The Star Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has upgraded your coffee experience with a high-quality new supplier.
Coffee is now sourced from Intelligentsia, a Chicago-based coffee chain with locations in Los Angeles, New York, and Boston as well.
Intelligentsia is a purveyor of “third wave coffee”, which classifies coffee as an “artisanal foodstuff, like wine, rather than a commodity.” It is a fascinating movement that you can read more about here.
Intelligentsia itself was acquired by Peet’s Coffee, which is owned by the same conglomerate that owns Kripsy Kreme and Panera Bread.
I love Intelligentsia coffee — the latte art in cappuccinos and perfect balance of acidity in the coffee make it one of my favorite coffee chains.
I will note that you may want to stick to drinking filter coffee or espresso in the lounge. There are a couple La Cimbali machines that produce speciality drinks with milk, but they leave me deeply unsatisfied. The milk foam in cappuccinos is poor and distorts the flavor of the coffee.
Quite a contrast to this–
So stick to plain espresso and filter coffee in order to avoid disappointment. In the meantime, I’m holding out hope for a barista in the lounge one day.
CONCLUSION
I’m not a coffee snob…at least I don’t consider myself one. But in any case, I do appreciate a good cup of coffee. With Intelligentsia now brewed at the Star Alliance lounge, you have another reason to visit.
> Read More: Review: Star Alliance Lounge LAX
“I’m not a coffee snob…at least I don’t consider myself one.”
Hmmmm…. doesn’t match my observations. 😉
#caught
I agree with you ! I am not foodie and coffee snob, but this third wave coffee was really good.
I have only one comment to make
Death Wish Coffee
That is all.
This is certainly an expensive offering for Star Alliance. The thing with coffee, is that while bean quality matters, the equipment and water used in the brewing process is just as essential. The guys at Intelligentsia could take Folgers beans and turn out a better cappuccino than one of these automatic machines despite the use of fresh craft beans. Point being, people who know and appreciate third wave coffee (like yourself) will ultimately be underwhelmed, and people who have never heard of intelligentsia will not be more impressed than the Douwe Egberts they are used to.
Thank you Dr. Eisenberg!