I know coffee isn't for everyone. It's an acquired taste, like beer and wine. It also requires a more, umm.... sophisticated palette to appreciate real coffee. I'm not talking about those sugar and milk filled pumpkin spice lattes or white chocolate mochas you'll find at Starbucks. I'm not hating on Starbucks, even though I always do when I talk about coffee, but not at this moment. Don't get me wrong, Starbucks pumps out some delicious drinks but its not coffee your tasting, not really. If you say that you LOVE coffee, I hope you enjoy REAL coffee. Anyone who really LOVES coffee, probably someone who knows what a cappuccino consist of, knows that the best coffee will be found in town or in the city at a small cafe or coffee shop. The city I visit the most when I'm home from college is Oakland, because honestly, Oakland gets so much trash but it's really not bad. Unless you've been there enough times yourself, just sit down and shut up. The only things have to base your hate on are what you hear about it. Oakland is so much more real and authentic than SF will ever be, not to say SF sucks or anything, its just too EFFING tourist-y. But back to coffee, here are 4 great shops to curl up in this winter around Oakland.

1. Timeless Coffee on Piedmont

It's a nice little spot with 4.5 stars out of 469 reviews on Yelp. I've never been inside but I always see every so often when I'm in the area. It seems nice. It has beautiful amber lighting, which just incites coziness and warmth. The pastries look good too. Their take on a Twinkie looks alot different from a regular Twinkie, but still looks effing awesome.

2. Room 389 on Grand Ave

This place doubles with coffee and mixed drinks. It's the best of both worlds! Its low lit indoors and has really comfortable décor. You can get your coffee fix hear and get drunk at the same time. No more bringing your flask into Coffee Bean and pouring your Kahlua or Bailey's or whiskey or whatever is your poison. Now you got a place that will let you enjoy both comfortably, as long as your of age.

3. Caffe 817 on Washington

Here's a place I really enjoy. Very simple design with a cozy touch. Sitting by the window is for sure the best way to go, especially in the winter. Nice, simple artwork decorate the white walls and the triangular beams that connect to the ceiling give the place its own feel. Not to mention that the coffee is great too. The macchiatto is my personal favorite on their menu.

4. Blue Bottle Coffee on Webster

You always have to save the best for last and Blue Bottle is definitely one of the best. Very modern look. The coffee shop is on the corner of the street and looks like its part of the warehouse its next to. It actually might be, considering the inside. The interior look kinda like if a small warehouse art studio decided to serve coffee too. The only downside of Blue Bottle is that it gets pretty busy, mostly because its pretty famous. All time favorite thing to get there is the Ethiopian espresso. They serve it with a small glass of seltzer water and the reason for that is the Ethiopian espresso is especially acidic, so after you take a sip of espresso, you take a sip of seltzer and the seltzer is supposed to to taste sweet. And it does! Ethiopian has become my favorite espresso ever since. The coffee is just the best.