TINY GLASS CUPS hold a single ice cube and that precious seven-hour brew.
FOLKS SERVES a few varieties of cake, made on-site by a local baker when the shop is closed (due to space restrictions).
BOLERO cold-drip brewer in action.
The bar, shaped like a backward “L,” seats four along the front, two more at the edge, with a covered patio outside the entrance accommodating just as many. Alongside one wall stands a three-foot-tall cold-drip brewer from the Taiwanese company Bolero. The brewing process takes about seven hours, producing three liters of coffee, one drop at a time, accumulating slowly as the ice melts over the grounds. There are no shortcuts at The Folks. In such a small space there’s no room for extraneous anything, and Tzu-Chi’s attention to detail shines through at every turn. From the collection of design books on the counter to the tunes playing overhead, his stamp is everywhere. A great lover of music and vintage albums, Tzu-Chi creates monthly playlists spotlighting some of his favorites in Brit-pop, indie rock, grunge, electronic, and folk music. The mood of the room is dynamic, immersing the customer in a very personal aesthetic. Sights and sounds aside, nowhere is Tzu-Chi’s attention to detail more directed than on the coffee itself. He starts, not surprisingly, by roasting the beans himself, a twice-a-week task on the Diedrich roaster that defies all odds by fitting in the corner. He picks through the green beans— sourced from local companies Tri-Up, Pebble Coffee, or Linking Coffee—one by one, looking for defects that might throw off the quality of the final brew. Once again, this meticulous attention to minutiae sets The Folks apart. Watching Tzu-Chi roast and brew with such focused precision, it’s clear this is a special coffee place. The natural inclination for most business owners would be expansion, but TzuChi says he has no desire to scale up. “Tending to The Folks each day, owning a single shop, and making it the best it can be is a lifelong pursuit of excellence,” he says, then turns his attention back to honing his craft. FC
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