Imagine, if you will, that your heart is singing a song. While that song rings through your chest and back into your mouth it creates a stirring combination of taste so harmonious and aromatic that every sense vibrates with a sweet, open chord of happiness.
That was me after 2 hours at Funnel Mill Rare Coffee and Tea. Such hazy love is usually only reserved for hour long massages and, well… you know. But if you get the infamous glow after having a cup of coffee then damn, you’ve struck gold.
Totally surprising since, when I first walked in to Funnel Mill, I felt the layout was sort of odd and not very cozy at all. It was calm and quiet with some lovely displays, but I can’t say it felt too much like a cafe, let alone a place where you’d come in to crash and hang out as though it were your own eclectic living room.
But honestly, after what I drank, I could care less. For the first time I can remember, the quality of (and care for) what I was consuming was so incredible that it didn’t matter where I was.
In two hours I was given a cupping tutorial with 3-versions of their single origin PeaBerry coffee using the Siphon brew method, and a Siphon brew of the 100% Kona Fancy coffee (helloooo nurse) as well as a cup of their amazing Herbal tea blend and an awe-inspiring Oolong tea, both of which’s flavors still resonate in my mouth in the most exquisite of ways. (SO heavenly in fact, I refuse to eat anything despite the fact that I’m starving. If you like tea, go there. Period).
JC and Teresa, the owners of Funnel Mill, are so gracious and polite, taking great care of their customers, that it almost felt as though they were running a little coffee and tea spa. JC is a true expert who behaves in the way you’d expect your own personal coffee connoisseur to behave and I’d have no hesitation about trusting this man forevermore to recommend me any coffee or tea. Grinding and brewing their single origin beans to customize your order, they will make you exactly the type of coffee you want. Best of all, customers seem to be hypnotically compelled into taking pause to appreciate the beauty of what they’re about to drink, no small feat in LA. I witnessed it!
The coffee taste was on par with LA Mill in that it had that clean, sweet and true coffee flavor that makes it remarkably comparable to tea or wine. Depending on the way JC used the Siphon, the PeaBerry came out fruity and grassy in one brew, caramelized in another, and had me beaming like a fool when paired with a small bowl of peanuts to complement the earthier, full bodied cup. When he handed me a small cocoa bean pod to crack open and nibble between each sip of the Kona for yet another level of flavor comparison I just about turned into light bulb I was so thrilled. Remember Remy from the movie Ratatouille when he talks about pairing different food together to make new combinations, and all the colors and sounds swirl around him in unison? Yea, that was pretty much it. If you want this special treatment they offer coffee tasting for 4 types of daily blends at $15 a person.
And the end of the day, it really is about nothing other then the coffee and tea at Funnel Mill and that caring focus, guided by the incredibly knowledgeable owners, is what makes this cafe so special. Go and get your glow on!
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Photos by Jamie
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15 responses so far ↓
1 Mark // Jun 12, 2008 at 9:39 pm
De Best place to read, write, work and rest.
I’d never been to a coffee/tea house like Funnel Mill.
2 Emberly Modine // Jun 12, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Those pix are pimpin JamLaw
3 JJ // Jun 13, 2008 at 8:14 am
Hands-down the best chocolate latte in LA….
4 Kat // Jun 13, 2008 at 9:32 am
FUNNEL MILL in Santa Monica befriends customers, sharing with them a passion and knowledge of coffee from bean to cup. Owners JC, Teresa and Joe educate coffee lovers, transforming them into connoisseurs. Their beans are perfectly roasted, perfectly brewed and always brilliantly paired with treats that elicit the full spectrum of flavor nuance inherent to the bean and the brew. At FUNNEL MILL, their beans are inspirations; their brews a mastery of the craft.
5 Louis // Jun 13, 2008 at 10:13 am
Jamie, your enthusiasm for these places is infectious…
6 Coffee Competition: Quest for the Best Bean | LA.CityZine.com - Los Angeles // Jun 13, 2008 at 11:00 am
[...] Funnel Mill, Santa Monica [...]
7 Jamie // Jun 13, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Thanks Louis! I am officially addicted to coffee thanks to cityzine. Caffeine headaches and all. Sigh, love it. Just wish I lived closer to Funnel Mill!
8 Jamie // Jun 13, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Oh and thanks Emberly! I just saw that…now I’m over-commenting my own post. sad.
9 lorin // Jun 14, 2008 at 5:35 pm
my favorite part is scooping my cappucino foam that is dusted in cocoa with my pirrouette cookie. Mmmmmmm.
10 lorin // Jun 14, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Correction…cappuccio, pirouette
11 Leslie // Jun 14, 2008 at 11:05 pm
JC at the Funnel Mill is awesome and I love all their teas. JC has amazing knowledge and he is always willing to educate.
12 Chris // Jun 16, 2008 at 11:22 am
JC, Teresa, Joe, and the other employees at funnel mill make Funnel Mill a true experience, and the coffee is absolutely outstanding. You won’t find another business in LA that cares as much about their customers and their community.
13 ronne // Jun 16, 2008 at 6:22 pm
a taste that vibrates with “a sweet, open chord of happiness”….wow! the coffee sounds as lovely as the writing.
14 RON GREENE // Jun 17, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I found The Funnel Mill by accident (except there are no accidents!!) today and immediately fell in love with the friendly vibes of this establishment and the great complex coffees they offer. The Yemen Mocha that I sampled brewed by siphon and which I bought in whole beans is light roasted and deliciously complex-like a wonderful Musigny (I’m a Burgundy lover). I shall return!!
15 Cindy // Jun 21, 2008 at 1:29 pm
This is a nice relaxing place in santa monica that i too accedidently ran into. it turned out to be such a wonderful place to and have tea or coffeeor a great sweet snack. what made me walk in there was this wall waterfall and i abosolutly love waterfalls . There teas are natual herbs. its a lovely place.
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