West Stockbridge — For those to whom a cup of coffee is more than just a way to start the day, a trip to No. Six Depot in West Stockbridge is a revelation. Owned by Argentinian émigré Flavio Lichtenthal and his wife Lisa Landry, No. Six Depot is open every day, serving breakfast and lunch along with a vigorously curated variety of coffees from around the world.
Lichtenthal was born in Buenos Aries, and moved to New York City with his family when he was 13. He lived in New York until 2002 when he, Lisa, and their two sons moved to the Berkshires. Why the Berkshires? “For the same reasons everyone else comes here — it’s beautiful,” he says.
While living in New York, Lichtenthal worked in many restaurants, engaging in all the various activities inherent to such places — cooking, bartending, waiting tables. He also is a singer/songwriter, which is perhaps why No. Six Depot is so hospitable to area musicians.
For the first decade he was in the Berkshires, he ran the kitchen at Gould Farm, the well-known and respected therapeutic community in Monterey. “For ten years I cooked breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner for 80 people every day,” he recounts with a satisfied smile. As is true for most Gould Farm employees, Lichtenthal and his family lived at the farm.
Lichtenthal became obsessed with coffee at a young age, an easy thing to do in Buenos Aires, with its strong Italian community and its concomitant coffee culture. He learned even more during the years he worked in New York City. Slowly, he learned to roast coffee at home, starting out by just roasting the beans in a pan. Then came roasting in the oven. And then a little roaster that resembled a toaster.
His coffee obsession grew, as obsessions are wont to do. Finally, he apprenticed with professionals, acting as the fly on the wall as he watched their every move. How long did it take them to roast beans? What was the right temperature? Which roasting techniques appealed to him? “I borrowed and stole from everyone I watched, and slowly my coffee developed its own character,” he says.
Like most food processes, coffee roasting is a blend of science and art. The scientific aspect of coffee roasting has to do with bean dehydration, when the roaster takes the water out of the beans. The coffee loses water but gains oils and, most importantly, flavor compounds. “This is where the roaster’s personality comes into play,” he says. After the first skin of the beans is shed, how quickly does the flavor develop? “It’s an intricate balance, like a dance,” he explains.
The dance doesn’t take long since beans roast for anywhere between 14 and 20 minutes. It’s not just the time that varies, but the temperature as well. “Each bean is particular, and each region has its specifications,” which further complicates the formulas devised. Over the years, Lichtenthal became fascinated at the variety of transformations inherent in raw beans. “The roaster has incredible control,” he says, “including where on the coffee equator belt the bean is from.”
All coffee grows within a belt that includes Kenya, Tanzania, a little part of Brazil, Peru, and other countries in that latitude. Not only does the taste of coffee differ by country of origin, but by region within a country. He likens it to how wines can differ widely within a country, such as Sicilian wines versus those from Tuscany.
If all of this sounds a bit daunting, relax. A quick look at No. 6 Depot’s coffee bag labels tells you almost all you need to know about that coffee. The label on “Berkshire Sky” tells you that it is a blend of coffee from Sumatra and Mandehling (Indonesia), and Yirgacheffe (Ethopia). The beans were grown at an elevation of between 3,000-6,000 feet, which is good because the higher the elevation, the more sun and wind get to the beans.
In this case, the beans were “washed and natural.” “Washed” means the cherry, or the fruit of the plant, is picked and then dried, in a manner much like a grape turning into a raisin. “Natural” indicates that the coffee cherry is removed through a combination of friction, ferment, and water. Finally, the label tells us that the coffee tastes clean and bright, even hopeful.
“A lot of sweat goes into the cup,” Lichenthal says. “We need to know how it’s grown, how it’s picked, how it’s processed. The roaster is the last link in a long chain of care that goes into that cup that starts your day.” Many customers want to know a lot about the coffee, not just if it is organic or fair trade.
Individual customers are not the only buyers of No. Six Depot’s coffee. Cafes and restaurants from the Berkshires, Vermont, Brooklyn, Short Hills, San Francisco and elsewhere are steady customers.
No. Six Depot is not just a coffee café. Lisa Landry curates the art gallery, and organizes the many special events they host. Most of the special events are musical or theatrical, but this summer they attracted huge crowds to watch the World Cup games.
Landry also is in charge of the design and packaging of the store’s products. She designed the bags for the coffee, as well as those for their teas and salts. They import salts from all over the world, including the Himalayas, Brazil, and France.
Landry also designed the store. The café in front is cozy, while the large room in the back is deliberately nondescript to better show off the art they display.
The café’s menu is simple. Breakfast dishes include homemade granola with Berle Farm yogurt and fresh fruit; fried eggs with smokehouse bacon and Berkshire Mountain Bakery toast. Lunch offerings include paninis of flank steak, braised pork shoulder, or pulled chicken. The menus vary but salads are typically available.
As we head into late fall and then winter, the days get ever shorter so we need to pamper ourselves to overcome the gloom. A trip to No. Six Depot to sort out all their coffee options is surely one way to energize your winter self.
