Brewing Up Some Joe at My Local Octabean

I frequent my neighborhood Coffee Bean almost daily, regularly stopping in for a morning cappuccino or afternoon snack and cup of tea.  After recently visiting a coffee plantation in Maui, I wondered about the history of my local octabean (my nickname for the eight-sided Coffee Bean located on the corner of Riverside and Lankershim.)

Founded by Mona and Herbert Hyman in 1963, the Coffee Bean chain started out as a single location in Brentwood (it still operates today.)  In 1996, Singaporean entrepreneur Victor Sassoon purchased the rights to expand and open Coffee Bean locations throughout Southeast Asia.  Two years later, Sassoon, his brother Sunny and partner Severin Wunderman purchased the Coffee Bean outright.  Today, the chain has over 750 locations in 22 countries. 

“Our regular customers love that we know their names and favorite beverages,” said Danielle Morse, shift manager at my local octabean.   Best sellers include the chai tea latte and vanilla latte.  Each barista receives two weeks of intense coffee brewing training and must pass a test to become a brewer for the chain.

I like my neighborhood octabean because they do always remember my name and my beverage of choice always tastes the way I like it–lots of foam and no burned aftertaste.   I also appreciate that every table isn’t taken up by a lone person, with no visable beverage, working on a computer.   Coffeehouses aren’t meant to be libraries.  Tolucans flock to the octabean to actually buy a good mug of Joe and sit on the patio or inside and enjoy some good conversation.  Now that’s my cup of tea.