If you want to catch me taking a break, you’ll more than likely find me at the grocery store rather than a coffee shop. See, grocery stores have a one up on coffee shops: I can peruse the aisles before settling in with a prepackaged brew on the patio. Here are a few favorites.
One is Blue Bottle Coffee. I spotted this beauty at the Whole Foods La Jolla for a whopping $3.99 adjacent to the hot food bar. Blue Bottle is well-known coffee roaster headquartered in Oakland and it’s starting to make its way down to San Diego. This brew is unique since it’s New Orlean-style using chicory coffee sweetened with sugar an a bit of milk. It’s has sort of a burnt-woodsy taste in the end that I really like. An added benefit of going to Whole Foods for a coffee break is this chocolate rugelach for a whopping 60 cents!
On trip to Whole Foods Hillcrest, I spied alongside Blue Bottle carton of Stumptown Coffee, a Portland-based roaster. It’s also $3.99 but 16 ounces of pure caffeine goodness that’s presweetened with a bit of sugar and cream — a great deal as opposed to Blue Bottle’s puny 10 ounces! Serving size is suppose to be two but who’s counting when you need caffeine desperately. This visit also yielded a chocolate chip biscotti from the loose cookie bins which I don’t recommend.
Here’s High Brew that I spied from fellow food blogger, Kyten‘s Instagram feed who found this at Fresh & Easy. I was on my way there anyways and got myself a bottle for $2.49. It’s a small can and I really like that it only has 60 calories. Research reveals it’s an Austin-based company. There’s a bit of an aftertaste because of the stevia but I really loved the Mexican vanilla flavor. Other flavors include salted caramel, double espresso and dark chocolate mocha all ringing in at the some calorie count. (Side note: I purchased the other flavors but the person bagging my groceries failed to include them in my bag. I have to make a return trip to either get a refund or get them replaced.)
I love seeing the proliferation of new prepackaged, presweetened coffees hitting the shelves from cities with notable coffee cultures. And it sure beats going to a coffee shop.
My Burning Kitchen 
We tried the Blue Bottle one the other day – it was at Jimbo’s. I liked that it’s not super sweet. Travis has really started getting into Mostra’s cold brew so now those are popping up in our fridge, along with more random beers. At least we’re well caffeinated!
I love Mostra too. I believe they’re in the process or slowly releasing other flavors. We’re right there with you re: caffeine. There’s no shortage of various coffee drinks always around us.
Cold brew is my new favorite thing! I tried Stumptown when I actually visited the shop in LA, but I got the plain stuff. I do prefer mine a little sweetened and with a little milk. My current favorite is Chameleon cold brew. It’s a coffee concentrate that I got at Sprouts in Eastlake (still need to see if they have it at other Sprouts) along with Secret Squirrel. I want to try Mostra!
Yeah, it take a rock solid stomach, at least for me, to down a cold brew as is without any sugar or cream. I’ll check out Chameleon and Secret Squirrel!
Mary, they do have the Chameleon coffee at Eastlake Sprouts…I just got one the other day but haven’t opened it yet.
Darlene, saw the Mostra cold brews there too. Didn’t buy it that time because it was on the pricier side but figure I will splurge for a future visit.