Thanksgiving is Pumpkin Spice Latte Time
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
Old Town Seal Beach is the perfect place to stop and savor the crisp fall weather and indulge in a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
To usher in Thanksgiving and the holiday season, SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel always make a stop at Javatinis (148 Main Street) for its special PSL.
Located right in the middle of all the action on Main Street, Javatinis central location makes it an ideal spot to meet friends for coffee or to stop and take a break from shopping or work.
There are upholstered chairs up front, café tables along the side windows and counter seating in the back with bar stools.
Seal Beach locals hang out here and catch up on everything from the latest gossip and surf conditions to news and politics. On any given day, you never know who you will run into or what they will be talking about.
One of the first things you notice is the smell of the freshly roasted coffee beans. SurfWriter Girls learned that Javatinis roasts its own beans on-site every day.
So you can be sure that you’re getting the freshest cup of coffee possible. That’s why its PSLs are so good.
Javatinis also specializes in what it calls “Latte Art,” creating original designs in the coffee foam.
To go along with your coffee or latte, there is a variety of fresh baked goods to tempt you, including gluten-free options, breakfast sandwiches and gelato.
During the Christmas holiday season Javatinis makes ginger bread men, too, which are great to eat on the spot or take home to put in a stocking or use to decorate a gift package.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (347 Main Street), on the corner of Main Street and PCH, is hard to miss as you drive into Old Town Seal Beach.
A true sidewalk café, it has eye-catching, bright red umbrella tables and a street front location that’s ideal for watching people and cars go by while sipping a perfectly-brewed cup of coffee or tea.
As you walk inside, you immediately see an extensive assortment of premium beans and tea leaves from around the world displayed in clear wall units.
There is a broad selection of coffee bean choices from light and subtle to dark and distinctive, sourced from Latin America, East Africa and the Pacific…
and whole tea leaves gathered from plantations spanning the globe…Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Thailand, India, Kenya.
Picking out which coffee or tea you’re going to try is like taking a journey and certainly part of the fun.
There’s a full range of ice-blended drinks, too, in coffee and coffee-free versions.
So, when the weather is hot or you’re feeling adventurous, try the chocolate-cherry Black Forest, strawberry-banana Malibu Dream, Mucho Mango fru-tea or one of the other concoctions.
Then find a table where you can savor your CBTL creation and chill out.
And, for something to munch on, check out the pastries and other treats in the baked goods case – the muffins and bagels are huge. There’s bound to be something there that’s hard to resist.
SurfWriter Girls agree that Seal Beach locals and visitors are lucky to have so many different coffee houses to choose from.
With Bogart’s, The Crema Café, Javatini’s, and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, whether you just want to get a cup of coffee to go, feel like socializing, or are in the mood to relax, there’s something special brewing for you.
And that’s definitely something to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Patti and Sunny
Please post your comment below. Comments will appear the next day.
Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.