You can miss Tilt Coffee Bar in Downtown Los Angelesโs sprawling madness. Unless, of course, you know what youโre looking for. In fact, so long as you head down the unassuming walkway, and check behind the tall apartment building, and are following the signage, itโs pretty hard not to find Tilt. Because, well, of the tilt.
โWe want our shop to be modern and timeless,โ co-owner Kyuho Choi says. โWhen we found this unique space, we instantly knew that this place would be perfect to serve good coffee. There arenโt many spaces in Downtown LA that have this park-like setting.โ
Choiโa three-time competitor at the World Latte Art Championshipโ founded Tilt with his business partner Suk Hong at the end of last year. Hong, who acts as Tiltโs designer, naturally has an architectural background. Choi, with his six years of experience on bar, is the lead barista.
Tilt exclusively serves coffee from Portlandโs Heart Coffee Roasters, pulling shots of espresso with a Synesso MVP Hydra 2-Group and grinding with a Nuova Simonelli Mythos One Clima-Pro. They also offer drip options via FETCO and Kalita productsโall ground with a Mahlkรถnig EK 43.
The specialty menu at Tilt is inspired by Choi and Hongโs trips to South Korea, whose playful coffee culture is apparent in drinks like the Cloud Mochaโwherein layers of espresso, steamed milk, chocolate, and cold cream reward big gulps with palate-pleasing temperature variability. Andย the Ice Cloud Latteโlayers of espresso, milk, maple syrup, and cold cream that are mixed as one sips with a straw.
โWe have chosen our beans and teas based on our personal experiences,โ Choi says. โWeโve had good personal experiences with Heart Roasters and we want our customers to have the same experience. We decided to go with Heart because of their consistency.โ
Non-coffee drinkers at Tilt can partake in teas from Red Blossom Tea Company based in San Francisco, or snag a baked snack courtesy of Bread Lounge.
While itโs still a very young cafe, big things are already planned for Tilt’s surroundingย green space, which will eventually play host to a community area for movie screenings and other pop-up events. In the meantime, though, Tilt will remain a place to take in the California sunshine and relax.
โWe are still a baby in the coffee industry at this point,โ Choi says. โWe want to focus on our coffee for nowโto provide good coffee and meet the expectations on our customersโ taste buds.โ
Tatiana Ernstย (@TatianaErnst) is a Sprudge staff writer based in Los Angeles. Read more Tatiana Ernst onย Sprudge.
