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How would you characterize the flavor profile of the Puerto Rican coffee you feature?
It definitely has that island profile, like Jamaica and Hawaii. It's a mellower coffee and tends to
have more of a deep chocolaty taste. It's also a bit floral and has a sweetness to it. We are sort of forced into a single origin. But because of that we can really analyze the flavor profile of that one coffee as it blossoms through the year. And we know how to dial in parameters to get that really nice flavor.
How'd you come up with your shop's name?
Bananas are everywhere here—when we bought the property there were like 20 banana trees and
a few coffee trees actually. Another big part of our business is smoothies, so we've been able to integrate bananas into the menu. Bananas and coffee are kind of like brother and sister. They grow in the same micro-climate and they both are a part of the local flavor here. Then the Dang part comes from my wife's name. In Puerto Rico there's a custom of naming your small business after your wife or loved one.
Did you ever think of opening a shop back in the United States?
We were always into coffee and going to cafés, but L.A. already had its own cafés. The city wasn't as
specialty as it is now, but still, it had a lot of places. On this west
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