Regent Coffee
Glendale's own roaster, where green beans rest in bourbon barrels before they ever hit the cup.
Curator’s note
Leon worked in banking in China, started roasting at home in 2012, and put a commercial roaster in his garage two years later. Regent on Brand Boulevard grew out of that same practice, and with a second shop in Eagle Rock now, every bean still gets roasted there.
Green coffee selected to pair with bourbon, aged in American oak barrels seasoned with whiskey, then served as pour-over, syphon, or cold brew off a rotating bean choice.
Multigrain toast with avocado, chili sauce, grilled cherry tomato, microgreens, pickled onion, and olive oil — the single most repeated food callout across independent reviewers, one of whom said it's the reason they come back more than the coffee.
The coffee
Regent roasts everything itself at the Glendale shop, buying single-origin lots through named producers, mills, and washing stations across Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, Burundi, and Rwanda. Its signature move is barrel aging: green coffee gets picked to complement bourbon, then rests in American oak barrels seasoned with whiskey until Leon decides by taste when to pull it for roasting. Two of those barrel-influenced and experimental lots have scored 92 and 95 points from Coffee Review.
An in-house roaster with a real point of view — clean espresso blends and single origins plus a genuinely novel barrel-aged line set it apart from neighbors.
Twice-weekly roasting and a barista team that takes the bar seriously give the drinks consistency and a clear experimental streak.
- Kenya Mukarimu Estate AA
- Light
- SL28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru11
- washed
- Mukarimu Estate (Charles Mutwiri)
dark chocolate · vanilla · white sugar · grapefruit
- Kenya Mukarimu Estate AA, Barrel Aged
- Medium
- SL28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru11
- washed, barrel aged in American oak
- Mukarimu Estate (Charles Mutwiri)
bourbon whiskey aroma · oak · vanilla · chocolate
- Mexico Chiapas Kulaktik, Barrel Aged
- Dark
- Typica, Bourbon, Caturra
- washed, barrel aged in American oak
- Kulaktik Cooperative (150+ Indigenous Tzeltal Maya smallholders)
sweet oak · bourbon aroma · bittersweet · heavy body
- Burundi Kayanza Masha
- Light
- Red Bourbon
- natural (product page states 'Natural'; product name says 'Washed' - see contradictions)
- Kibingo Washing Station
raspberry · cacao nib · honey · orange zest · stone fruit
- Colombia Chiroso Yenser Urán
- Light
- Chiroso
- anaerobic natural
- Finca El Pencil (Yenser Urán)
maple syrup · tropical fruit · blackberry · blueberry
- Finca El Paraíso Y-05 Lychee
- Medium
- Castillo
- double-stage anaerobic fermentation with thermal shock (proprietary)
- Finca El Paraíso (Diego Samuel Bermudez Tapia)
yellow fruit · peach · lychee
- Guatemala Palencia, Finca La Pía (La Aurora)
- Medium
- Caturra, Bourbon
- washed, 24-hour fermentation, patio dried
- Finca La Pía (Victor Calderón)
dark chocolate · hazelnut · orange blossom
- Ethiopia Guji Natural, Barrel Aged
- Light
- Mixed Heirloom
- natural, barrel aged in American oak
- ~850 smallholders via Gigesa washing station
whiskey aroma · berry · cherry · milk chocolate · peppery finish
- Colombian Young Producers + Sebastian Ramirez
- Light
- Castillo, Caturra
- natural / extended-fermentation experiments (blended lot)
- collective lot, multiple early-career producers
strawberry · red apple · cacao nib
- Rwanda Muhororo Ireme Anaerobic Natural
- anaerobic natural
- Muhororo farm (Celestin and Marie Rumenerangabo)
floral · fermented berry · juice-like aroma
- Espresso · Pour-over · Batch drip · Cold brew
- Oat (Oatly) · Almond · Whole · Soy
- Single-origin available · Decaf available
The room
The roasting operation runs the room here — American oak barrels, a cold brew tower, a bottling station, and a siphon setup sit out where customers can see them, with the equipment taking up more than half the floor. Seating is tight and turns over fast, so people spill onto the bistro tables out front. Nobody's playing music over the espresso machine, which is the detail regulars keep bringing up, and the whole space reads more like a working roastery than a hangout spot. No architect or design studio is credited anywhere for the build-out.
Power outlets · guest wifi · restrooms · food menu · patio / outdoor seating · kid-friendly · wheelchair accessible · locally owned
The vibe
Photos
People
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