Here is a snapshot taken during their first hour of business, which happened to be a hazy morning in Santa Clarita:

You may have never heard of Bodhi, but if you’ve had coffee from some of the best coffee roasters throughout Los Angeles, chances are you’ve technically had their coffee. Although Bodhi is a relatively small company, they provide beans to many well known roasters. They import coffee beans from farms located throughout South America, Mexico, Ethiopia and more and although they focus on wholesale accounts, they do offer green options by the pound as well as all the supplies needed to roast coffee at home.

It is only fairly recently that they’ve gotten into the coffee bar scene, with locations in Orange and Anaheim Hills (and one set for Chicago). So the fact that we now have one right here in Santa Clarita, is a very big deal, and a huge win for Santa Clarita.

Although the opening was delayed, we knew they were close when we spotted artist Patrick Smith meticulously painting the signs by hand a few weeks ago. He is a traditional sign painter that has really made a name for himself in Orange County, and if you have been to Disneyland you have seen his hand painted signs throughout the park. He does the signs and lettering for Bodhi so take a moment to admire his work as you walk through the door and throughout the inside.

Fittingly enough they have their roaster prominently displayed in the shop, which is located in the Schooner’s strip mall in Saugus/Canyon Country/Valencia (an argument can be made for any of those locations) but for the sake of clarity, let’s just say Santa Clarita. They have taken a simply strip mall space, one that may have been overlooked in the past, and transformed it into a really nice shop with mixed seating and wifi. A welcome distraction from the other new coffee shop just around the corner.

There is plenty of seating, with a mix of high and low tables, some with six chairs. If you plan on going there to work solo you might find yourself sharing a table or simply grab a seat at the bar that surrounds the roaster. Additionally they have fixed up the outside into a nice patio area, and with summer coming up it will be nice to get some work done under the sun. The coffee shop has dimmed lighting inside, and a big screen that shows their roasting process. They also have a subscription coffee service and a shelf full of coffee brewing supplies for those of you that want to get into the game at home.

For the non coffee and tea drinkers…they’ve got root beer and smoothies too. I tried the acai smoothie and really liked that it was served in a chilled glass.

But for the coffee lovers, they posted the following on their Facebook page:

Every week we offer a different single origin coffee at our espresso bar, and three different single origin coffees on our Brew Bar. When you come in you can choose your coffee and the method in which we prepare it. This gives you the opportunity to taste the differences between coffee origin, and also what the different methods of brewing can offer.

In Santa Clarita we are offering three methods:

• V60 Pour Over
• French Press
• Bonavita Full Immersion

They have the usual latte, espresso, tea, but they also have frappes and smoothies (and even root beer floats) so there is really something for everyone here. And for those of you that like pastries with your coffee, they have those too.

On bar, most evenings, you’ll find a familiar face in Patrick, who was always a standout barista ready for prime time at his former gig (large chain coffee bar in Valencia, not the one with the green logo, I mean the other one). Now he has found a new home in Bodhi. No longer confined by the limitations of a corporate large chain, at Bodhi he can really shine. I look forward to seeing Patrick really come into his own and grow at Bodhi. He has competed in barista competitions in the past and is truly passionate about coffee. He should be on bar most evenings.

You’ll surely recognize another familiar face: Henry!  If you frequented the much loved coffee shop that had ‘Roots on Constellation (and is currently in Granada Hills) then surely you’ll remember seeing Henry on bar. He’s been busy working at some amazing coffee bars in Los Angeles but thankfully for us, he brings his talents to Bodhi as well. He wasn’t there today, but I’m told he will be there most mornings so be on the lookout.

Recently, we lost a beloved Canyon Country coffee bar and gained a large scale Starbucks all in a matter of weeks. And although I still love Undergrounds, there is certainly room for Bodhi and I really look forward to seeing them grow in town, and for people to get to experience what they are all about.

Legit coffee traders doing coffee in Santa Clarita. Time to get excited.

Bodhi Coffee Traders is located at 22913 1/2 Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.

They are open from 6am-9pm.

Copyrighted photos by R.E., used with permission.