By Allegra Papera
Staff Writer
In celebration of this year’s holiday season, Redondo Beach’s Catalina Coffee Company is offering locals a taste of the holidays with their three seasonal coffees and festive atmosphere.
Catalina Coffee Company, located on Catalina Avenue, has prided itself in its selection of high quality coffees, pastries, and house roasted meats since 1999. In addition to its impressive selection of food and drink, the cafe offers its guests a comfortable environment with snug couches and inviting staff members.
Catalina Coffee Company’s goal is to provide coffee lovers with a relaxed environment to enjoy delicious, quality beverages, including exclusive drinks to enhance the holiday season. While sitting under the glow of holiday lights and listening to the cafe’s holiday playlist, customers can enjoy this year’s limited edition coffees including Eggnog, Pumpkin, and Peppermint Mocha Lattes.
The cafe’s twist on an Eggnog latte created a strong holiday flavor that was instantly recognizable. While drinking the latte, both the coffee and eggnog could be tasted and were smoothly blended. The hints of nutmeg that came along with each sip of the latte took away from the strong coffee’s initially bitter kick. While this coffee variation of a classic seasonal drink may be too harsh for picky customers, it will easily impress truly adventurous coffee fanatics.
Catalina Coffee Company’s peppermint mocha latte impressed with flavors exceeding the quality of typical coffee chains. Peppermint and chocolate are a foolproof holiday combination, and these two flavors were incorporated perfectly to make the ideal holiday drink. A fresh hint of peppermint was apparent with each sip. The satisfying flavors of this peppermint mocha latte gives it diversity, serving as both a drink and even a dessert of its own.
The pumpkin latte, while delicious, seemed to lack an immediately familiar pumpkin flavor. This latte may not deliver a strong holiday flavor, but it does serve its purpose as a warm, reliable coffee. This latte was just sweet enough to be more enjoyable than an average coffee and just tart enough that the flavors balance one another out. It’s flavors blended smoothly into the drink to create a seemingly classic coffee that could be appreciated by most coffee lovers and holiday enthusiasts.
Upon entering the cafe, customers are greeted by the ringing of jingle balls on the door and the employees’ warm welcomes. The cafe draws a variety of guests with their comfortable chairs and couches. Whether it is a student studying for classes or an adult looking to relax, Catalina Coffee Company’s inviting environment will cater to their needs.
Overall, Catalina Coffee Company’s fantastic holiday inspired lattes that are sure be enjoyed by people with different tastes. A cold winter evening could be well spent with a good cup of coffee in the cafe’s inviting, festive and cozy environment.
Catalina Coffee Company is located at 126 N. Catalina Avenue in Redondo Beach. The cafe’s hours are 7am-9pm on Monday through Thursday and 7am-9pm on Friday through Sunday.
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