COFFEE & WATER LAB, SAN JOSE
If you’re a coffee nerd, then this sleek new shop is just the place to geek out over the science and technology of brewing.
The Mitsuwa Marketplace venture is the brainchild of Luis Petroza, who loves a fine cup of coffee, and his wife, Amy, who loves pristine, clean-tasting water. “We sort of married our passions. You need good water for good coffee and tea,” Luis says.
So for all of their beverages, from pour overs ($4.99) to ice cream floats ($6.49), they turn tap water into alkaline ionized water. They roast single-origin beans from Ethiopia, Brazil, Mexico, Burundi and Colombia on-site in a zero-emission, electric roaster from Bellwether Coffee of Berkeley. They brew coffee in a cutting-edge machine from Oakland’s Ground Control. They steep tea using a state-of-the-art Bkon craft machine
that brings out subtle notes. And it’s an open-view process, with counter seats so you can sit and watch.
The Petrozas, having lived abroad for years, share a global perspective that informs everything about their shop, from the modern Scandinavian-Asian design to drink selections inspired by Japan’s melon mania and South Korea’s love of mojito tea.
THE SIPS >> Customers are raving about the smooth, never-bitter taste of the cold brew — it doesn’t “bite back,” one fan says — and making the maple cream cold brew ($4.99) one of the bestsellers. Granitas are popular on these summer days. We’ll be cooling down with a London Fog milk tea granita ($5.99), made with Earl Grey grown in Japan’s Makinohara region.
THE EATS >> Thick slices of Japanese milk bread (from the ovens of Clover Bakery just
yards away) serve as the canvas for bacon egg cheese toast ($6.49), with a properly runny yolk, blueberry mascarpone toast ($4.99) and several others. Pastries come from City Bakery, and the baristas make mochi waffle pops to order ($2.99-$3.49).
DETAILS >> Open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 603 Saratoga Ave., Suite 40, San Jose. www.coffeeandwaterlab.com.