Upon walking into North Fork Roasting Co.’s new Southold coffee house, it’s a toss-up what will grab your attention first: the complex aromas emanating from the artisanal brews or the undeniable fact that its owners have style.
A burlap covered sofa seat, an old wooden coffee table topped with a velvet purple cushion and a white refrigerator painted a festive green lend a vintage and inviting air to this new Main Road spot.
But what might be the java spot’s coolest touch is located in the commode. Metallic mermaid wallpaper lines the walls and a mirror fashioned from an old port hole hangs above the sink.
“There’s a lot of funky stuff in here,” said Jess Dunne, who owns the company with her partner Jennilee Morris. “That’s what we wanted the vibe to be.”
The new store, which has been three years in the making for the women, officially opens its doors at 7 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14.
The pair roast small batch coffee — like Rawandan and Ethiopean Sidamo beans — at their Southold home, though they plan to move the roaster to the coffee shop’s porch sometime in the near future.
“Right now, it’s in my garage,” said Morris. “It’s an 800-pound machine —”
“So it’s an ordeal to move,” continued Dunne.
Lattes, espresso, cappucino, drip coffee and pour overs — a single-cup technique using a coffee dripper — will all be available at the spot.
“A pour over is very similar to drip coffee, but we use a really fine filter so you get a much cleaner cup of coffee,” Morris said.
In addition, North Fork Roasting Co. will offer specialty teas from the Manhasset-based SerendipiTEA. On Thursday a mixture of loose tea leaves with apple, mango, hibiscus and rose petals known as Snow White sat on the counter as well an earl grey blend dubbed Mademoiselle Grey.
“It was important for us to provide high quality teas out here,” Morris said.
Dunne will also offer her baked goods which she makes through her company Ginger Goods.
Morris, who began roasting with a small machine at Love Lane Kitchen several years ago, and Dunne described the nuanced flavors of their products in a way similar to winemakers speaking of their wines.
Take the Sidamo brew for instance.
“It’s so floral, with hints of blueberry and maple syrup,” Dunne said. “As it cools down a little you start tasting peach notes and tangerine. It’s a bold, but not a dark roast.”
The pair are particular about their beans — or really seeds as Morris points out — which are selected from importers Royal Coffee New York. All of their products are Fair Trade Certified, Morris added.
“We are controlling our product from the beginning to the end,” she said. “There are so many levels to coffee. If you are not in control of every aspect, you can start off with the most amazing beans and it can still end up tasting bad because something was not done right.”
North Fork Roasting Co. is located 55795 Main Road in Southold. The store will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Call (631) 876-5450 for more information.
See more photos below. And for more photos by local photographer David Benthal visit DavidBenthal.com.
