Treehouse Coffee Company

Tried to find this place today– for a while. Did they move??? Drove all the way out from Miramar to support them for small business Saturday. We drove around the block several times and even got out to walk around the building with their address– no dice. Hard to find!

I think they closed their doors. Too bad. Nice neighborhood coffee shop with great coffee. They will be missed. Wine bar next door is still open. Same owner.

I think this is actually my favorite place in all of SD to get a coffee drink.
It’s not Starbucks people (I haven’t seen one laptop or pair of headphones any of the times I have been here)! Which makes me dig the place even more.
The drinks are good and ever revolving. The pastries are great. Within a bike ride from my house And the atmosphere is chill. All great things to have.
Note: it’s not a big place. Seating is somewhat limited. But it’s never really been a problem for us.

My boyfriend and I love looking for mom & pop coffee shops because they always have good coffee (well at least most of the time). This is no exception! I got the Cinnamon Honey Latte with two shots of espresso and my boyfriend got his usual Mocha Frap. I thought the coffee was very smooth and tasted great. My boyfriend’s Mocha Frap was exceptional. After having this Mocha Frap, it makes the Starbucks fraps taste… really bad. Their frap was thick and I feel like this is how fraps are supposed to taste! Compared to Café Barbera, I thought the espresso here was good and I liked the latte here a little more. They prep their drinks different than that of Café Barbera. Again, I feel that the espresso here is very good.
After having good coffee for a while, you don’t really want to go back to the chains that make burnt coffee. Although this place is kind of far from where I live (this place is closer to the SDSU area), I feel like it’s worth the drive every once in a while. Also, their ice cubes are made of frozen coffee, so it doesn’t dilute the flavor! :)

Good latte & had the Yummy pubcake: bacon cream cheese icing beer cupcake – moist, not too sweet, soft bacon bits.
Oh & 1 $ off Unilocal!Will be drop by to try other pubcakes when we are in the area.

Even on a day when I am desperate for a caffeine hit and not expecting much this place still disappoints. The drinks are poorly made, the baristas are unfriendly as if coming in for coffee is disturbing their peace.
Cappuccino lovers, this is another place that doesn’t make them right. Cappuccino = a latte at this place. You know what I’m talking about. Lame.
Sometimes I can deal with a bad coffee if the atmosphere is welcoming and the employees are really friendly. Not happening at this joint.

After reading Unilocalers raving reviews of Treehouse Coffee Company I was a little underwhelmed upon visiting on a weekend morning. Maybe I just visited on an off morning. The food selection was nil so perhaps a morning rush had sold out cupcake/​pastry items. The food menu board was limited to a bagel with egg — again, I had expected more food options. My wife wanted a cup of dark coffee such as a Sumatra. The barista had two coffee options, neither of which was a hearty cup of coffee.
That said, I’m hoping there are very bright times ahead for the wonderful owners of Treehouse Coffee Company as they attempt to merge operations with their delightful wine bar Next Door (which by the way, is next door!). Combined operations into one site would provide a coffee operation for morning and then morph into wine bar/​restaurant by afternoon. The synergies would provide what I found lacking at current Treehouse Coffee — food items and sufficient tables to sit comfortably. Please support both operations to help their vision reach fruition!

I got their cayenne caramel latte and their Sammy (croissant w/​egg, aioli … something something)
latte: pretty good, spicy (: but could not taste the caramel whatsoever the cayenne overpowered it
food: meh, it was soggy wet with aioli that’s too much …
décor: cute, treehouse, woodsy theme
not a lot of seating, either come at an odd time or be prepare to hang out in your car.
overall pretty average coffee place…

It must be a little sad for the baristas here when people walk in to just ask for ‘pubcakes,’ only to be followed by the inevitable disappointment and the awkward backwards-​shuffle out of the café without trying anything. I say this because the last 2 times I’ve been here, I’ve seen this happen.
It really is a shame because the coffee here is great. The owner, Mindy, has extensive knowledge in coffee and the roasting process; they recently purchased a Diedrich commercial-​sized drum roaster and have been churning out consistent roasts. I have yet to be disappointed in buying a bag from treehouse yet. They offer anything from light, medium, to dark roasts. I get their light ethiopian for doing hand pours at home.
For a small shop, what is very surprising is the kyoto drip tower that’s tucked in the corner. Ask for a kyoto ice drip, and they’ll supply you with frozen coffee ice-​cubes to make sure your coffee doesn’t water down as it melts.
Don’t come here looking for an indoor study session with plenty of outlets and wifi. Great pit stop to grab affordable, high-​quality coffee beans to make a cup at home, and grabbing some drinks on the go.

I get pounds of Coffee her for my house, I’ve taken home four different types of roast so far and have liked them all, right now I have the Columbian… But I still come in all the time for the amazing ice coffee (with coffee ice-​cubes) I love how small and charming the place is, great for catching up with friends, reading a book, writing a paper… The people who work there are knowledgeable and friendly and always full of great recommendations if I ever feel like trying something different…

It’s always fun to find these small little coffee shops especially when they are close to home. This place isn’t necessarily «tucked away» being on El Cajon Blvd. but it isn’t terribly difficult to miss either. It’s an extremely small location that shares a space with the soon to be closed Pubcakes. The parking is practically nonexistent with a small strip in front of the shop for 15 minute parking. There is a small strip mall lot only a few hundred feet away that you could more than likely park in without issue however.
The primary seating is outside, since the interior is pretty cramped. The staff is nice and attentive and the drink menu is decent although they are pretty much the standard drinks, nothing too unique. The Cinnamon Honey Latte appeared to be the most unique drink on the Menu which is the reason I chose it. It was pretty good, fairly sweet. and you could taste the cinnamon and hints of honey in there. The pricing is good considering it is in line with and/​or cheaper than Starbucks.
This is a nice local joint. The only real downside is the parking and lack of indoor and limited outdoor seating. I’ll need to head back to try some of their retail packaged coffee and maybe another selection from their menu. If you are in this area though, it is definitely worth checking out.

The coffee is good, but OMG on the cupcakes. Definitely some of the best in San Diego, if not the best.
And of course the honey-​cinnamon latte is legit.

I stopped here for cupcakes and left with a mocha. Pretty good, and nice service. They also sell really cute t shirts and I may be back for one! :)
Check in here and get $ 1 off of $ 5. Fancy!

Honey Cinnamon Latte!!!
Enough said… just kidding, I’ve got more to say, like…
Coffee Cake!!!
Both were delicious and the coffee cake was truly amazing.
The lady at the register was also very nice, which was refreshing, $ 1 off a $ 5 purchase with a Unilocal check in, and to top it off, a lady complimented my dress on the way out.
I wish I had a little coffee place like this in my neighborhood!

This is the best cup of coffee you can get in San Diego! I only buy beans from them now. They have a huge variety of flavors and they truly respect the roasting process.
The aroma of this place alone is worth the visit!
The owners are great people and their staff is always friendly. I recommend their coffee to everyone!

MY FAVORITE COFFEE PLACE BY FAR!
First off let me start by saying that if you like a blended drink, my absolute favorite is their banana-​mocha frappé… OMG heaven!
Great choices of coffees, always great tasting, super friendly staff and pub cakes right there!
I try to make it to this place whenever I can!

Second time in gave me a whole new place to go for breakfast, sit outside and enjoy the sunshine.
Yesterday was a perfect day… a very good iced caramel latte and one of the BEST breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever had. I ordered the Sammy (egg, tomato, cheddar, garlic & oregano aioli on a toasted croissant). It was absolutely fresh ingredients, from the croissant to the aioli… and you have to like garlic and oregano, because these herbs shine out in this sandwich and enhance the flavors of everything in it. I asked my friend to try a bite of half the sandwich and i never got it back.

A friend of mine told me about this little place, said they roast their own coffee and that their beans come from central America. I’m a big supporter of local businesses, and when I drove up, I didn’t realize how small it was. They share space with the popular Pub Cakes.
«Is that Misty B in the kitchen?» I thought as I was waiting for the woman who kept asking questions. Just take your damn coffee and go… LOL!
I told the friendly girl that I wanted to purchase a couple pounds of coffee. She explained that she had a dark roasted Peruvian and a medium roast Honduran, but recommended the Honduran. When I asked why, she explained that the dark roast was basically burnt coffee and that many people think that the darker the roast the more caffeine it has, but that the medium roast had a rich flavor because the oils are retained within the bean. (Coffee 101)
So I purchased the Honduran, and kept it whole bean since she also said that the «fresh ground does taste better.» I am drinking some right now as I write this, and she was right about everything. She was not rude or condescending the way some coffee baristas can be, which I appreciate, and I’m sure others do too. I bought a pound for myself, and a pound as a birthday gift which elicited this response:
«OMG! Thank you so much! I love this! Where did you get it???»
It is rather small inside, enough room for about 6 people to sit inside and some chairs out in front. This is an intimate place that you wouldn’t come and sit down with your computer and try to look «cool.» This isn’t Starsux, so if that’s what you’re use to, go there and stay away from here. No one needs to be exposed to your generic negative energy.
And though I will forever love my Caffe Calabria, this is a great alternative that I will also be coming to. Dang, I feel like I’m cheating!

While I was raiding PubCakes (
) by buying nearly everything they had in the case, I decided a nice cup of joe would go nicely with my cupcakes. Thankfully, Treehouse Coffee Co. was in the same vicinity or else I probably wouldn’t have thought of it.
This tiny coffee shop shares its’ space with PubCakes and from what I learned, they have specialty coffees from all the world. I ordered my usual Americano and within two minutes, it was ready to go. I must say that I’m a fan for Treehouse’s freshness and unique taste. Next time I grab PubCakes, I’ll definitely grab another cup, but I think I’ll try their drip coffee next time. If only they had tables to hang out and catch up with friends, I think that would make this tasty duo of cupcakes and coffee better.

Time for a more detailed review of this place.
I love that you can ask them to roast for you from their extensive list. I prefer light roasts, which are generally harder to come by, so here is a great place to get your light roast (or whatever you want, really).
They also sell green (unroasted) beans for the home-​roasters out there, at 60% of the cost of the roasted beans.
Please, please, please people, don’t waste your time on drinks flavored with syrups and crap here. Save that for poor quality coffee and espresso like Starbucks (if you must go there), but enjoy the quality while you are here and get your coffee black, your latte’s without vanilla, and your cappuccinos without caramel. There is no need to ruin a perfectly excellent product with that junk.
The service is attentive and really friendly, and the people there definitely know what they are doing and know how to run a business. It’s not as fast as bigger places because they have less workers, but that’s really a nonissue because it’s great to spend a few minutes here, or even a longer amount of time. The space is small (room for about 4 people inside) but cozy and I love the décor as well as the products they offer (coffee stuff for home, etc.).
This place is truly a special place and I can’t be more thankful for such a great shop.