Jonesing for a great cup of coffee

Some mornings just go better than others. This one started off badly. In my enthusiastic search for a midcentury chair, I got to the Huntington Collection thrift store an hour early. I noticed a sign on a warehouse across a desolate parking lot reading “Now Brewing.” Figuring it was a new microbrewery, I wandered over for a closer look. Here’s where my morning dramatically improved.

It wasn’t a microbrewery. It was Jones Coffee Roasters. I’m sure many of you are questioning my credentials as a food critic since this is the first time I’d seen this place. I don’t travel down Raymond Avenue much. I will now because this is a great coffeehouse. The atmosphere is wacky and welcoming, with old drafting tables, vintage coffee paraphernalia, a giant neon hotel sign, mix ‘n’ match furniture and artwork in every nook and cranny, including tin-can jelly fish hanging from the ceiling. The people working at and frequenting Jones’ are equally warm and inviting. And the coffee is outstanding.

I couldn’t believe my luck. It was Tamale Friday, when freshly made, plump, moist tamales are available for $2.50. I can’t even remember the other two varieties of tamale because the pork in red sauce took my full attention. It was surprisingly satisfying as a breakfast food with coffee. If you prefer sweet things with your brew, they feature excellent pastries from EuroPane Bakery across town.

Another bit of good luck that morning was the presence of a string ensemble sitting among the tables filling the brick warehouse with delicious strains of music. They call themselves the Jones String Ensemble and play every other Friday from 9 to 10 a.m. (the next performance is April 19th). Some of the members, such as leader Tylana Enomoto, recently won a Grammy for their work in the L.A.-based alternative band, Quetzal. They’re highly trained but come to Jones Coffee for fun. They play a few jazz standards but mostly compositions of their own devise with a fresh, innovative sound.

I sat there in a beat-up but beautiful midcentury chair savoring my medium (not venti, not grande) cup of brew made with beans from the Jones family’s plantation in Guatemala, which were then roasted in the giant roaster currently puffing smoke out the back door, and it was not long before the young man sitting next to me drummed up a conversation. “This is the best coffeehouse for miles around,” he said. “And they don’t mind if you stay for hours.” He pointed out that there is no Wi-Fi here, which, we figured, is one of the reasons it’s such a friendly place.

What: Jones Coffee Roasters

Where: 693 S. Raymond, Pasadena

Hours: Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: Coffee, tea, pastries and snacks $2-$6

More info: (626) 564-9291, www.thebestcoffee.com

I came to learn that they offer coffee appreciation and home barista workshops, sort of a coffee college. They sometimes have art openings — the current exhibit features artwork incorporating actual coffee. I’m guessing they’re involved in the community in many other ways but they don’t publicize it all that much, on their website or elsewhere. Just like their understated dedication to ethically and ecologically sound coffee-growing practices, their modus operandi is kind of quiet and old school.

I’m not sure if it was the caffeine or the good vibes, but my morning just got better after that. I visited the Arlington Garden (an astonishing place, free to the public, at Arlington Drive and Pasadena Avenue) and went back to Huntington Collection, where I found, not a chair, but a very cool coffee cup. If I bring it back to Jones Coffee Roasters, they’ll give me a 20-cent discount.

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LISA DUPUY welcomes comments and suggestions at ldupuy@aol.com.