lounge

Location: 350 Mission Street, Santa Cruz

Reviewed: January 4, 2009

Espresso: The Abbey uses the Sermon blend from Verve. They have obviously been trained well. They grind/tamp each shot and use a naked portafilter. The only oddity is that they have a grinder with neither a doser nor a fork. Nonetheless, they produce short shots with a thick crema of an even medium-dark brown color. The resulting cup is full-bodied, with lots of chocolate and some almond notes, along with an aroma of citrus-orange.

Atmosphere: The Abbey is located inside a church (making the blend appropriate); it's not the easiest place to find if you don't know this, but they do have signage located on the sidewalk. The interior is large, disorganized and cluttered. There's a lot of seating and free wifi. Friendly staff, weekly concerts and other events.

Verdict: Coffee as religion.