06/06/07

Finally someone that gets it!

by david91

Finally a coffee shop that offers coffee and espresso with consideration to the particular changes of the flavors on your taste buds and in your mouth. Prettymuch every coffee shop out there especially "Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea leaf" has for a long time been able to get away with serving caffinated dirt water (and actually competed with it!) because nobody (at least in America) knew any better. Rarely will I ever order coffee in a coffee shop. But now that someone has made the first move to step up to the plate and think of the coffee and espresso bean in the same way that wine tasters think of wine, other coffee shops will hopefully someday notice that people now know better and why there business is droping. Thanks for steping up to the plate Funnel Mill Coffee!

05/15/07

the perfect office/creative haven/living room/relaxing escape/ideal date place

by kittyinsamo

i was so impressed by FUNNEL MILL that i was compelled to become a member of citysearch just so that i could write this review. i'm a screenwriter who lives in the area, and having searched near and far all over los angeles for "the perfect" coffeeshop - i've finally found it. the furnishings and decor are minimalist and stylish: perfect for taking meetings as a surrogate office; romantic enough for a date (there are several high boys with high chairs tucked away); soothing and distraction-free enough to go there to write or get serious work done; and living-room comfortable enough to take friends for a midday coffee, or hang out after a movie at night. the owners are chill, savvy and are willing to keep flexible hours to cater to their customers. IE they won't kick people out to "shut down". they understand the need for privacy and quiet, and the furniture is spaced out enough to provide the ideal creative haven or surrogate office/meeting space. AND THE COFFEE IS AMAZING. I can't wait to go back to try more items! it's like going on vacation to the coolest coffee and tea shop imaginable. free samples, unique and FRESH drinks, tasty treats, and an incredibly relaxing, inviting atmosphere. cannot reccommend this place highly enough.

• Pros: amazing ambience, easy parking, excellent service, best products + best price = unbelievable value
• Cons: none

05/13/07

Great coffee, great service, and a great atmosphere

by ctausanovitch

My girlfriend an I stopped by this charming place looking for a cup of coffee. Instead, we got an experience. The siphon-brewed rare coffees are amazing, as are the teas. The staff indulged all of our questions, and let us try free samples as well as giving us free pastries. The atmosphere is great, whether you're going out with friends or looking to get some serious work done. Having just opened, Funnel Mill is soon to become a Santa Monica landmark.

• Pros: Exceptional coffee and tea selection, service, and atmosphere
• Cons: $2.50 cup of coffee is not for the folgers crowd.

05/07/07

An Art of Coffee and Tea

by suko2001

WOW!... This is not your average coffee house!

The Syhpon browning presentation of your coffee is a work of ART.

If you like your coffees black and smooth make sure to try the Organic Mexican Estate.

05/04/07

For the Coffee Explorer

by nels_brown

Finally, there is a coffee house on the west side that approaches the famiar, black beverage we all swill indiscriminately every morning by the gallon with the same passion and devotion to quality as any good wine store approaches the wines and spirits it sells. You may not find all of the usual factory-fresh, powdered Chai-McLatte Half-Caf-McFrappaccinos that they have down the street at your local Starbucks, no. But what they DO have is really good coffee, painstakingly made in a single-serving siphon that has a way of getting the most "coffee-goodness" out of the bean and leaving behind the slag that the aforementioned Starbucks seems to use exclusively for what they call coffee.

Oh, and they have tea as well, many varieties of rare teas are available for on-the-spot consumption, taking home or if you have time, the Tea Tao. There is a beautiful wooden table and chair set with all of the necessary apparatice for the Chinese tea ceremony, and for a rather modest price owner J.C. will teach you how to perform the whole thing, tea and all.

The atmosphere at Funnel Mill is also worth mentioning. Its quiet. Very quiet...almost library quiet. There's almost always someone crashed out on one of the super comfortable leather sofas in the front. And they keep a nice collection of magazines for your reading entertainment, although I doubt you'll nead them: Your mind will be preoccupied with the experience of drinking perhaps the best cup of coffee you've tried. Highly reccommended.

04/21/07

THIS PLACE IS DEFINITELY FOR THE TEA AND COFFEE CONNOISSEURS...

by karven

Both coffee and tea are excellent!! The owner really knows his coffee and tea.

A huge selection of teas and coffee, so far everything I have tried (including an herbal concoction that is freshly brewed from apples, nuts, spices on the stove) has been excellent. A few baked goods, and a large (currently very empty) place to sit. It's a nice space, and is probably more inviting when it's not so empty.

THIS PLACE IS DEFINITELY FOR THE TEA AND COFFEE CONNOISSEURS...

• Pros: freshly brewed coffee, coffee is not burned and Tea served in real tea pots not in paper cups.
• Cons: Need more selection on pastries.

Editorial Review

by Contributor

A tea and coffee stop offering beverages brewed using the syphon system, promising flavor and exceptional aromas from rare blends.