New micro batches of custom-roasted coffee at Lulu’s, plus lunch of the week at Chocolate
In order to roast some choice “off-the-beaten-track” coffees, Lulu Carpenter’s entrepreneur Manthri Srinath has acquired “a couple of very cool semi-commercial trial roasters,” small enough to roast micro batches of coffee beans. These beautiful cylindrical roasters—adorned with pressure gauges, temperature meters, shiny cylinder drums with wooden knobs, funnels, and curved spouts like something out of Jules Verne—are brought out onto the sidewalk in front of the Octagon a few times a week in order to custom roast some of the specialty beans bound for Lulu’s Blue Label small-batch coffees.
Last week I watched roast mistress Emily Warfield as she fired up the most complex of the gorgeous little precision gadgets, waited until the proper temperature was reached, and then poured in a pound of green mountain-grown Yemen Mokha beans. The quality of Yemen harvests is up, after some years of languishing (not to mention the deteriorating political climate), so the beans of Yemen’s Matari appellation are back, and as Srinath notes, “this coffee doesn’t disappoint.” He describes it as “earthy and rustic,” with a bittersweet chocolate tone that persists through the entire cup.
As Warfield waited for the temperature inside the stainless steel drum to approach its optimum 400-plus degrees, she explained that the miniaturized equipment is useful for roasting small batches as well as for teaching the coffee-roasting process. She consulted several gauges to make sure the temperature inside the drum was consistent. Then, the beans were poured into the top funnel and spun for approximately 12 minutes. “You can smell the color change,” she said with a grin. “It goes from a grassy aroma to that of full roast coffee.” I watched the beans darken through the tiny porthole while they were frequently checked through a small pull-out drawer. “You can hear the beans popping and beginning to crack,” Srinath added. The small-scale micro-roasting equipment lets Srinath and his team work with specialty beans not purchased in large quantities. “Roasting at such a small scale results in some pretty spectacular coffees,” Srinath contends. Small roasts may vary in terms of the consistency possible in larger-batch roasting—e.g. Lulu’s up at Scotts Valley roasts, in 25-pound batches, many thousands of pounds each month. But “it can yield some amazing flavors.”
Indeed, it did. An hour later I sampled the fresh-roasted Yemen Mokha, filtered on Chemex, and discovered its rounded bright flavors of figs, chocolate and tobacco, which grew mellower as it cooled. Well-worth $5 for a medium Chemex cup, and $15.75 for a 12-ounce bag. All Blue Label coffees are roasted to order, so for mail order Lulu’s says to allow an additional week for roasting and shipping. Find your new favorite Blue Label specialty at Lulu’s Octagon on Front Street or online at lulucarpenters.com. Also, check out Lulu’s for weekend brunch (8 a.m.-2 p.m.) and/or newly expanded lunches at the Kitchen at Lulu’s, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday at the North Pacific Avenue location.
Chicken Soup for the Soul
On a drizzly midday last week, we settled into the sidewalk cafe ambiance of Chocolate, next door to Bookshop Santa Cruz, for a very delightful hot lunch. Jack powered through his freshly cooked swordfish sandwich with barbecue sauce and tomatoes on a Gayle’s francese bun ($11.50). The sandwich arrived with a major green salad and terrific balsamic vinaigrette. I enjoyed a very satisfying housemade free-range chicken and organic vegetable soup ($5), with a slice of francese. We both staved off the chill with big cups of delicate Dragon Pearl jasmine green tea ($2.75), soothed by the white noise of the restaurant’s Italianate fountain. Everyone around us was savoring tall goblets of hot chocolate. Next cold day, it’s hot chocolate for us—and some of the house chicken molé. chocolatesantacruz.com
PHOTO: CHIP SCHEUER
