PREVIEW: Meet Your Hip, New Stealthbucks Barista

In a city bursting with one-of-kind coffee shops, stopping by a cookie-cutter Starbucks location can feel like a caffeinated sin. Starbucks hopes to change all of that with a new neighborhood cafe concept launching tomorrow. 

This afternoon, our edit team headed to Starbucks’ stealth new cafe, 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea (328 15th Ave.; Capitol Hill) for a sneak peek at the rebranded, one-of-a-kind cafe. The new store–which opens at 6 a.m.–is fitted with tons of stuff that tends to make Seattle’s coffee crowd happy. You know: repurposed woods, plain cups with hand-stamped logos, quirky baristas (minus the green aprons!) mismatched chairs–and most importantly, a honkin’ La Marzocco machine for those perfectly handpulled shots (all shots at the new store will be hand pulled and poured) that true coffee connoisseurs demand. The covert Starbucks is also missing a few of the more commercialized products at regular cafes: the new shop won’t have blended drinks, the usual retail gear or baked goods.

Check back tomorrow for the full scoop on the new store, complete with pics (as well as details on what we didn’t like).