Alchemy and the Roost pour coffee – and other good ideas – in Lawrence
- Scott Wilson
- Ben Farmer is looking to brew gold at Alchemy.
The door to Alchemy Coffee opens, and two 20-something women step to the wooden counter where barista Nathan Russell is slowly pouring water from a metal kettle over a filter filled with freshly ground beans.
“We’ve been wanting to come in, and now we’re here,” explains one of the women. “What should we get?”
Behind Russell are square chalkboards listing half a dozen methods of coffee preparation. Within his reach are silver-topped jars of coffee beans and enough glassware to make a chemist jealous. He recommends either the shop’s cold brew (made drip-style in a strong concentrate and served over ice) or the flash brew (essentially pour-over with the water-and-bean ratio adjusted to allow for ice).
