Summer Arrives at KRISP Coffee
Irvine has a lot of coffee shops. And thank goodness, because Irvinites love their coffee (and tea!). But a lot of coffee shops serve the same predictable assortment of espresso-based drinks. KRISP Fresh Living, on the other hand, is reinventing the wheel with their original and absolutely delicious coffee concoctions.
Situated at the edge of the Trade Marketplace on Michaelson Drive, KRISP indulged The Vine in discussing how they come up with new drinks and what inspired the current slate of craft beverages. We met with KRISP manager Janice Lee for the best time ever: tasting and discussing fully caffeinated summer-inspired beverages available right now.
“Every single season we have new creations,” says Lee. “Coming off winter, we came up with a black sesame latte and a sweet potato latte. Those were heavier so we wanted to bring something lighter and more refreshing for summertime.”
Lee explains that KRIPS’S obsessive attention to detail is a result of today’s coffee culture.
“With the third wave of coffee now and the fourth wave coming up, people are paying a lot of attention to coffee,” explains Lee. “They’re paying attention to the quality of the espresso beans and how the drink is being crafted.”
So what exactly came before this "third wave”? Lee explains.
“Third wave coffee is what we’re experiencing right now,” says Lee. “Starbucks was the second wave. It’s a coffee revolution. We are a third wave coffee shop so there’s a lot more attention to detail.”
In order to live up to this scrutiny, it’s all hands on deck at KRISP where a collaborative process is used to create new drink recipes. Each flavor idea is discussed as a group and recipe testing is part of the job. This summer’s flavors are the result of that group effort.
STRAWBERRY CREAM LATTE
“Our strawberry matcha is really popular, so someone said ‘What if we make a strawberry drink with our espresso? What can we do to make that work?’” recalls Lee. “So we had to think about balancing the flavors together.”
This latte is flavored with actual strawberries, which makes the recipe development far more complicated.
“This drink is harder to make,” says Lee. “Strawberry and espresso are not a typical flavor combination, unless you’re doing a strawberry Frappuccino, which this is not. It has fresh strawberries. It’s not an artificial flavor.”
The team decided to add white chocolate to the drink for both its flavor and texture.
“There’s a little bit of white chocolate to cut back on the tartness of the strawberries,” says Lee. “That also gives a creaminess to the drink. Depending on the season, strawberries can be more tart or they can be sweeter, so we have to think about balancing that flavor with the notes of the espresso. If it’s too tart, the milk is going to curdle.”
KRISP will make the Strawberry Cream Latte hot if requested, but they recommend it iced.
“This drink has fresh fruit,” says Lee. “If you think about steaming fresh fruit, that can be a little bit weird. We tried it hot and it’s definitely good, but it’s that much better as an iced latte. That’s why it’s meant to be a summer drink. We know people will get the drink iced and we think they’ll enjoy something fruity and in-season for summer.”
BUTTER RUM TOFFEE LATTE
“My favorite drink right now is the Butter Rum Toffee,” says Lee. “It’s a very happy drink. It doesn’t matter what beverage you get - coffee, tea, boba - when you drink it, it should make you feel happy. That should be the whole point.”
The Butter Rum Toffee Latte is just as complex a recipe as the Strawberry Cream Latte but for very different reasons.
“We make our toffee in-house and we simmer that in rum extract,” says Lee. “With the Butter Rum Toffee, we think about what’s a dessert drink we can bring to our customers that’s different. Instead of regular toffee, how about butter rum toffee?”
The resulting flavor is akin to a smooth, creamy Wethers candy-like drink. It’s sheer comfort in a cup. And KRISP recommends this one hot. It’s perfect for our chilly May Gray and June Gloom weather.
ORRANGE CREAMSICLE
“We wanted to make a more grown up version of the classic childhood treat flavor,” says Lee.
Although technically not one of KRISP’s official summer drinks, Lee added this one to our tasting. Its flavor profile leans more towards orange zest than orange juice. The drink’s zesty notes mix well with the espresso for a more sophisticated drink.
“We use a food grade orange essential oil in it,” says Lee. “It’s a zesty orange flavor that cuts down on the sweetness of the white chocolate. It balances the flavors really well. I really love it.”
OREO LATTE
I had already treated myself to this decadent dessert drink masquerading as a coffee, so I did not sample it during the interview. But I am a big fan. The drink is made with an Oreo frosting, cookies and cream powder, and Oreo crumbles. It’s every bit as delicious as it sounds.
“A lot of the ideas and testing come organically, usually in downtime,” says Lee.
As summer approaches and we all hopefully find ourselves with some downtime, catch summer creation from KRISP before the season comes to an end.
In addition to these specialty drinks, KRISP offers a wide array of coffees, teas, sandwiches, salads, toasts, bowls, smoothies, and treats.