Connoisseur Coffee Company

All I can Say Is wow !! This is a great spot to stop by and grab a cup a java or a pound.

I found this place a couple months ago and come here very frequently. They know my name and are always surprising me with my orders. THANK YOU !!!

CC is my go-​to place to buy coffee beans and tea. Beans are freshly roasted on premises and I like the Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain (when available). If those aren’t available, I pick up some Guatemala Antigua and request either of the above, which usually comes in within a day or two.
I started with whole beans, but being especially lazy in the morning has led me to request CC grind beans for my Bodum French Press, which turns out just fine. I drink coffee black, no sugar.
I also like CC’s selection of black and green teas. The Keemun Panda is my favorite black tea (sometimes I add honey), and the Japanese and Chinese tea varietals are very good (Sencha, Genmai cha, Oolong and Gunpowder).
Prices are reasonable, and service has been very courteous and friendly. CC rocks!

Love the place and they have stupendous coffee, but wish the owner would take a little more pride in his establishment and not be so lazy sweep out and take care of his parking lot. It’s always filled with broken glass and trash blowing around. There’s also oil on the ground and various large potholes and a sinkhole where a bunch of the asphalt is crumbling away.
As a customer it makes me not want to stop by because I’m worried about getting a tire blowout on the large pile of broken glass that has sat there for MONTHS. I know the owner is aware of it too because I’ve seen him park his car right on top of the glass and garbage, and one time I even heard him comment «I need to sweep this out» yet months go by and the glass is still all over the ground. It’s rather disappointing. How could you work there every day, and look at that every day, and just leave it be?
Also half of the parking lot is crumbing into a pit by the train tracks where the asphalt is cracking and breaking apart into a huge ditch. It’s a major hazard and I’ve seen cars get stuck in the ditch.
Overall, great coffee but they need to remediate their parking lot issues, it’s a major unsafe hazard. I understand other businesses nearby might also use the parking lot so maybe it’s technically «not your problem» but Connoisseur Coffee is certainly losing business over this, I know three of my coworkers stopped going there because they were all afraid of getting flat tires in the parking lot.

Very testy coffee!

In general a pretty great place. Friendly staff with very reasonably priced coffee that’s roasted at the shop. More of a wholesale place though so don’t expect to sit down with your Mac to get stuff done. I wish they had some lighter roasted coffees. Most of their coffees seem like medium to dark roast to me.

Love this place, a bit off the beaten path, but very friendly and sell coffee by the pounds and pounds. More of a wholesale coffee bean place, but a nice, small but quaint, place to meet for a quick conversation and/​or coffee!

They have really good super fresh roasted, coffee. I used to drive by this place a lot and then finally stopped in. Really nice people very helpful. No more store bought high end coffee for me anymore.
I can really taste the difference, I know I am no coffee Expert, but I know what I like and I like their coffee. Very reasonable prices also.

If you’re purely in a coffee mindset and not looking for a place to eat, Connoisseur offers a nice assortment of fresh brewed coffee, custom drinks, coffee grounds & dried tea to go.
All the people are super friendly and helpful… and speak español.
They offer Wifi though it says «no wifi» on Unilocal.
Seating is very limited but it’s a cozy, intimate place to make new friends.

Wow. Dark Indian roast was dark and seriously delicious. Good value at a buck and a half for a 12 ounce cup. Clean and neat, though a slight traffic jam at the self-​serve carafes. Customers were all nice, polite and even jovial, though — that last one is something I don’t always find in SiVal.
No food in there. Going to have to find some pastries to go with the fine, fine brew for tomorrow morning.
GO THERE.

Simply the best coffee shop I’ve had the pleasure to walk into. Being so close to my work I try to see Sean and the gang twice a day, three if it’s a good day.

Luv this place, smells delicious and most of their business comes from selling their coffee beans to restaurants etc. The counter guy Sergio has a great personality and is very funny. The prices are lower than Starbucks but the coffee is better. Luv the mochas with one shot, can’t take more than that. I like to support local businesses so this is a great little spot with excellent coffee! They also sell some pretty cute coffee mugs. Mini– Update– I had originally given this place 4 stars, but had to go back and take a star off because I’ve since interacted with owner who’s rude and either all that coffee’s gone to his brain and turned him into a jack ass or that’s just his personality. either way, the employees are much more pleasant and aren’t condescending when asked a question! Customer Service is at least 50% in my book…

TL;DR — Very delicious locally roasted coffee.
I used to go down to Connoisseurs on my daily commute to the caltrain. They have high quality coffee beans that I think are basically roasted daily. The coffee comes out great and I always can count on them having a solid dark roast. Sometimes I’ll go for the medium and light roasts but they’re all great.
You can also buy whole bean which they weigh and package for you. I usually but a couple half pound bags to keep at home for when I brew my own coffee. Their French Sumatra came out very dark once but I like it quite bitter so I was able to handle it. Other than that I’ve had only good experiences with their coffees. Their Woodside Blend is a favorite amongst my family and I think the prices are fair. I’ve definitely bought more expensive yet less superior coffee. And it’s so local that it’s not even a question about going someplace else for my coffee needs.

This is a review for the French Sumatra beans.
I used the french press method, freshly ground my beans, and waited patiently for my water to cool a minute off the boil. This science usually pays off big time with great coffee like Stumptown, Batdorf & Bronson, and High Note.
The beans were dark, oily, and smelled slightly sweet. I had a suspicion they were burned, but went for the brew anyway. Way too dark, off the charts dark. I added creamer and it’s still no good. I don’t recommend this coffee to anyone who drinks theirs black.

Checked this place out with the wifey. The building in and of itself is cool. God knows how long it’s been around… anyway, when you walk in the first thing that’s noticeable is the coffee roaster and the beautifully fragrant smell of coffee beans literally roasting in front of you– yeah, won’t find that at the local Starbucks! I told the guy in the front it was our first time and he showed us to the tasting room where coffee in carafes were sitting as well as an espresso bar for espresso drinks. We both ordered non-​fat lattes, nothing too spectacular. Tasted great but I’m thinking we should go back for the actual coffee itself since it is freshly roasted on site!

Located right on Middlefield Rd adjacent to the train tracks, there’s street parking available, a few spots next to the building, or you can park in the residential neighborhoods and walk over. It’s a little difficult to get to during peak hours though unless you’re going West on Middlefield Rd towards downtown Redwood City.
Atmosphere has an old brick warehouse feel with its exposed bricks and bare floors. When you walk in, you can see their roaster right behind their counter creating the amazing smell that fills the entire store. There a small table by the loose teas to sit if you would like, but it’s not really a café as it’s more catered to wholesale (you can see the garbage bags full of beans waiting to be shipping in the back of the side room). You can buy freshly roasted beans at the counter right when you walk in, but if you want brewed coffee you have to go to your right to their coffee bar. They have a self-​service bar with several roasts already brewed in large thermoses with cups adjacent to them. I usually try to stay away from any drinks in communal thermoses though since I used to brew coffee in them for work and know that they typically aren’t cleaned well. They also have espresso drinks if you rather as well.
My bf got a large cup of coffee from one of the thermoses while I got a Medium Double Mocha. Both our drinks came out to $ 5. Unfortunately my bf’s drink tasted like the beans were burnt. It’s not because it was most likely a dark roast (bf didn’t pay attention to what he got) as I drink dark roasts from time to time. He likes his drink black but couldn’t stand the drink and had to add milk. Even that didn’t help. He only took a few sips and wanted to throw it away. What a waste =/​My mocha on the other hand was pretty good (especially after tasting my bf’s drink). Just a touch of cocoa that added a bit of sweetness.
Friendly staff. We were greeted immediately when we came in on Sat around Noon and the employees were very helpful.
I’d be weary of the brewed coffee in the thermoses. I’d suggest tasting them before committing to a whole cup. Otherwise, try an espresso drink. Would definitely come back to try something from their huge selection of beans.

When I retire, I’d like to sip my cappuccino, plop my laptop, and review every places I’ve been, at the comfort of a chic coffeehouse. For now, I’ll play catch up.
CC is mostly wholesale. They grind their own beans, and sell them to businesses. They are open to the public, somewhat. There are tables and chairs to enjoy your beverage, and I think there is an out door as well with a table and chairs towards the back?
Since they roast their own coffee, you are guaranteed a fresh batch, and if you like your coffee strong, this is the real deal! My cappuccino was really strong, though I prefer a smooth one, but surprisingly, I enjoyed it.
The staff here is very nice, and the owner during my visit even gave me a bit of a history and what they do.
If you are looking for an afternoon perk, like your coffee nice and strong, fresh of the batch, come by at Connoisseur Coffee. There are a few parking adjacent to the building to the left, but around 3pm, there is usually street parking out front.
Until then, Cheers! ~ :p

Came in before a concert at the Shoreline. Service was very friendly. Both employees were super nice! Strange little set up with the roaster in the front and the drinks more in the back. While I enjoyed my ice latte, I could tell that the way they roast their beans in not exactly what I’m used to. I’m more into the lighter roasts and all of theirs were very oily and dark. Not saying that’s a bad thing, but not really my favorite type of beans personally.
Overall this isn’t a place I’d seek out but it was definitely better than Starbucks.

This place smells like heaven. Delicious hot chocolate.
I don’t recommend biking there. It would be really great if they had a larger sitting area to enjoy their delicious coffee. Can’t wait to go back and grab some beans and their cocoa powder :)

I stopped by to get a shot of espresso:
It was their light espresso blend. They serve it up in a paper cup, which is kind of a fail. But critically, the shot has zero crema, and the taste is completely charred; there is nothing else to balance it out: it’s really just strong coffee. I think their espresso extraction might be off; I also got a shot at John’s Café in Palo Alto, which uses Connoiseur Coffee, and the taste was better (maybe they used the dark espresso blend), but there was also no crema to speak of.