Long Beach golf cart may have best coffee in town

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Moon Mountain Coffee is taking "on-the-go" to a new level.

James Evans of Long Beach retrofitted a golf cart with 30 taps and the capacity to hold 100 gallons of coffee.

"I'm actually surprised the idea worked," said the retired mortgage broker.

Evans bought a coffee farm in El Carmen, Costa Rica two decades ago when he needed a change.

"I owned my own company and it was a super high-pressure job and very demanding," Evans said. "I did not have much of a life."

Evans splits up his time between Costa Rica and Long Beach, in order to tend to both his farm and his business. Evans' family in Costa Rica runs the farm on a regular basis.

"There are actually a few places in the U.S. where farmers are the ones selling the coffee," Evans said.

The grandfather roasts the coffee beans in Long Beach, makes coffee drinks, then drives to farmer's markets in the Long Beach area on the weekends.

"Our most popular drink is a Vietnamese-style coffee," said Evans. "It's served with rock ice on the bottom, then we have shaved ice on top and pour the creamy, milky, Vietnamese coffee in it. It looks like a milkshake."

Moon Mountain Coffee caters to vegan customers, as well, offering their signature Vietnamese coffee with condensed coconut milk.

Evans is especially fond of Moon Mountain Coffee's nitro brew.

"I hot brew it, then bring it down to almost freezing, and then pump it full of high-pressure nitrogen that gives it a texture like a Guinness."

Most recently, Moon Mountain Coffee was awarded a gold medal in the Gold Bean competition for their Laurina brew for "best decaffeinated coffee."

"For me, coffee is synonymous with happiness, I suppose," Evans said. "There's something about coffee that makes people happy and brings people together."

You can find Moon Mountain Coffee at the Cerritos Farmers Market every Saturday and the Marina Farmers Market in Long Beach every Sunday.