Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/853621
and French Press owners Julia Mayer and Todd Stewart are active in sourcing unique and exciting coffees, including a Sidra variety from Ecuador, and naturals from Las Lajas in Costa Rica and Elida Estate in Panama. Celebrating eight years of business in Santa Barbara, The French Press and its crew have sent numerous competitors to competition, in- cluding Nick Purvis, who placed fi fth nationally in 2013 (and who now runs Good Coffee in Portland, Ore., with his brother, Sam), while still being grounded in serving their community and growing the coffee culture of Santa Barbara. With a University of California campus and an ever-growing popu- lation, not to mention constant tourist traffi c, Santa Barbara folks are always looking for more great spots for excellent coffee. It's not un- common to see employees from The French Press enjoying a coffee at nearby Handlebar Coffee Roasters, and vice versa. There is a strong sense of community and support in this town. Handlebar serves as a destination café for many, including cyclists passing through on tours, as well as any bike lover wanting to admire the pristine Merckx road bike hanging on the wall. Located just up the street from the original French Press, Handlebar is a labor of love for owners Kim and Aaron Olsen, who began roasting and serving coffee after they stopped racing on the European circuit in 2011. During their time as professional cyclists, Kim and Aar- on say they developed an appreciation for coffee and café culture. As Aaron puts it, their goal is to provide a café that enables them to share this experience and apprecia- tion with others. An impressive four-group Kees van der Westen espresso machine holds court on the counter inside, alongside Nuo- va Simonelli grinders and Fetco batch brewers. On weekends, Lycra-clad cyclists lean their impressive bicycles along the walls of the alley next to Handlebar, and the clicking of countless cyclist's cleats fills the air as riders enjoy their morning coffees. With a second location and main roastery on the way, as well as plans for a food-and-beverage program in the new space, Kim and Aaron also hope to expand on their relationships with the Colombian farmers whose coffee they serve through Azahar Coffee, which sources exclusively from the South American coffee giant. Down Canon Perdido a few blocks from Handlebar is Breakfast Culture Club, a café and retail spot with seasoned baristas behind the bar. Aiming to celebrate local artists and collaborate with their community, Breakfast began as an art gallery-meets-retail space- meets coffee bar. A beautiful expansive room with sliding garage doors and a collection of photo books and magazines inside, Breakfast serves coffee from Portland, Ore.'s Coava, as well as pastries and the occasional food pop-up orchestrated by the manager's dad, who happens to be a professional chef. While Break- fast's owners intend to eventually roast in house and develop a coffee program of their own, the current wholesale program through the Oregon roaster is a welcome addition to Santa Barbara's coffee land- scape. A lounge area in the corner of the café holds a small selection of Team Dream cycling apparel as part of their current pop-up, from jerseys to water bottles. Matching the rest of the café, a white La Marzocco FB80 churns out shots of Coava's Los Nacientes, with more retail bags from Coava on the counter. Table games and magazines make Breakfast a nice place to hang out, or to stop in from a ride and replace a lost water bottle and enjoy some coffee at the same time. 37 www.baristamagazine.com