Jitters Coffee

Amazing drinks and people!

Im a purist and had a great Latte.
good service. Locally roasted/​fair trade–
a good hang.

The biggest pro of this coffee shop is that it’s open late. In terms of a study spot, it’s ok. There’s a decent seating selection and some available plugs, but the vibe’s not very studious. I was a bit disappointed in the coffee too; the latte was somewhat bitter. The barista was very nice about providing more steamed milk though.

This place is my favorite coffee shop in town. This is for a couple primary reasons:
1. Care For Quality!
The owner, Chris, is like a mad scientist when it comes to tastes. He is a taste master that will never sacrifice quality for sales. If you have the opportunity to hear him talk about the food they make or drinks they serve, you will see how much attention he pays to the smallest taste differences.
2. Fresh & Deliciousness
All the ingredients for the foods come from the local farmers market. Chris, the owner, has tested different combinations using local and grocery-​store ingredients, and found that the taste of local ingredients is unmatched. Even the ice cream in the Espresso & Ice Cream comes from Santa Babara’s famous McConnell’s Ice Cream.
3. Great Tea & Refills
They have a great selection of loose leaf tea (actual tea, not teabags). Unlike other places that overcharge you for a cup of water and a teabag, this coffee shop gives free refills with high-​quality loose leaf tea. As a long time tea drinker, I can say that their tea is better than the crap from Teavana too.
4. Chill Atmosphere & Location
I often come here with my laptop to drink tea while I finish some work. They have a quiet upper area, and good music playing at all times. Then, when the farmers market rolls around on Tuesday, I can just walk right to it.
If you’re looking for low-​quality and convenient, then Starbucks might be best for you. But if you actually are looking for a place where the owner is obsessed with quality, come here.

This place has the best tea in SB. You can get it traditional kung fu style with a gaiwan on a bamboo tea tray or in a cup and strainer if you’re looking for something less involved. The quality of the tea though really sets them apart. I highly recommend the dong ding oolong tea, or the white peony white tea; both solid choices.
As for their coffee, they really crush it with the espressos, cappuccinos and americanos. The pastries are all made fresh daily and if you get in there early enough, you must try the quiche lorraine.

So we stopped in here to wait out the rain today. First time in SB, on a cruise.
It looked cute from the outside and there was obviously live jazz musicians and that’s what mainly drew us in, but when we went in it wasn’t really what I expected. There wasn’t much in the way of décor and the tables were oddly placed so that at least three of them could not be used. The girl that took my order had a tude that I didn’t appreciate, but the guy that made/​served my drink was super nice. I ordered a chai latte w/​soy but they were out of soy so I got it with almond milk (it was cool they had an alternative to soy, but I would have preferred soy). The girl told me ahead of time that the chai was kinda spicy and she was right. It certainly wasn’t the best chai I’ve ever had. I wasn’t impressed.
I think the only thing I liked was the live jazz and the friendly barista. Otherwise, I will not be returning on my next trip to SB.

No smile and very reserved staff. My Dirty chai tasted really bad too, with barely no chai flavor and pieces of ground in it.
Update: got a new chai (way better) and a cookie for the mistake
That is some good service! Went straight from
1 star to 4

Delicious coffee at an affordable price! My after-​dinner coffee was only $ 2, and it had a nice rounded taste. They have a limited selection of drinks, hence the three stars. Lots of teas to choose from, but I would have liked to see more of a specialty drink selection.
I noticed they had a live band on a Saturday night. Super cool! They also have a second level which is probably a nice place to study.

I used to love this place… it was one of the «must-​go» places in S.B. for me, and their green tea chai latte was just simply the best Ive ever had. Not sure if they changed the owner or was just bad economy, all their iconic drinks are gone! I went there at Xmas day, there was nothing exciting. I had a chai tea and it was so disappointing…
I don’t know what else to say now, I will not be visiting this place again thats for sure. :(

I was happy that another local coffee place opened up upon the demise of Espresso Roma, and, as I consume my coffee only in the form of blended mochas, was happy to see that Jitters makes a great one. Love the space, the art, although I miss the piano that used to be there when it was Roma.
However, about a month ago, I went there to meet my friend from work, Stephanie. I arrived early, as is my wont, and the music they had was so DAMN LOUD that it would have been impossible for us to speak, which is the whole point of us meeting, because I adore Stephanie and love hearing what she has to say.
The place was nearly empty, which made the din even worse. I don’t understand why the music would be so loud in a place where so many go to talk or study.
We wound up going to Northstar Café, which changed ownership and now is owned by Koffee Kat. It was quiet enough for us to talk. I would not go to Jitters again unless the music was not so loud.

I spend most of my free time (during the cold months anyway) haunting coffee shops. I take my homework, sketchbook, or novel along to while away some time. Most coffee shops get one or two visits out of me. Jitter’s is not most coffee shops.
I lived in Santa Barbara for about a month this summer and spent a lot of time bumming around state street. I even briefly worked at another coffee shop up the street (zoma– don’t bother). Within a few days of arriving I discovered Jitters and fell madly in love with it. From the cute hipster baristas (I am from SF– hipsters make me feel at home), to the art on the one brick wall, it was just so my type of place. This is saying nothing of the coffee! I drink mine black, so I am very picky. I don’t know what they do, but they do it well. The bagels are also tasty.
I am writing this review now because I miss the place. I am in a new area with new coffee shops, but not one is in the same league as Jitters. If I could airlift the entire place, along with the staff, and drop it into my town, I so would!

This is a cute little coffee shop on State st that my girlfriend and I relaxed at for a while when we visited SB. The vanilla latte and chai tea are both great choices! The bagels are enjoyable as well.

This place has changed hands since my last review. They now use a different coffee bean provider, i liked the old coffee better.
Still a good little local coffee shop.

I just popped in here for a few minutes to sit down and have a quick espresso. I ordered the a café con panna and sat up in the little balcony area. It was comfortable and a lovely skylight above so the place feels light and friendly.
The one star off is that the coffee seemed way overpriced.

Espresso art is plus – a sign of pulling a good espresso.
Both my husband and I ordered hazy vanilla lattes, which could have used an extra shot considering the drive we had getting to SB.
We went during the evening, so it was nice sitting outside enjoying a drink and reading a local newspaper. And it was most certainly fun when a trolley passed by blasting house music with a bunch of drunk blond chicks dancing on it. SB is not a sleepy town, I guess haha.

I too miss the name Java Jones, but the name is probably the only thing that has changed.
Drinks are good. I really like that they let you pick whatever tea you want for your iced tea instead of just have a standard unsweetened black tea. The lattes are pretty good too and the baristas have always been friendly.
The bake case always looks tempting, but I’ve never actually gotten anything from it. Don’t know why, really.
Love the 20% off discount for getting the daily trivia question. cheap tea for knowing that nitrogen makes up 78% of the the Earth’s atmosphere? Thanks, Jitters.

So, I get back to town and my old favorite café, Java Jones is now Jitters. Whatever, stupid name, but still a great
Hangout spot and the coffee isn’t the worst in the world either. Short version: good coffee, nice staff,
Emotionally inconclusive art on the walls, plenty of opportunity’s to learn about the illuminati… typical SB café.
Longer version: I’m a «large-​black-​no-​room-​lightroast» man since way back, and of the twenty or so of those I’ve
Ordered in the last few months they have all been prepared correctly. So points for that. The iced coffee is
Vaguely too acidic in the right kind of way, if you know what I mean. and strong. The only tea I have ordered was
Enjoyable in a warm, comfortably boring kind of way, like a John Mayer song. One thing I don’t really dig are the half
Sphere coffee mugs they fill to the brim with boiling liquid, although it is fun to watch hipsters cradle their drink
To their seats like they are reenacting The Hurt Locker, all beads of sweat on their brow, straight spine,
Heavy even breaths. best part though, is when they stick the landing exhale, and the table wobbles and half of it goes
Everywhere. this has happened to me enough times that I know to order in a to-​go cup no matter what. but whatever.
Upstairs is swelteringly hot, its really weird! I used to hang out up there back in the day and it was fine
Now, it is straight 90 degrees up there all the time. No lie, once I drank like a triple Americano and sat down
In one of those big comfy chairs, and nearly passed out it was so hot. It was so hot… you don’t even know.
Coming here has always been good experience though, I owe it a lot of great conversations, meetings and even an
Ongoing fusillade of fate currently connecting me to the love of my life. Parrots on peoples shoulders, philosophers,
Real, for real, crazy people who change tables thrice an hour and chat up the baristas, and shy nerds. oh, and
Never have I gone in the restroom and had it be trashed, they really stay on top of it I guess, so bonus points.
Several joints have better beans but the total package of here is hard to beat. just wish they would change the name.

On a late Sunday evening (9pm) you will find that Jitter’s is one of the only places open where you can grab a coffee and relax. Plus, they have Vietnamese coffee!!! Good and light. You should definitely get the crack bar. It’s…just as it sounds.
Looking for a place to get coffee/​snacks before a movie? Come to Jitter’s!

I’ve finally tried Jitters, and I am glad I did, for they have something I was missing from the time I lived in the Upper Haight of San Francisco: a Snickers mocha. Yes, it’s a mocha made to taste like the Snickers candybar, and it achieves this through the addition of almond syrup, caramel, and, of course, chocolate. SO good.
The people behind the counter were very friendly and, when I visited, were playing Orbital at a medium volume over the speaker system, which gave the place a slight hacker energy, so, naturally, I assumed that each of the nearly dozen laptops in the place was being used to pull a brazen hack of some evil corporation. Even though I was doing nothing nearly as exciting on my laptop, I felt like the music quickened my pulse and pace… or maybe it was the caffeine in my Snickers mocha. Haha!
There are quite a few options for seating, including about 4 tables outside, a dozen in the deeper-​than-​wide front area, a few in the back, under the staircase that leads to an upper area featuring 1 more regular table, two living room-​type coffee tables (how appropriate! :p) + some large plush chairs and 2 couches, making the upstairs area the most comfortable except for the fact that it got a bit hot up there after a while (and this was in February, so I can’t imagine how unbearable it might get in hotter months).
Overall, Jitters left me with a positive, youthful, techno energy. They serve a delicious Snickers mocha, which one should at least try to-​go if the vibe I just described is never your scene.

Disgusting! I couldn’t even drink more than 3 sips before tossing it in the trash. I ordered a nonfat vanilla latte and watched the barista make it. It was sloppily done. He poured the milk first with a lot of foam (lattes shouldn’t have that much foam) and then proceeded to dump the espresso shot over the milk.
The espresso itself wasn’t very good and the drink tasted slightly burned, oh my… go across the street instead and get your coffee at the Santa Barbara Roasting Company located in the Paseo Nuevo mall.