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Walk into Rise City Church, and you’ll be met with more than prayer and sermons – you’ll find craft coffee and matcha.
Open to all, LUMA Coffee Lounge is the latest project from the team behind Kaizen & Coffee. It operates independently but shares a lounge and events space with the church. Distinct from its San Mateo sister shop, LUMA offers a more approachable menu that features Latin-inspired flavors with Asian twists, according to co-owner Jason Naraja.
“With LUMA, we were coming in, we’re like, ‘This doesn’t feel like it’s Kaizen. This feels like a different kind of cafe,’” Naraja said. “The name LUMA came to mind in the sense of clarity, enlightenment.”
The partnership between Rise City Church and Kaizen & Coffee came about after Naraja and his wife and business partner Shane Balasbas met the pastors of Rise City Church as they were grabbing coffee at Kaizen. Rise City Church suffered from arson fire in 2021 and had planned to rebuild with a cafe. Having frequented Kaizen & Coffee, church leadership approached Naraja and Balasbas asking if they would be interested in opening a coffee shop in the vacant space – and they were.
LUMA Coffee Lounge soft opened June 5 and offers a rotating selection of coffee beans, including those from Amsterdam roaster Dak and Savannah, Georgia-based PERC. Espresso-based beverages are made with a custom blend called Chroma. Made in partnership with Native Coffee Co., the light-medium roasted Colombian beans feature notes of cinnamon, green apple and chocolate.
All matcha beverages are made with Nami Matcha, which Naraja noted is very versatile and works well with milk or simply whisked into water.
The soft opening menu is succinct, with just three signature drinks: a panela latte, the LUMA No. 3 and a mango matcha latte ($7-$8). The panela latte is made with piloncillo, an unrefined, solid cane sugar from Latin America, and is LUMA’s “everyday-er, our alternative to a vanilla latte,” Naraja said. The LUMA No. 3 is a twist on the panela latte, adding in nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.
“The menu that we’re going for is a little bit on the lighter side of things, so going with that theme of clarity is something that’s going to be fun for us, while still having a rotational menu of coffee that’s going to be a little bit more approachable as well,” Naraja said.
Other beverages in the works include a mochi horchata, made with short-grain rice; an elote-inspired latte, made with corn milk and cheese foam; a dulce de leche latte; a mango matcha with chamoy; a mangonada-inspired non-caffeinated beverage; and a Mexican hot chocolate.
LUMA will be the second craft coffee shop in Redwood City to lean into Latin-inspired flavors, joining Con Azucar Cafe, which opened last year. This increase in Latin-inspired coffee shops reflects Redwood City’s demographics, which is more than 35% Hispanic or Latino.
In addition to drinks, LUMA offers a selection of pastries from San Mateo-based Amour Bakery, which also provides the pastries for Kaizen & Coffee.
Naraja is most looking forward to utilizing the events space at Rise City Church, he said, noting that the size of Kaizen & Coffee limits the types of events they’re able to host. LUMA is planning a “big event” with Nami Matcha in early August, Naraja said.
While LUMA has its own entrance, it does share parking with the church, so Sunday parking can be tricky, Naraja said. The 1,500-square-foot cafe space does not have seating, but a shared lounge space has couches and tables for customers to use.
Naraja and Balasbas opened Kaizen & Coffee in 2023 and have become known for their Asian-inspired beverages made with housemade syrups and sauces. Lattes are sweetened with umami-rich miso caramel, vibrant purple ube sauce and nutty black sesame sauce made from paste imported from Japan.
Luma Coffee Lounge, 1305 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; Instagram: @lumacoffeelounge. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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