Bird Rock Coffee Roasters at Petco Park

09/23/13 / Padres360.com / @Padres360

by Rebecca Herman & Wayne McBrayer at Petco Park

by Wayne McBrayer  with photos by Rebecca Herman

Being an avid coffee drinker, I can’t tell enough how disappointing a cup of coffee is at Petco Park.  It’s either too bland, too cold, or tastes just plain bad unless I add several coffee creamers to it. However, my coffee dilemma seems to be solved!

While walking around the ballpark a few weeks ago, we discovered a hidden away coffee stand located behind Section 226 in Left Field called Bird Rock Coffee Roasters.  We were immediately fascinated! We asked them when they arrived at Petco and they said they were new … took a bit of time for all the permitting to go through. We asked about their specialties and what they recommended.

“We are the only coffee stand in an MLB ballpark that serves pourover coffee” is what we were told. The question for me was simple: can you satisfy a very picky coffee drinker like me? Intrigued, I ordered the pourover coffee and I was not disappointed.  It took about 3-5 minutes for the process to finish, but it was 100% worth it!  It was fresh, hot, and very smooth!  One of the best cups of coffee I have ever had in my life.  Rebecca ordered a Latte and thought the balance of espresso and steamed milk was outstanding. We’ve already returned for more coffee from Bird Rock even though we sit on the opposite side of the field … yes, it is that good.

We did a bit of research after our visit and learned that Bird Rock was started by Chuck Patton, who began roasting at home in 2001 using a gift from his wife, Elke;  a DIY coffee roaster.  He began selling his coffee at Farmer’s Markets and through home delivery in 2002, eventually expanding in 2006 to a retain shop on La Jolla Blvd, directly across the street from a Starbucks.  Undaunted by his big name competitor, he took them head on adding seating, a child’s play area and free wi-fi for his customers.  In 2012, Chuck’s hard work and passion for coffee paid off as he was named the Mirco Roaster of the Year.

If you are a baseball fan and you’re looking for a great cup of coffee, you have reached your nirvana.  It is a little higher priced (barely!) but it is worth it and we WILL be buying more coffee from Bird Rock.

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Visit them online at: http://birdrockcoffeeroasters.com

Twitter: @BirdRockCoffee

Facebook: BirdRockCoffeeRoasters

Watch MLB Video: The Only Pourover Coffee in MLB

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Story by Wayne McBrayer, TheCasualFan

Editing & Photography by Rebecca Herman, TheBaseballPHD

For Padres360