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First came the perk-ready coffee cans, then the frappuccinos. And then came the third wave, as small indie roasters and independent coffeehouses popped up across the country, focusing on single-origin beans and the perfect pour-overs beloved by java hounds.

Now comes the fun part: A handful of high-end coffee ambassadors have begun creating delightfully distinctive drinks — sparkling espressos, iced Turkish coffee, coconut cream-laced mochas — in progressive third-wave places that celebrate character and connection, in addition to brewing a fine cup of coffee.

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Backyard Brew serves up its eclectic vibe, which includes hackathons and customer-scrawled murals, with Middle Eastern specialties such as the Bedouin Brew, a lightly-roasted green coffee laced with cardamom. Khalil got the 100-year-old recipe from his Jordanian grandmother. It’s one of many drinks that foster lingering conversations at Backyard Brew’s espresso bar.

Global flavors also appear on the menu at Fremont’s Slap Face Coffee & Tea, where owner Mike Rozenblum uses Chromatic Coffee to whip up red velvet lattes served alongside beef piroshki. San Francisco artist Amanda Lynn’s nose-picking geisha mural always gets discussions going.

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“As a coffee shop, we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says Rozenblum, who decked out the former bank in steampunk style when the coffeehouse opened last year. “We just wanted to create a place in the suburbs with exceptionally good coffee and plenty of opportunities for social events.” That includes free opera night.

Here are five of our favorite new and eclectic Bay Area coffee houses.

Backyard Brew, Palo Alto

This hidden cafe is tucked behind a long, yellow-walled corridor off California Avenue. Khalil, owner and a Palo Alto native, converted the former restaurant storage space into an oasis of sorts: a hidden find where Middle Eastern coffee drinks are made with Chromatic Coffee.

The decor is BYOB, as Khalil calls it: Bring your own brush. To foster creativity and encourage expression, he invites customers to paint, draw, or scrawl quotes or affirmations on just about every surface. There’s a giant mural promoting diversity and another wall devoted to dog sketches. A fountain of succulents and an archway made of bright children’s umbrellas add to the whimsy.

The cup: Try the strong, non-traditional iced Turkish coffee ($5) accompanied by a game of chess, or opt for the Bedouin Brew ($2 for a 4-ounce shot): Lightly-roasted green coffee beans fused with cardamom — and a caffeine punch. Craving something sweet? Try the popular Nutella Mocha ($5) or a creamy latte ($4) with mint or cardamom.

The froth: Plenty of social extras, from Hackathons to Trivia Nights. No food yet, but customers are welcome to bring their own. Not craving java? Try the homemade hibiscus or mint lemonade. Both are sensational.

Details: Open daily from 8 a.m. 444 S. California Ave., Palo Alto; http://backyardbrewpa.com

East Bay Coffee, Pinole

This third-wave coffeehouse arrived in Pinole three years ago, bringing a breath of fresh air and some extremely good java, as well as community game nights, ukulele fests and maple-bacon macarons. The rafters are strung with twinkle lights and Edison bulbs; colorful art hangs along one wall; and a stage sits ready to showcase open mic talent and more.

The philosophy? Bringing people and ideas together to champion change in the world — with said championing made all the buzzier, of course, by cappuccinos, gibraltars, Guittard mochas and ice cream-laden nitro-floats.

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The cup: The silky Havana Latte ($4.20) is a decadent blend of high-end espresso, whole milk and sweetened condensed milk. It’s a caffeine-sugar combo that all but guarantees victory during those pitched parcheesi battles.

The froth: Hashtag ukulele! The cafe’s music nights draw happy crowds, who arrive with ukes and kazoos in hand. And the cafe’s pastry case, which showcases fare from Pinole’s Alamode Doughnut Shop and Vallejo’s Sweet Side at the Original Red Onion, keeps things sweet with cream or raspberry-filled doughnut holes (50 cents) and macarons that range from violet ube to bright green tea-chocolate and decadent maple-bacon.

Details: Open from 6 a.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. on weekends at 2529 San Pablo Ave., Pinole; http://www.eastbaycoffee.com. Second location in San Pablo.

Slap Face Coffee & Tea, Fremont

Open since 2016, Slap Face is an arty, bi-level coffee shop housed in a former bank. The decor displays a penchant for the absurd, so you’ll find industrial masks and futuristic Viking hats sharing space with exposed piping and a wall-sized mural of a latte-submerged geisha picking her nose.

In addition to creating a java-fueled space for tech nomads like himself to work, owner Mike Rozenblum wanted Slap Face to cater to the community at large, so in the short time it has been open, the coffee shop has collaborated with local arts organizations to offer free opera nights, stand-up comedy and even free summer piano lessons taught by Rozenblum’s 14-year-old daughter.

The cup: Coconut Voodoo ($4.50) is a creamy thing of beauty made with a double shot of espresso, dark TCHO chocolate, organic milk and coconut cream. Pour-overs ($3.50-$3.75), like all the coffee drinks here, are made with Chromatic Coffee and take a few minutes, so plug in or chill out while you wait. The Red Velvet Latte ($4.50), created using a house-made red velvet syrup, just might be Slap Face’s most popular drink.

The froth: Piroskhi ($4.75), from San Leandro’s Paramount Piroshki, and a selection of Marianne’s Ice Cream flavors fulfill random midday cravings. Having a meeting? Hold it in a cozy conference room, free with sign up. Follow Facebook for free social events. Slap Face is open until midnight daily.

Details: Open from 7 a.m. Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. Saturday-Sunday; 37324 Fremont Blvd., Fremont

Voyager Craft Coffee, Santa Clara

The cup: Walking into this year-old coffee house is a bit like taking a caffeinated journey around the world. Lauren Burns and Sam Shah’s travels inspired their menu, which includes orange blossom water, coconut and cayenne-spiked lattes, as well as pour-overs and matcha drinks. “We wanted to challenge the cultural boundaries of taste and flavor,” Shah says.

What began as a mobile coffee trailer soon went brick and mortar in a cool, modern Santa Clara space filled with reclaimed wood, chalkboard art and small farm-sourced coffee selections that vary from month to month.

The cup: Try the signature orange-scented Valencia, spicy coconut cayenne Bali or mint-julep-inspired Savannah lattes ($4.90 each). Coming soon: The Aleppo, a cardamom, saffron and rose water-laced latte.

The froth: Instagram’s ablaze with Voyager’s colorful rainbow latte art, with swans and swirls rendered into the steamed milk foam in colors ranging from red and blue to teal and violet. These coffee drinks are almost too pretty to drink.

Details: Open daily from 7 a.m. at 3985 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara; www.voyagercc.com

1951 Coffee, Berkeley

Java meets political awareness and social action at Berkeley’s 1951 Coffee Company. The name is a nod to the United Nations’ 1951 guidelines for the protection of refugees, and owners Rachel Taber and Doug Hewitt both worked with the International Rescue Committee to help refugees resettle in the United States and find jobs.

Last year, they put that philosophy into action by launching barista training classes for refugees looking for work. Step inside the sleek, modern 1951 Coffee cafe, which opened just a few blocks from the UC Berkeley campus in January, and you’ll hear a global array of accents from staff and patrons, alike.

The cup: These are classic espresso drinks — a 12-ounce latte is $4 — made with coffee from Santa Cruz’s Verve Coffee Roasters and rendered impeccably. It’s feel-good java.

The froth: This a cafe that wears its heart on its sleeve — or rather, its walls. The decor, designed by the Norwegian-American Montaag agency, includes bright graphics and images that help cafe patrons learn about the refugee resettlement process, as they nibble their kouign-amann ($4) pastries.

Details: Open from 7 a.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. weekends at 2410 Channing Way, Berkeley; 1951coffee.com.