Redshift Coffee Roasters

Located in a Lake Forest plaza, Redshift Coffee Roasters offers guests an assortment of coffee and tea drinks, as well as a handful of hybrid drinks featuring syrups, fruit, and/or tonic water. Flights of four drinks – billed either as “matcha” or “coffee” – were what caught our eyes, though the former turns out to be made with four powders finished with whole or almond milk, only one of which is made with (strong) matcha: others are butterfly pea, ube, and dragonfruit, in order of descending flavor levels. The flight was offered sweetened or unsweetened, and we were glad we took Redshift’s recommendation to have it sweet, as we couldn’t imagine finishing most of the otherwise plain milk-and-powder cups any other way. Apparently, the coffee flight includes flat white, cold brew, espresso, and drip cups, which we didn’t sample.

The Raf Coffee, served hot with raspberry and vanilla notes, was perhaps the best of the items we ordered, interestingly pairing a strong fruit flavor with quality coffee and almond milk. Cold experimental drinks include Espresso Tonic (tonic water and espresso), California Fog – cold brew coffee topped with an Earl Grey foam and lavender, which we found fine rather than great – and Bumble Coffee. Bumble pairs cold espresso with orange juice and caramel syrup, a mix that isn’t as odd as one might imagine but demands a preference for acidic flavors. While it didn’t appeal to most of the people in our small group, one of us liked it, and would have been willing to try other Redshift drinks that use unconventional fruit purees and foam flavors.