Seed & Water

Since it opened years ago in Buena Park, The Source has never lacked for cafes – even following the semi-unfortunate closure of Basilur Tea & Coffee, the Korean-focused mall still has multiple options for baked goods (including The Bakery Cafe, Cheesetella, Old Ferry Donut, and Yozm) and coffee (such as In-Sīt Coffee). Even so, Seed & Water appears to be trying something different: After a year or two of construction, it soft-opened in May 2025 with more square footage than all of the above shops put together, combining a coffee and tea counter on one side, a Porto’s-style long bakery counter on another, and enough seating for at least a hundred guests, probably more. Its full name is as long as its ambition: Seed & Water Bakery & Coffee Roasting Cafe, and sometimes styled Seed ⭐️ Water with a red Sanpellegrino-style star in place of the ampersand.

For the first month, the space was solely selling 16 drinks – primarily espresso drinks including lattes, sweet cream-topped einspanners, and flat whites, plus two banana milk drinks and a handful of matcha lattes and einspanners. In June, the menu expanded with another dozen or so drinks including fruit teas and fruit sodas (“ades”). All of the drinks we ordered, including a Matcha Einspanner, a Banana Matcha Latte, and a Peach Ade, were full of their promised flavors, though a little too sweet and expensive at their official menu prices ($8 to $8.60). That said, each was discounted by 50% during the soft opening period, and with price adjustments, the drinks would certainly be worth ordering again.

Midway through the soft opening, the cafe introduced a number of drink toppings, ranging from a namesake “Seed & Water” cream cheese foam to matcha and regular cold foams, and more drink options, including a Korean mixed coffee, honey latte, and dark chocolate milk are expected in the near future. Seed & Water is also the only Source coffee shop with its own coffee roasting equipment, here fenced off in its own section of the cafe’s spacious dining area. As of early July 2025, some of the equipment has been covered up and none appears to be in active use.