Lola’s Coffee and More has West Medford buzzing
Where to Lola’s Coffee and More, next to the West Medford train station.
Why For impressive coffee and Filipino baked goods.
The backstory Fifty-four years ago, a teenage Len Brault was enchanted by a bracing cup of coffee at Friendly’s. Now 70, Brault and his wife, Pearl, run the teensy new Lola’s Coffee and More in West Medford, down the street from their home.
Brault, fed up with local coffee options, started producing his own in 2005 after a long career in marketing and design.
“I love coffee. And I was very disappointed in the quality of coffee after the turn of the century. Companies were making ghastly coffee,” he says. Meanwhile, he felt that coffee farmers weren’t making a fair profit.
The family started Len’s Coffee with $5,000, running it out of a bedroom. Instead of focusing solely on the more commonly seen Arabica, they also specialize in the most complex Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica varieties.
“I set up a coffee company to buy direct from small farmers, natural or organic coffee, and to do a lot of good. We’ve helped a lot of producers, probably thousands of people,” says Len, who’s also the author of “The Coffee Roaster’s Handbook: A How-to Guide for Home and Professional Roasters.”
Pearl Brault is in charge of the baked goods. She moved to the United States at 38, meeting Len 21 years ago on a dating site — “before they were full of scammers,” her husband jokes. (I didn’t ask if their first date was over coffee, but I should have.) She always dreamed of running a bakery, and Lola means “grandma” in Filipino.
“I named it because, during the pandemic, I became a grandmother. And I think Lola embodies family. The goal of Lola is to be a family hub in West Medford, if possible. Our menu is geared toward the family. But, at the same time, I want to highlight Filipino treats,” she says.
The 11-by-20-foot space — yep, it’s cozy — is the quaint coffee shop of your small-town dreams. On my visit, a friendly regular stopped by with his faithful pup. A couple filled up their coffee cups (it’s all self-serve) while Len and Pearl chatted behind the counter. In the distance, a train whistled past.
What to eat The Braults stock an assortment of treats made by longtime friend Kristine Bautista, a selftaught baker who plans to open a shop in Saugus this year. There are ensaymada, Filipino brioche; hopia, Filipino mooncakes in ube (purple yam), Nutella, and red bean flavors; scones, cinnamon rolls, ube rolls, and Belgian waffles, all individually wrapped. There are also a few savory snacks, like Mame’s breakfast burritos stuffed with bacon, chipotle chicken, spicy sausage, and glutenfree veggie. Everything is grab-andgo.
What to drink Coffee, of course. Len gamely handles the roasting, chatting from deep behind the counter as customers wander in.
“We bring in all four of the commercial species of beans sold around the world. People in America haven’t tasted gourmet-quality Robusta,” he says. “What’s unique about our flavor profiles is that these are blended from multiple species of beans, which really gives a lot more satisfaction to the palate, front and back.”
There’s iced coffee, including long-steeped, high-caffeine, low-acid cold brew. There are also usually four or five pots of hot coffee: breakfast blend, as well as a few themed coffees, including Cafe de Lola, a French Quarter-style mix with chicory. But Brault is hardly a proprietary snob: There are also holdovers from his friends at Mystic Coffee Roasters, which suffered a fire at their Medford location.
“Every day, we feature one of their blends of coffee. A lot of people have been following them for many years and appreciate that we have their coffee, too,” Len says.
The takeaway A tiny find by the train tracks, as far from a coffee chain as one could hope to find. There’s no website and no phone, but lots of spirit.
“Our online reviews have been so heartwarming. The community has embraced us,” Pearl says.
Lola’s Coffee and More, 17 Playstead Road, Medford