Araku coffee shop is located on rue Soufflot, just down the hill from the Pantheon. I stopped by to taste an espresso and purchase a bag of roasted coffee beans.
The café was serving an Arabica that they call Micro Climat. It is grown in the Araku Highlands of India. All of the coffees sold here come from that region, which is located in the Eastern Ghats mountain range of India.
The coffee beans are roasted in Paris.
The espresso that I was served had a light crema on the surface. It was intense with an agreeable flavor of cherry.
I purchased a 250g bag of Micro Climat roasted coffee beans, took them home, and prepared an espresso with my 9Barista stove-top espresso machine. My espresso maker produced a satisfying coffee that was equal in intensity and flavor to that which I had tasted at the café.
I was particularly intrigued by the faintly-sweet cherry flavor of the coffee.
However, I was never able to reproduce the crema that I enjoyed at the coffee shop to my satisfaction.
As well as coffee, Araku sells fruit juices and gluten-free cakes and cookies.
Seating is available on stools at the window of the sheltered terrace that overlooks rue Soufflot. In the back of the coffee shop there is additional seating at tables and on wall benches.
While I was there, an Afro Pop song called “People” by Cameroonian-American recording artist Libianca played over the sound system.
The staff was friendly and helpful.
Araku
18, rue Soufflot
75005 Paris
