Seattle Mag
Seattle Coffee Guide: The Terroir of a Bean
Just as with wine grapes, place is of prime importance to coffee beans.
Terroir—the character of the land and the climate in which a coffee bean is grown—plays a large role in flavor. Processing—washing, fermentation, drying and hulling the seeds of the coffee berry—also makes a huge difference in how the end product tastes. For example, “African coffees have more of a blueberry, spicy flavor,” says Everett-based Velton…
Seattle Coffee Guide: Espresso Gadgets
Back in the 90’s, in-home espresso machines were all the rage. Now-a-days, though the trend has fade
Visions Espresso Service Located near the Starbucks headquarters in SoDo, this gear shop may not have the widest selection, but they make up for it with great service from a highly knowledgeable staff and an array of the most popular and exciting equipment on the market. 2737 First Avenue South, SoDo; 206 905-4381Espresso Supply, Inc.This…
Seattle Coffee Guide: International Coffee
Whether a transplant or indigenous to Seattle, it’s tempting to assume that one knows everything abo
CAFÉ PALOMA (93 Yesler Way; 206.405.1920), a charming Mediterranean bistro with Old World flair, offers TURKISH coffee, unique in its thick, sludge-like consistency and sugary taste. Once a method for testing prospective brides, it is boiled until it reaches adequate thickness, and then sugar is added to it. VIETNAMESE coffee, known for its strong, sweet…
Seattle Coffee Guide: Coffee Shop Combos
Find unique blends at These Seattle shops where sipping is no longer a singular obsession
BARK! ESPRESSO Bring Fido for a cup of joe where dogs and their humans can mingle with their coffee (roasted by Caffe Vita) in the Hound Hang Out Café located next door at GREAT DOG. Canine-less customers are also welcome to their own haven right inside BARK! 11335 Roosevelt Way N.E. 206.364.0185 SIP AND SHIPSipping,…
Perfect Pastries
With the right accompaniment, a good cup of coffee plays on a much larger stage. Here are some of ou
The figgy maple scone from Volunteer Park Café is utter perfection. Buttery, with bits of fig scattered about in the flaky dough, it may be the best in town. Capitol Hill, 1501 17th Ave. E; 206.328.3155; alwaysfreshgoodness.com No local bakery can match James Miller’s croissant expertise at his decade-old Café Besalu. Pull it apart slowly…
Seattle Coffee Guide: The Personalities
The people behind Seattle's coffee culture
The game changerHoward Schultz, CEO, Starbucks After he fell in love with the café culture in Italy in the early ’80s, Schultz introduced Seattle (and the U.S.) to lattes and popularized the concept of the “third place”—a caffeine-centered community gathering spot. With shops seemingly in every mall, on every airport concourse and at every urban…
Seattle Coffee Guide: Coffee Carts
What began nearly 30 years ago as a coffee cart gracing various city sidewalks (at one point it was
Monorail Espresso What began nearly 30 years ago as a coffee cart gracing various city sidewalks (at one point it was situated beneath the monorail) now operates as a walk-up counter near the Banana Republic store on Pike Street. Friendly baristas suggest offerings made from Mukilteo Coffee Co. beans and take orders at a window…
Seattle Coffee Guide: Starbucks and Tully’s
The Changing Face of Starbucks After being shunned by the cool kids for seeming too corporate, Starbucks wants to be popular again. Over the past year, the chain has been trying on new outfits faster than a teenage girl getting ready for the prom, especially in the coffee epicenter of Capitol Hill. Kambiz Hemati, Starbucks’…
Seattle Coffee Guide: The Independent Shops
Caffè Umbria Pioneer Square SHOP founded in 2005 (Company founded in 2002)Beans: Caffè UmbriaMost popular drink: AmericanoWi-Fi: None (gasp!)Caffè Umbria is a split shot: one part Pioneer Square (exposed brick) and one part Perugia (Italian tile and ceramic). OK, make that two parts Perugia: Not only is the espresso machine imported from Italy, so is…
Seattle Coffee Guide: The Iconic Shops
From Bauhaus to Zeitgeist, our picks for Seattle's iconic shops
Bauhaus Books & Coffee Capitol Hill, founded in 1993Beans: Lighthouse (exclusive house blend)Most popular drink: Americano Wi-Fi: FreeUsing the name Bauhaus demonstrates, to use a German term, cojones. Are you comparing yourself to history’s most famous design school, history’s most famous Goth band, or both? Bauhaus, the coffeehouse, is flirting with legendary status itself: As…
Seattle Coffee Guide: Locally Roasted Beans
The bean has arrived. Once a mere commodity, coffee beans in the past decade or so have been treated
The bean has arrived. Once a mere commodity, coffee beans in the past decade or so have been treated like wine grapes—coddled, encouraged and coaxed into their full potential. Now, more than ever, the coffee bean’s pedigree is everything. As with many culinary offshoots, the coffee world has adopted the term “terroir”—the special characteristics of…
Seattle Coffee Guide: Seattle Coffee Shops
Given the throngs of people filling Seattle’s countless coffee shops morning, noon and night, it’s a
Given the throngs of people filling Seattle’s countless coffee shops morning, noon and night, it’s a wonder any of the city’s office buildings are occupied at all. The phenomenon speaks to our sincere love of java, but also our fervent belief in the essential “third place” between work and home. The Independents Shops: Given the…
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