DANG IT, RINCON!

Our newest postcard - available at Banana Dang!

Banana Dang in La Isla Reader - Nov 2011 issue

Banana Dang joins the revolution!

Banana Dang now proudly supports Coffee Kids—a nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of coffee farming families in Latin America. They create programs in education, health awareness, microcredit and food security. LONG LIVE COFFEE!

Interview With Mario Jimenez

Article talks about Mario's days as a musician to his current life as a barista + coffee shop owner of Banana Dang.

"Hey, What Happened?" Click on link.

Banana Dang in Coastal Living

Banana Dang got a mention in Coastal Living May 2011 issue—see "Where to Drink." It's one of our favorite magazines, so we are very happy!

Banana Dang LOVES KIND

We've been carrying KIND bars for almost 6 months now with great success. Luckily, one of our customers is a rep for the company and put us up on their website. Here's the link - Banana Dang are KINDAHOLICS. Thanks, David!

3-Year Anniversary

Banana Dang open its doors for the first time on November 19, 2007.We are officially 3-years old! For our anniversary, we got a face lift. Yes, we got a new paint job on the exterior of ourbuilding and a brand new store sign.

We started the DIY project in late-September and finally put the last drops of paint on this week. Mario and Edward sweated every day for two months. We are so happy it's finally over!

Now...back to the grind (coffee, that is.)

First Vietnamese visit!

As some of you may know, Banana Dang is a half-Vietnamese, half-Puerto Rican owned business. The Vietnamese side - "DANG" was excited to get our very first Vietnamese customers–Phu and Brian–recently engaged in Puerto Rico. Congratulations to you both!

There's a party in my backyard!

Yesterday, I went for a walk in the backyard of our shop, Banana Dang, and to my surprise there is a coffee plant!It was growing nicely next to one of our 10 banana plants. Although the elevation is not high enough for quality Arabica beans,we are just happy to know that both coffee and bananas can co-exist in our yard. How's that for localism? Photos by Edward Pagan.

California Recon!

We recently returned to California to see family and friends and got a chance to check out the specialty coffee scene in both Los Angeles and San Diego. There were some good—and not so good—cappuccinos, but what surprised us most was the incredible customer service and just plain good vibes. California, here I come...

- Fix Coffee (Echo Park): Cool, industrial coffee bar with good cappuccinos and ding dongs for a buck!
- Intelligentsia (Silverlake/Venice): Knowledgeable staff that know how to pour latte art. Sparse hangout, but great to "sip and pose." We like!
- Lamill (Silverlake): Best MOCHA in the world.
- Bird Rock Coffee (La Jolla): Roaster/coffee house with a green initiative. Best customer service on the trip with a great bakery next door.
- Caffe Calabria (downtown San Diego): Coffee bar/wine bar/sports bar that serves up amazing cappuccinos. We highly, highly recommend. The vibe was exciting, energetic and intoxicating.
- Krakatoa (Central San Diego): Best Vietnamese coffee on the trip nested in a super cozy environment. Did I mention that San Diego is a Vietnamese coffee city?
- Gypsy Den (Orange County): This place was loaded with atmosphere. The coffee was OK but the vibe was what kept us there.

We also just returned from Coffee Cast—the Puerto Rico Barista Championship in San Juan. What happens at Coffee Cast, stays in Puerto Rico. Long live caffeine, T2