The Coffee Bean with Hannah Kasulka

"The Coffee Bean with Hannah Kasulka" is Episode 106 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger, with Hannah Kasulka. "The Coffee Bean with Hannah Kasulka" was released on May 31, 2017.

## Synopsis

Actress Hannah Kasulka (*The Exorcist*, *Comedy Bang! Bang!*) is in studio to discuss her former employer and current coffee shop of choice: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, the SoCal based java chain that's the worldwide runner up to Starbucks. Hannah, Mitch, and Wiger taste test a new Hershey's treat in another edition of Snack or Wack.

## Nick's intro

Brentwood, California - situated in the Northwest corner of Los Angeles, its array of white-tablecloth restaurants and high-end boutiques speaks to its position as one of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods.

But this tory enclave of mansions for celebrities and entertainment executives, as well as luxury apartments for status-seekers, became best known as the site of the OJ Simpson murders in which the football and movie star would stand accused of murdering his ex-wife and her waiter friend. In the double homicide and subsequent trials that would dominate the national news during the mid-'90s, Simpson would be acquitted criminally but found liable civilly: a verdict that bankrupted him and forced him to sell his beloved Brentwood estate on Rockingham Avenue. The house was bulldozed and a new mansion built in its place, the land too valuable to be left unoccupied by some LA millionaire.

But three decades prior to OJ's murder case - ignobly elevating a neighborhood that formerly boasted privacy for its elite residents - Herbert Hyman chose Brentwood as the sight of his first gourmet coffee shop. While Americans were avid coffee consumers, it was mostly of a low-end drip or diner variety and Hyman's gourmet roasted premium blends were a hit with the upper class eager for an outlet for their disposable income.

By the '70s, Hyman had coffee shops throughout the Southland. So successful was his business in California that, in 1991, another coffee chain attempted to purchase it: Starbucks. For better or worse, Hyman declined and the brand continues to operate and expand worldwide, though relegated to the runner-up role - the Burger King to Starbucks' McDonald's.

Still, as the once fashionable store has been supplanted in its hometown by increasingly snobby artisan coffee shops, Hyman's chain is no doubt one of Brentwood's great success stories.

This week on *Doughboys*: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

## Spoon Rating 🥄

* Cookies & Cream Ice Blended
* Jalapeno Cheese Croissant
* Chocolate Chip Cookie
 Mike Mitchell
* Jalapeno Cheese Croissant
* Cheese Danish
* Tuna Salad Sandwich
* Chocolate Chip Twist
 Hannah Kasulka
	+ no whipped cream
* (also tried Mitch's pastries)

They use a spoon rating for this episode.

Also, Nick dropped his Starbucks rating down to 3 forks (from 4).

## Snack or Wack

In this segment, The Doughboys have a snack and decide if it is 'good' or 'bad.'

For this episode, they try the three different flavors of the Hershey's LayerCrunch Cookies, which don't seem to be cookies at all.

They did not like them.

 Mike Mitchell
 Hannah Kasulka

## Quotes

**Mitch**: Yes, that's a great point!
**Nick**: Good point.
*[20 mins later]*
**Mitch**: The little tiny ice cubes...which are great. It was great you pointed that out. Great great ice. That's some great ice. The ice is nice, right Nick?
**Nick**: The ice is *very* nice.

## #hashtags

* #FashionablyLate vs. #EarlyNerdLoserNerd
* #WhipItGood vs. #WhipItBad / #CoolWhipItGood vs. #CoolWhipItBad
* #WhereDoYouRestStop

## The Feedbag

I was dismayed at this information, not only because everyone's insistence that I was wrong despite several successful cheese pizza-ordering years, but also because I feel cheese pizza, like vanilla milkshakes, aren't plain, but their own unique flavor.
What do the Doughboys think of this term? And are there any other food colloquialisms that have thrown you for a loop?

 Mike Mitchell
 Hannah Kasulka

## Plugs and Drops

* *Filthy Preppy Teen$*
* *Comedy Bang Bang*
 Bon Jovi "Shot Through The Heart"

## Related Episodes

* SP5. Pumpkin Spice

## Photos (via @doughboyspod)

Jalapeno Cheese CroissantChocolate Chip CookieCookies & Cream Ice BlendedBrewed Coffee