Nominated by Diana Bianchini
Elliot Lau moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to pursue an entertainment career. He quickly became a friendly and well-known face in Los Angeles’ third wave coffee culture. To date, he has worked at many well-known coffee bars throughout the city and has a deep love for hospitality. Elliott is most recognizable from his days as lead barista and manager at the legendary Handsome Coffee Roasters in the Arts District in downtown. He has also pulled shots at Verve, Blue Bottle, and Stumptown in addition to working in a variety of roles for restaurants and cafes.
After having worked at Nice Coffee in DTLA for over three years, Elliott purchased Nice Coffee in January 2020. The cafe is a walk-up outdoor experience, designed by Gensler located in downtown Los Angeles. As a leader and new business owner, he survived the pandemic in DTLA when all offices were vacant, kept his staff on and happy, brought in talented coffee roaster, Doug Meils in 2023 and offered him co-ownership, launched a roastery and e-comm in 2024, and then rebranded the cafe and all digital consumer facing product and experiences. While the fires were not in downtown, that impacted business as well. The fires have impacted all small businesses.
I credit him with making tough decisions to survive and stay resilient as a business owner in LA over these last six years. It has not been easy. Nice Coffee is thriving, expanding, and serving some of the best roasted coffee in California. It’s no feat to stay in business these days and especially in a location like downtown. My hat is off to how Elliott navigates this on the daily and his generous heart leadership with his team shows, many on the team have been with him since day one. He’s created such a special coffee community in Los Angeles.
How many years total have you worked in the coffee industry?
Seventeen years.
What was your first coffee job?
Globehopper Coffee and Lounge, a now closed Counter Culture Coffee account in Richmond, VA. R.I.P. Globehopper and Tuscano.
Did you experience a life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?
The early aughts was such a different time in coffee. I was driving across the country and stopped in Chicago to stay with a college friend so of course I had to visit Intelligentsia. Their Broadway location was serving this Kenyan micro-lot on their Clover (pre-Starbucks) that tasted like plums and it was amazing. This is one of those moments I wish I was a better note taker because I haven’t been able to find the farm. I ended up taking buying a bag for forty 2010 dollars (I think) and brewed it on a Mr. Coffee back in Virginia and it still tasted amazing. That coffee taught me that great coffees can transcend their brew method.
Is there a person or persons who served as your mentor early in your coffee career? How did they impact you?
Oh… I was never anywhere long enough to develop that “mentor” relationship with someone. I had high hopes, but working relationships don’t always pan out the way you expect them to. I learned more about what not to do from the generation ahead of me.
What is your current role in coffee?
Owner of Nice Coffee and co-founder of Nice Coffee Roasters with the indomitable Doug Meils.
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
Big money finally poured in, and it shows.
Also, the shrinkflation. First it was 16oz to 12oz bags 10+ years ago, but now 10oz bags and 10oz drinks? It’s been so strange to me that we’d rather reduce our sizing across the board rather than educate people on the value of the product and increasing waste along the way.
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
That our guests still appreciate latte art. I’m still so grateful that guests continue to notice, love it, and let us know.
What’s something about the coffee industry you’d most like to see change?
Less packaging, less shipping. I don’t know how we can talk about climate change as an existential crisis to our industry, why we continue to increase waste and weight through packaging and new liquid products. Any time we make the decision to ship heavier products or add more legs to our supply chain we worsen our climate impact and kill the future of our industry.
And of course raising the quality of life for everyone involved.
What is your most cherished coffee memory?
Having beers with co-workers and regulars on the Peregrine Coffee patio in Washington D.C.
Do you make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew!
I am an incredibly lazy home barista that drinks a lot of coffee so I will have an entire pot of coffee from my prosumer batch brewer by noon.
What is your favorite song/music to brew coffee to?
If I’m on bar on Friday we’re listening to punk pop and emo music from the early 2000s.
What is your idea of coffee happiness?
An industry that intentionally raises the quality of life for everyone involved.
If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
My maternal grandparents. I took over Nice Coffee in 2020, and I was too scared to go home and visit during the pandemic. I didn’t want to be the grandchild who killed their grandparents with COVID. I just want to share one last hot beverage with them.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone getting their start in the coffee industry today?
Be curious, be honest, be kind, and pay attention to your co-workers and regulars. We’ve got to take care of each other these days and a healthy dose of empathy goes a long way.
The Sprudge Twenty feature series is proudly presented by Pacific Barista Series.
