The LA Espresso Bar That Blurs The Line Between Science And Coffee

On the ground floor of a mall in Los Angeles' Chinatown neighborhood is Endorffeine, a small coffee shop that may be one of the best in America. It's easy to miss -– there's no sign above the door and the interior is a minimalist wraparound bar. There are five stools at the bar where you can sit and watch your drink being made by the owner, ex-biochemist Jack Benchakul. He and his cousin Ttaya Tuparangsi, who works the register, are the only people behind the bar.

As you might expect from an ex-biochemist, each drink is made with the fastidiousness of a scientist. Espresso shots from Benchakul's sleek, under-the-counter machine are closely watched to ensure the pull is right. Pour-overs are made with a nozzle directed by hand to perfectly agitate the coarse grounds of the light-roasted, washed coffee. (If you aren't sure what washed and natural coffee means, we have a handy guide to all the different ways coffee is processed.) If anything doesn't look or smell right, it's thrown out and started over. On a day when the weather is changing, causing the espresso to come out different than when it was dialed in, he can toss multiple shots until he's redialed in. This isn't the place for a quick coffee to go. This is a place where you come to marvel at the making of your brew.

No computers are allowed in Endorffeine; instead, conversation among customers is encouraged. Most discussions center around coffee, as customers ask Jack Benchakul about his techniques. They frequently ask him for tips for making coffee at home. Water is Benchakul's big thing; he has his own separate recipes for the mineral content in the water he uses to make coffee, another recipe for espresso, and a separate one for cold brew. He has two more recipes for drinking water — one for palate cleansing at master classes, and one to stimulate the taste buds while you wait for your drink. 

For coffee, Benchakul uses water with 170 to 200 TDS (total dissolved solids). If you're looking to get the right water for home brewing, he suggests starting with a simple one-to-one mix of distilled water and filtered tap water, like from a Brita filter. He's also a proponent of using the right glassware. He's found that the way different glasses are made can affect the pH of the resulting coffee. This is something you can play around with at home, though you can also see it in Endorffeine, where each drink has its own corresponding glass.

Benchakul prefers the balanced taste of a light roasted, washed coffee to the funky flavor bomb of a natural process. At his shop, you can mostly find coffees from one of his favorite roasters, Sey, which is likewise one of our favorite shops in New York City. If you're curious about how to make good coffee, take a trip to Los Angeles' Chinatown, have a cup of coffee, and sit and chat with Jack!