Over our first six months in Irvine, Ruth and I developed a pretty detailed list of things we disliked about the place: too many strip malls, not enough independently-owned anything, no used book stores, a seeming dearth of cultural activity. Also high on the list was absence of coffee shops other than Starbucks and its clones.

We’re still bummed about the used books thing, but a little research has turned up two good independent coffee shops. Our favorite is Kean, which is run by Martin Diedrich.

Diedrich has coffee in his blood, as his family has been growing coffee for at least four generations. According to the bags in which they sell the coffee, he chooses the beans and manages the roasting himself. This is easy to believe, as he is often found in the store during the afternoon. He is clearly very hands-on.

Another great thing about their beans is that they’re virtually all single-estate, and in many cases the name of the grower is right on the bag. That kind of transparency and attention to detail is such an outstanding contrast with the kind of bulk processing that produces the coffee at places like Starbucks and DunkinDonuts that it’s almost disorienting.

The drinks in the store are expertly made, and it’s impossible to make a bad cup at home with the beans they sell.

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