We recently took a California road trip and headed up to Napa and Sonoma for an enjoyable weekend of Russian River Barrel Tasting - wine futures. Along the way, we took the opportunity to visit several outstanding coffee houses.

Next stop, Lulu’s at the Octagon in Santa Cruz, CA.

And I apologize for the poor photographs. I promise to work on my photography.

Lulu’s at the Octagon - Artisan Roasted Coffees
18 Cooper St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 429-5858

As the name suggests, this is a unique example of local 19th century architecture, a small brick structure actually in the shape of an octagon.

A view of the front of the store, and an outdoor patio seating area to enjoy when the weather is nice.

A large skylight at the top of the building provides a soothing, natural lighting on the inside. A beautiful cherry wood bench lines the perimeter of the interior and the seating area includes about a dozen small tables for two. An impressive, well equipped espresso bar and coffee preparation counter occupies the center of the floor.

We arrived around 5:30 pm on a weekend. The place was quite busy, and as you can see from my blurry photograph of the interior, every seat was inhabited by preoccupied, computer toting, coffee sipping customers. It appears that Lulu’s is a popular hang-out for students from the nearby colleges, UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College. And Lulu’s at the Octagon has them covered with free Wi-Fi.

Lulu’s at the Octagon is the creation of owner and coffee entrepreneur, Manthri Srinath, who also owns Lulu Carpenters nearby in Santa Cruz, and the Coffee Cat in Scotts Valley. Manthri Srinath clearly has the passion for great coffee and it shows. See “Santa Cruz coffee entrepreneur Manthri Srinath on the perfect cup“.

At the Coffee Cat location, they do all of their own custom hand-crafted coffee roasting for all three stores.

We would have liked to spend more time with the baristas and find out more about Lulu’s, but with the busy flow of customers, we didn’t want to interfere and get in the way. So we got right to the most important business at hand and ordered up.

I started off with an espresso, of course!

I had a choice of two custom espresso blends, a more medium roast, and a darker roast. Aaron, the barista, recommended their espresso blend with a more medium roast for a subtler taste experience. Unfortunately, the grinder for those beans wasn’t working properly. So I went with their standard classic Espresso blend with a darker roast level.

I appreciated the tip, a good indication that the baristas know what they’re doing. If you can’t get the grind right, don’t bother. And, they were setup with separate grinders, another good sign, which suggests to me that they keep the grind properly and specifically adjusted for the two different espresso beans. This also prevents contaminating the different coffees grinds with one another, which tends to happen if you grind all of your beans through one grinder.

OK, it was time to pull my espresso from the La Marzocco Mistral espresso machine. La Marzocco sets a standard with innovative design, double boilers, PID (proportional, integrative, derivative) technology for maximum temperature stability, and visible saturated brew groups. This modern and trendy, futuristic looking espresso machine, in prominent view as you walk in the front door, always makes a bold statement at any espresso bar.

From my vantage point, with a view a little off to the side, I was able to observe a perfect reddish brown, syrupy mouse tail as my espresso was pouring into the cup. And the dark tan rich crema just kept flowing. My anticipation was building.

Let me tell you, that was a terrific espresso. Rich and smooth, slightly sweet, and a little smoke. Great balance, with a lingering finish that wouldn’t quit. Now, that’s what I’m talking about. If you’re not sure what a great espresso should taste like, go try an espresso at Lulu’s at the Octagon.

Next, we sampled three single origins, brewed on the Clover. At the Gourmet Coffee Zone, we’ve been talking about the Clover quite a bit lately. For more information about this innovative brewing system, see our article, Starbucks tests the Clover in Stores. Incidentally, Starbucks just recently acquired the Coffee Equipment Co, the manufacture of the Clover brewing machine.

OK, back to the coffee tasting.

First, a Sumatra Mandheling. This was a pretty typical Sumatran, rich body, lower toned acidity, sweet with some floral tones and a detectable chocolate finish. A truly great coffee with character, and one of my favorites.

Next, a Papua New Guinea. Coffees from this island in Indonesia can exhibit a fairly broad range of characteristics in the cup. The plantation grown coffees on the island are typically wet-processed, consistent and cleaner, perhaps more similarities to the clean coffees of Central America. Other areas in Papua New Guinea produce coffee using dry processing, and these are more typical of some of the exotic Indonesian coffee characteristics.

Not sure what to expect, the Papua New Guinea at Lulu’s had some earthy notes, an expected lower acidity, and some clear and present spice tones. I suspected this might be one of the dry-processed coffees, but couldn’t be sure. Definitely an interesting and flavorful cup.

The Ethiopian Harrar was a special treat. I don’t find too many coffee houses offering up this coffee origin. A very bright and lively coffee, with a fairly high acidity level, typical of the Ethiopian coffees. And the most dramatic and pronounced fruit characteristics of just about any coffee you will find. If you taste for it, you can often detect a hint of blueberry fruit in a good Harrar. And a brew coming off the Clover has a good chance of capturing this blueberry characteristic in the cup.

So, did my Harrar at Lulu’s offer up that most unique blueberry fruit? Hmmm, not sure I was able to find the blueberry, but the distinctive dried fruit was there. A delicious cup, nonetheless.

We’ve had the opportunity to enjoy coffees brewed with the Clover at four or five specialty coffee houses. My conclusion about the Clover. While great results consistently come off the Clover, I think it’s an exaggeration to say it produces a markedly superior brew unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. I do tend to see this over-hyped praise about the Clover.

Rather, what does set the Clover apart is the consistent ability to repeat the optimal extraction for many different coffees, virtually for each and every custom-brewed cup. The Clover machine provides an automated way to dial-in and control the four important variables; water temperature, steep/brew time, fine/course grind level, and ratio of coffee to water, and hit the right parameters for each coffee consistently, each and every time.

This is ideal for a commercial coffee establishment that wants to offer custom-brewed cup-at-a-time coffee, perfect for bringing out the best taste and flavor results for the many unique single-origins.

Keep in mind, if you are careful, and pay attention to the four brewing variables, you can produce an optimal extraction with a French press as well. It may be more difficult to reach the same consistent results each and every time with a coffee press, but a properly extracted brew from a French press will approach a properly extracted brew from a Clover.

However, a Clover can usually achieve the same results in under 90 seconds, where a French press is typically four minutes or more to complete a brew cycle. And, a French press is generally geared for brewing 3 to 4 cups at a time. Trying to brew custom single cups of coffee in a busy commercial coffee store environment with a French press will create a bottleneck and longer wait time for the customers, and is not nearly as practical and efficient as a Clover.

We definitely enjoyed our coffee experience at this distinguished coffee house. If you happen to be in the area, be sure and stop by Lulu’s at the Octagon in Santa Cruz for some great coffee.

Last weekend, we took the drive up from Southern California to Napa and Sonoma in Northern California for Russian River Wine Barrel tasting - wine tasting futures. So what does this have to do with coffee?

Well, we followed Highway 101 all the way up. Not quite the spectacular scenery as Pacific Coast Highway 1, but a beautiful drive this time of year. And along the way, we took the time to stop at a few coffee houses. Hey, I love the wine, but a few stops at a couple of great coffee houses was the highpoint of the weekend for me.

As part of our ongoing series to spotlight the emerging and growing specialty coffee culture, what a great opportunity to start in our own backyard with some of the finest specialty coffee houses and coffee roasteries that California has to offer.

This road trip was also an opportunity to track down a few coffee houses brewing with the Clover. We’ve been talking about this the past few weeks and have been looking forward to sampling some great coffee brew and finding out first hand what the Clover can do.

With the coffee culture preeminence so clearly defined in the Pacific Northwest, and the epicurean preference for fine food and fine wine in California, you might expect a more established California coffee culture, with artisan roasters and truly wonderful coffee houses abounding everywhere.

Not quite the case, but we’re getting better. Northern California has led the charge ahead of Southern California, but we’re starting to see the emergence of more interesting specialty coffee houses and boutique roasters springing up in Southern California as well. Which means one thing. The consumer interest and demand for great coffee is growing. And that’s what we like to see at the Gourmet Coffee Zone!

Back to the road trip, our first stop, Joe Momma’s Coffee in Avila Beach, CA.

Joe Momma’s Coffee
310 Front Street
Avila Beach, CA 93424
(805) 627-1500

Avila Beach is a beautiful beach side community tucked in between Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. And the community is lucky to have a great coffee house like Joe Momma’s Coffee.

We arrived around 10:30 am Friday morning, and enjoyed a very pleasant visit and some great coffee. The store was comfortably busy, with several contented locals relaxing on the sidewalk seating out front, sipping coffee while enjoying the ocean breeze and view of the bay. Plenty of comfortable and inviting space up on the second level with a few more happy coffee customers either visiting with friends or working away at their computers.

I’m sure it’s not unusual at all to find students from Cal Poly State University, only a few miles up the road in San Luis Obispo, find their way down to Avila Beach and book some time at this appealing coffee house.

Joe Momma’s Coffee opened for business about ten months ago, mid summer 2007. They embrace direct trade (a notch above fair trade) and include a selection of organic coffees and teas on the menu. Also affiliated with the business is an organic spa and a natural clothing store.

Their motto is “Honest Coffee * Worthy Views”. Smart and to the point, it is about great coffee, with a sensible commitment to environmentally and socially conscious values. Great coffee is about passion. And these folks have the passion.

In a more literal sense, the “worthy views” may also apply to the spectacular ocean view out the front window of the store.

How’s that for a serene and relaxing view while you enjoy a fine cup of fresh roasted coffee, or a superbly crafted latte?

We met Jonathan Withers, barista and store manager. Jonathan was gracious enough to spend some time with us in between tending to the customers’ drink orders. Jonathan, along with a great team of folks give this place a very friendly vibe. They love coffee, they know coffee, and they’re eager to provide a great coffee experience for the customer.

Serving single origins and blends from two great specialty roasters, Intelligentsia and Ritual, this is serious coffee. Intelligentsia follows a simple philosophy, “buy, roast and serve the finest coffees available”. Intelligentsia selects and roasts stellar coffee with a respectable commitment to the farmers. As mentioned, it’s obvious that Joe Momma’s Coffee shares this same feeling.

A view of the menu and the pastry counter as you step into the store. The store has a clean, stylish feel and the decor speaks with a compliment of pleasing bold colors (just like the coffee).

I was anxious to sample my first coffee brew from a Clover. But first, a shot of espresso to get warmed up. Black Cat, of course. Intelligentsia’s signature espresso blend.

Jonathan pulled a shot at the La Marzocco FB/80, prominently featured right up front. I enjoy an espresso bar setup where you can watch and engage with the barista.

And a respectable shot of Black Cat espresso indeed. Nice, full syrupy body, hints of caramel, fruit tones, with a lingering dark chocolate finish. Intelligentsia Black Cat is always a favorite of mine.

Next, a few cups off the Clover brewing system. See this previous Clover writeup for more details and background.

I went with two Intelligentsia single origins, a Kenya Kangocho lot, and the Guatemala El Cuervo.

The Kenya starts with a more intense aroma, with hints of lemon citrus and floral tones, and a sweetness throughout.

The Guatemala El Cuervo is produced from coffee grown in the HueHuetenango region of northwestern Guatemala, known for rich soil and ideal coffee growing conditions. This is the classic bourbon cultivar (pronounced bore-bone) common in various growing regions of Central America. Nice balanced acidity with a brightness, fruit traces of apples and berries, creamy mouthfeel, sweet with a chocolate finish.

The results in the cup for both coffees were superb coming off the Clover.

There’s an optimal extraction that you’re after to bring out the full qualities of the coffee in the cup. Under extracted, and you have a weaker cup, that doesn’t reach the full potential of flavor, body, and aroma, including the more subtle characteristics that may be present. Over extracted, and you start to introduce flavor defects including the bitters that tend to eclipse the best and most pleasing aspects of the flavor profile.

The variables to hit the optimum extraction window are water temperature, fineness/coarseness of the grind, ratio of ground coffee to water, and brewing or steep time. You can work with all of these parameters using a simple coffee press. But with a French press, it’s not easy to precisely control water temperature, and you can easily under or over extract missing the optimum steep time. And a coffee press usually takes about four minutes to brew, not to mention the cleanup to contend with afterwards.

Think of the Clover as a very expensive automated French press that enables precise and repeatable control of the four variables - water temperature, grind, coffee/water ratio, and brew time. The Clover is faster than a French press, and typical settings can produce a finished cup in under 90 seconds. The objective is to quickly and precisely brew a single custom cup, hitting the optimum extraction window each and every time.

As Jonathan explained to me, the Clover doesn’t arrive at the optimal settings automatically. Lot’s of testing and trial and error is necessary in order to arrive at the preferred settings that deliver the results you’re after. It’s a fair amount of work to line up a full set of parameters for the various coffees that a store may want to brew. Even with the Clover, you’re relying on the skill and tasting experience of the barista to arrive at the optimal results.

And just for comparison, Jonathan let me sample a defect cup where the brew time was taken a mere 4 seconds past the preferred extraction threshold. The cup was detectably bitter. Only 4 seconds too long. Surprising, actually.

Wrapping up, we had to try a latte. If you’re a latte fan, they don’t come any better than this. The organic milk really does taste better, with a special rich feel and flavor. And a proper drink is not complete without the latte art on the top. Nicely done!

If you’re in the area, make it a point to stop by Joe Momma’s Coffee for a visit. It’s a perfect stopping point midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco if you’re making the drive along the 101. If you’re a local, you are fortunate to have this special coffee house nearby.

Next time we head up north, we’ll most definitely be paying another visit.

Next installment, a review of Lulu’s At The Octagon in Santa Cruz, California.