Opinion: Love looks like the barista who knows my name

The aphorism ‘to be loved is to be known’ could have been conceived by a local coffee shop regular.

As soon as I am handed a cowboy cookie and see “Amanda” written above “OVL” — which stands for oat vanilla latte — I’m filled with a warm feeling from both the beans roasting around me and from the simple fact that here, at Handlebar Coffee, I am known.

Being a regular customer at Handlebar was a gradual process. It started with “It’s Amanda right?” from the barista, to then not having to mention my name at all. My frequent visits have now amounted to having regular conversations with the owner — he has even met my mom!

Handlebar Coffee on De La Vina St in Santa Barbara.

Handlebar is my favorite coffee shop in all of Santa Barbara, however, it is not just the exquisite taste of their iced oat vanilla latte that has captured my heart. It is the security I feel when I walk into the naturally lit, aesthetically warehouse-like brick cafe.

I am greeted by the owner, Aaron, and my order is taken by the barista on the register that day. I am consistent with them, and they are consistent with me. As soon as we smile and say our hellos, the experience I'm about to have is never in question. Pretty soon there will be an iced vanilla latte on their pick up counter, made with the care and friendliness of knowing who will be on the receiving end.

As an avid sipper of lattes, I have had quite a few in my life. There are few coffee beverages that put up a fight against the vanilla latte at Handlebar. With beans sourced from Central and South America and Africa, the flavors are bold, fresh and intoxicating with a strong palette that is subtly sweetened with hints of vanilla. The espresso itself usually has balanced woody, malty, floral and sometimes nutty undercurrents.

An oat vanilla latte from Handlebar Coffee.

Maybe it is that I am a Handlebar cult follower, or the mutual familiarity between myself and the employees, or perhaps a mix of both. Whatever the reason is, Handlebar is my safe space — to do work, to grab a quick coffee before a weekend drive down to LA, to sit and sip on a cup of coffee with friends and even to go on a date.

Handlebar has seen me on so many occasions. I have spent important moments there, and they have spent those moments with me.