OUR ROAST
The bean part of the name.
The vintage Probat on our counter is not décor. It is how every bag of beans, every drip pot, every shot of espresso gets made. Three feet from where you sit, every week of the year.
THE MACHINE
A working Probat, on display.
Most cafés ship in green beans from a wholesale roaster two states away. We do not. The drum on our counter has been roasting for ChocoBean since the shop opened in 1995, and it still does the work today. You can watch it run. You can ask what's in the hopper. The answer changes by the day.
It is loud, warm, and a little theatrical. That's the point.
NEW HANDS, OLD ROAST
Thirty years on Marguerite. A new owner who roasts.
ChocoBean opened on the corner of Marguerite and Avery in 1995. For three decades it has been the morning coffee for a stretch of Mission Viejo that does not have a lot of other options that feel like home. We took the keys recently with one rule for ourselves: do not corporatize it.
So the Probat stays. The self-serve drip stays. The toasted-almond regulars get their toasted almond. What we are adding is a tighter roast rotation, a few new single-origins, and a little more attention to the sandwich board. Everything else, we are protecting.
SOURCING
Small farms. Small batches. No middlemen we cannot name.
Green beans come in by the sack from importers who deal direct with small Central and South American farms, plus a Sumatran lot when it's worth it. Nothing on our shelf was warehoused in a freight container for six months.
Huehuetenango
Guatemala
Bright, chocolatey, the everyday favorite.
Marcala
Honduras
Caramel sweetness with a clean finish.
Mandheling
Sumatra
Earthy, full-bodied, a serious espresso base.
DAILY ROTATION
What's in the drum this week.
- 01 Monday
ChocoBean Blend Strong
Our everyday cup. Deep, smooth, what regulars walk in for.
- 02 Tuesday
Hazelnut
Warm, nutty finish. The toasted-almond fans line up.
- 03 Wednesday
Single-Origin Guatemala
Bright, chocolatey, sourced from a small farm in Huehuetenango.
- 04 Thursday
Decaf
Roasted the same week as the rest. Full flavor, no sleep cost.
- 05 Friday
Sumatra Mandheling
Earthy, full-bodied. Pulls a serious espresso shot.
- 06 Saturday
Honduras Pour-Over
Citrus and brown sugar. Worth the slow pour.
Rotation may shift with what's freshest. Ask what's in the drum that morning.
three things to look for
How to taste a fresh roast.
Look
An even, dark sheen on the bean. Oil starts to surface a day or two after roast.
Smell
Sweet caramelization, no smoke, no acrid edges. That's a fresh roast.
Sip
Hot drip first. If it tastes alive, complex, sweet at the finish, we've done our job.
