I am a coffee fanatic. As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had is at 1oz. Coffee in Santa Clara. That said we have some pretty darn good espresso houses here in Northern Kat-ifornia. Having visited quite a few I’d say my favorite is Cafe La Mo in Turlock. I love my iced mocha’s but most places make them too sweet. At Cafe La Mo they strike the perfect balance of coffee to chocolate with just a hint of sweetness to counteract the bitterness of the coffee… not that their coffee is bitter, far from it.

My brother-in-law owns an espresso place in Seattle and he told me one of the things to watch out for is if the coffee in the hopper of the grinder is oily that it’s been roasted poorly. The inside of the glass hoppers on the grinder at La Mo are perfectly dry making for an excellent cup of coffee. Their homemade pop tarts are off the hook too!

*Honorable mention to Preservation Coffee & Tea in downtown Modesto.