Drinks inside the Monolith Coffee bar in Los Angeles. Photo by Ariel Ip, courtesy of Monolith Coffee. (@lastname.ip)
Husband-and-wife co-founders Nikki Jin and Eli Wang opened Monolith Coffee earlier this year in Alhambra, California, bringing house-roasted coffees and an elaborate seasonal drink concept into a space built around stone, openness and experimentation.
“Monolith Coffee began with a simple idea: a genuine love for coffee and a desire to create something of our own,” Wang recently told Daily Coffee News.
Photo by Ariel Ip, courtesy of Monolith Coffee. (@lastname.ip)
The cream-toned interior and stone finishes reinforce the shop’s name. Rocks of various hues and sizes hang from the ceiling, form the bases of tables, sit within counters and fill small interior gardens. Stone imagery also appears on Monolith’s coffee packaging.
“One of our goals from the beginning was to create a space that felt genuinely different from anything else in the greater SGV area,” said Wang. “We never approached the project by asking what a coffee shop was supposed to look like. We believe that no type of business should be confined to a predetermined layout or aesthetic.”
A substantial portion of the floor plan is dedicated to the bar, while the open layout gives customers a clear view of drinks being prepared.
Photo by Ariel Ip, courtesy of Monolith Coffee. (@lastname.ip)
All the coffees for the shop are roasted by Wang on either a Stronghold S7X machine or a newly added Stronghold S8X machine. Wang also oversees green coffee sourcing, turning to boutique traders such as Panamanian coffee specialist Panda Bear Express and Hacea Coffee Source.
At the cafe, those coffees support an experimental seasonal drink and food menu led by Jin called “In Four Movements,” a concept inspired by four-movement musical compositions. The movements, or “chapters,” succeed one another seasonally in an ongoing narrative, each referencing symbols and flavors of different Asian regions.
Image courtesy of Eli Wang and Nikki Jin, Monolith Coffee.
“Rather than treating each menu change as an opportunity to simply introduce something new, we wanted every transition to contribute to a larger narrative,” said Wang.
The current menu chapter, “Monsoon,” references Southeast Asia, with four drinks reflecting the concepts of heat, tide, downpour and breath. “Heat,” for example, includes a single-origin Ethiopian cold brew with a “Spiced Coconut Oil Wash” and a “Red Pepper Syrup” with red bell pepper, Thai chili and lemon juice, finished with a Tajín rim and fresh Thai chili.
The shop has also introduced a “Seasonal Highlights” menu that “explores the same inspirations in a more playful and approachable way.” One recent example is the iced “Coconut Elephant,” with espresso, coconut milk, cream, Thai tea and palm sugar.
Image courtesy of Eli Wang and Nikki Jin, Monolith Coffee.
Supporting the busy bar are two Mazzer grinders feeding Slayer espresso machines, a Ditting 807 for grinding retail coffee, an Option-O Lagom 01 for pourover coffee and an FM Grinder Yoda 100 for single-origin espressos.
Wang previously worked as a barista, though he said his deeper engagement with specialty coffee began while he was pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in photography at Pratt Institute in New York. The idea for a cafe took shape during his studies, and he and Jin began planning Monolith after he graduated.
Beyond coffee, Wang leads Monolith’s conceptual development and creative direction, while Jin continues to focus on menu development, including baked goods from Los Angeles-based Out of Thin Air.
Photo by Ariel Ip, courtesy of Monolith Coffee. (@lastname.ip)
“Nikki did not come from a professional coffee background,” said Wang. “Her involvement grew entirely out of personal interest and curiosity, which gradually evolved into an important part of Monolith.”
The couple said they want the nontraditional menu and design to invite newcomers into specialty coffee rather than make them feel excluded from it.
“For us, good service is about guiding rather than educating,” Wang said. “We want to lower the barrier to entry without reducing the depth of the experience.”
Photo by Ariel Ip, courtesy of Monolith Coffee. (@lastname.ip)
Wang and Jin are now planning a separate warehouse that would provide additional room for Monolith’s roasting operation. As that project develops, they also plan to enter the wholesale market and expand online coffee sales, growing slowly and organically.
Like any proper monolith, the idea is permanence, not speed.
“The name Monolith is closely tied to my personal outlook on life,” Wang said. “[As] a lifelong science fiction fan, in many of the stories I love, monoliths symbolize something timeless that transcends generations. They carry a sense of mystery while also inspiring curiosity, imagination, and discovery.”
Photo by Ariel Ip, courtesy of Monolith Coffee. (@lastname.ip)
Monolith Coffee is located at 43 East Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, California.
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Daria Toptygina
Daria Toptygina is a freelance writer, avid coffee lover and social media manager of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine.
