At the entrance of Bay Books, craft coffee and trendy experimental recipes collide. From classic cappuccinos to Froot Loops matcha, this unassuming bookstore coffee shop is keeping pace with the modern evolution of coffee culture — and keeping up with fleeting trends.
My coffee journey runs long and deep. As a little girl, I’d sip my dad’s Costco Folgers cup before I had the taste buds to recognize it was burnt and brewed from grounds past their expiration date. But even then, there was something comforting about the steaming cup in the morning light.
Then came Starbucks, which pioneered the second wave of coffee culture in America, transforming coffee from an at-home staple into something to sip in the car, splashing between my clutched hands during errands, school and work. This was when my mom and I would intentionally go out of our way to get me a caramel macchiato and her an Americano with two packets of Splenda and cream before going to class.
That brings us to third-wave coffee, where espresso is dialed in to perfection (and my barista career began). It’s where steamed milk turns into velvety microfoam, and the interior design might include lounge-style amber chairs or concrete industrial countertops. These are coffee shops that aim to perfect not only the carefully crafted drink but also the ritual that surrounds it.
Bay Books Coffee in Coronado is something of a modern mix. Walking in, the playfulness is immediately apparent with the large Pokémon card vending machine at the entrance. At first glance, the café looks more like a coffee stand — a charming addition to the bookstore. With only a handful of outdoor tables, I found myself wishing for indoor seating among the books.
The beverages check the boxes of specialty coffee, sourcing a direct-trade light roast from Intelligentsia and using ceremonial-grade matcha from Naoki in Japan. But they also have some flair and appear to ride the wave of trendy Instagram recipes. According to barista Kelly Stone, the team collaborates on the concoctions.
“As a collective, we are really creative, so we bounce ideas off each other,” Stone said. “So we like to experiment. It’s what sets us apart.”
The espresso alone is complex — a blend from Brazil, Costa Rica and El Salvador with notes of cherry cola and orange. The extraction was smooth enough to drink on its own — complex, rich and neither over-roasted nor over- or under-extracted. Knowing the base espresso and matcha were of artisanal quality, I was confident ordering the experimental beverages.
I ordered the Earl Grey Matcha, Froot Loops Matcha, Banana Pudding Latte, Strawberries and Cream Latte and Salted Honey Vanilla Latte. These were only a few selections from the diverse menu of food, pastries, coffee and tea.
The Strawberries and Cream Latte astounded me. While it came in a plastic cup, the layers still looked enticing. The first part of the sip was the cloudy vanilla cold foam, followed by a strawberry puree-infused latte. In one cohesive sip, it tasted like a jammy Creamsicle. The fruitiness of the strawberry harmonized with the citrus notes of the espresso. As an espresso-straight or small-cortado type of coffee drinker, I found myself wondering what I had been missing all this time.
The Froot Loops Matcha was a playful take on something traditionally serious — ceremonial-grade matcha. It was made with whisked green tea powder and Froot Loops-infused oat milk. Skeptical at first, I was astonished by how the subtle nostalgic sweetness of the cereal gently emerged alongside the smooth wisps of matcha. Any bitterness from the tea was offset by the sweet flutter of Froot Loops, while any artificial sweetness was grounded by the earthy grit of the matcha.
The Salted Honey Vanilla Latte was another easy sip. The salt gave structure to the softness of the honey, while the vanilla cold foam floated on top like a cloud. It gave me immediate pleasure.
I was a bit disappointed by the Banana Pudding Latte, considering bananas are having a moment in the coffee world right now — inspired by Korean banana milk and TikTok trends. This version was a standard oat milk latte topped with house-made caramelized banana (the café also sells its house-made banana pudding on its own) and a vanilla wafer that had gone limp by the time I received it. While the pudding was delicious on its own, it created one too many competing textures in the latte. Once the banana was stirred in, the caramelized sweetness disappeared. What remained were large clumps of mashed banana that only faintly flavored the coffee, leaving behind a lingering banana aftertaste.
Lastly came the Earl Grey Matcha. This combination felt like too many competing flavors — umami from the matcha smothered by bergamot citrus oil. Two bold flavor profiles, each fighting to be the center of attention. I applaud the experimentation, but I craved the fullness of each on its own.
Needless to say, there was a drink for every kind of person.
Bay Books Coffee is open Monday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
