Terroir is everything at Paradigm Coffee, where quality beans are held as high as wine grape varieties (maybe even higher). Grown in the mountains of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, these very special coffee beans lead to a delicately sweet, versatile cup that shines with caramel, balanced acidity, and complexity. Plus, there’s absolutely zero bitter aftertaste … a major plus! Find this locally roasted coffee at the SLO Foods Cooperative, Sunshine Health Foods in Morro Bay, or the new Lassens on Foothill Boulevard in SLO. Feeling lazy? Caffeine is just a click away. Paradigm offers free delivery to SLO residents. Say what you want about the growing need to “unplug,” but technology has its moments.
• Paradigm Coffee’s Guatemalan—$13 to $16 a bag; paradigmcoffee.co.
Mexican beer is a bit like lemonade for me. I don’t find it that interesting; I can take it or leave it (but I usually take it, when offered at a barbecue). The taste is pleasant and refreshing on a summer day, but nothing I can’t live without. Enter: BarrelHouse Brewing Co.’s Key Lager, a take on Mexican suds crafted with a unique twist. The addition of tangy lime zest and zingy citra hops makes for a clean-drinking, sessionable, and interesting brew worth sipping long after Cinco de Mayo has passed. I’ll totally take it!
• BarrelHouse Brewing Co.’s Key Lager—About $5 a pint; 1033 Chorro St., SLO.
Hayley Thomas is into anything and everything with lime zest this time of year. She can be reached at hthomas@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jun 23-30, 2016.