• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Join PGM
Pepperdine Graphic

Pepperdine Graphic

  • News
    • Good News
  • Sports
    • Hot Shots
  • Life & Arts
  • Perspectives
    • Advice Column
    • Waves Comic
  • GNews
    • Staff Spotlights
    • First and Foremost
    • Allgood Food
    • Pepp in Your Step
    • DunnCensored
    • Beyond the Statistics
  • Special Publications
    • 5 Years In
    • L.A. County Fires
    • Change in Sports
    • Solutions Journalism: Climate Anxiety
    • Common Threads
    • Art Edition
    • Peace Through Music
    • Climate Change
    • Everybody Has One
    • If It Bleeds
    • By the Numbers
    • LGBTQ+ Edition: We Are All Human
    • Where We Stand: One Year Later
    • In the Midst of Tragedy
  • Currents
    • Currents Spring 2025
    • Currents Fall 2024
    • Currents Spring 2024
    • Currents Winter 2024
    • Currents Spring 2023
    • Currents Fall 2022
    • Spring 2022: Moments
    • Fall 2021: Global Citizenship
    • Spring 2021: Beauty From Ashes
    • Fall 2020: Humans of Pepperdine
    • Spring 2020: Everyday Feminism
    • Fall 2019: Challenging Perceptions of Light & Dark
  • Podcasts
    • On the Other Hand
    • RE: Connect
    • Small Studio Sessions
    • SportsWaves
    • The Graph
    • The Melanated Muckraker
  • Print Editions
  • NewsWaves
  • Sponsored Content
  • Digital Deliveries
  • DPS Crime Logs

Sip ‘n’ Savor Column: Alfred Coffee vs. Blue Bottle

October 16, 2023 by Victoria La Ferla

Art by Jackie Lopez

Transparency Item: This is a food and beverage column that rotates writers and is based on new locations each week. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.

Blue Bottle Coffee and Alfred Coffee both hold a special place in my stomach, but one truly hits all the marks on how I rank coffee shops — quality, consistency, creativity and overall vibe of the location.

The iconic “But First, Coffee” slogan greets you as you enter the trendy, hip ambience of Alfred Coffee in the Malibu Country Mart. Alfred prides itself on its carefully sourced beans and creative concoctions. Its “Alfred’s Matcha Latte” is a staple, offering a smooth matcha flavor profile.

I add a pump of vanilla for taste; otherwise, it’s a bit too earthy-tasting for me.

From lavender-infused matcha lattes to matcha cortados, their menu caters to all matcha lovers. I prefer tea and matcha to coffee because the after-effects are much less intense, and I don’t notice the drop-off of caffeine like I do with coffee.

I will endure the post-caffeine shakes only for Alfred’s “World-Famous Vanilla Iced Latte.” It truly is a classic and consistently satisfying.

Blue Bottle, located in the Cross Creek shopping area, embraces minimalism and sustainability. It is known for their high-quality, ceremonial-grade matcha.

Its menu features classic matcha lattes, matcha cappuccinos and matcha pour-overs, perfect for matcha purists.

My go-to is a hot, oat milk matcha. I have never had to add flavorings or anything else; the baristas at Blue Bottle make their matchas to perfection.

Blue Bottle serves each cup of matcha with a white foam design poured in the middle of the pool of green in front of you. Every sip tastes like a warm hug.

I have to slow myself down to not chug the whole drink in 10 seconds.

Alfred tempts me with its assortment of pastries, including chocolate croissants and, my favorite, the Rico Breakfast Burrito. These pastries are fresh, flaky and flavorful, and the employees always ask if I want my pastry warmed, which makes all the difference.

Blue Bottle takes a minimalist approach to pastries. While it offers options like seasonal scones and croissants, it also has a breakfast menu that makes your mouth water.

The choice between Alfred and Blue Bottle boils down to personal preference.

Alfred Coffee provides a trendy atmosphere with creative creations, and their “World-Famous Vanilla Iced Latte” is a must-try. Its outdoor sitting area is a great spot to catch up with a friend, which I have taken advantage of on many occasions.

Blue Bottle, on the other hand, offers a pure, minimalist matcha experience. Whether you’re seeking Instagram-worthy moments or meditative matcha sips, Blue Bottle truly caters to my taste. Sitting outside their shop, I feel calmness all around me and savor every moment there. It is the winner in my book.

If you don’t want to choose between them, indulge in the best of both worlds.

___________________

Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic

Contact Victoria La Ferla via email:

Victoria.laferla@pepperdine.edu or by instagram @vlf_insider

Filed Under: Perspectives Tagged With: Alfred Coffee, Blue Bottle, coffee, Country Mart, Cross Creek Road, latte, oat milk, opinion, pepperdine graphic media, perspectives, Victoria La Ferla

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Featured
  • News
  • Life & Arts
  • Perspectives
  • Sports
  • Podcasts
  • G News
  • COVID-19
  • Fall 2021: Global Citizenship
  • Everybody Has One
  • Newsletters

Footer

Pepperdine Graphic Media
Copyright © 2025 · Pepperdine Graphic

Contact Us

Advertising
(310) 506-4318
peppgraphicadvertising@gmail.com

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
(310) 506-4311
peppgraphicmedia@gmail.com
Student Publications
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube