Seattle has some of the best coffee places in the world.  There really is no need to go to Starbucks or Tullys.  Those are backup coffee venues.  Go there when you are visiting your parents or stuck in an airport.  While you are here in Seattle, just go to the best.

Below is the Coffee Hero guide to the best coffee spots for some of the main colleges in the Seattle area.

Trabant Coffee

University of Washington

Trabant Coffee – 1309 NE 45th Street

Herkimer Coffee – 5611 University Way NE

Seattle University

Stumptown Coffee – 1115 12th Ave

Watertown Coffee – 550 12th Ave

Seattle Pacific University

Muse Coffee – 1907 10th Ave W

Teacup – 2128 Queen Anne Ave (Not coffee, but a great tea place!)

Cornish College of the Arts

Tougo Coffee – 2113 Westlake Ave (closed on weekends)

Seattle Central Community College

Stumptown Coffee – 616 E Pine

Espresso Vivace – 321 Broadway E

Caffe Vita – 1005 E Pike

North Seattle and South Seattle Community Colleges

Nothing.  Too late to change colleges? 

And if you like waffles…

Source:

Cortona Cafe – 2425 East Union Street, Seattle, WA

After the coffee roasting, we moved to the training room where the Hairbender Blend was brewed using 5 different brewing techniques.

1. French Press
2. Cold Brew
3. Chemex
4. Pour Over
5. Espresso

After that we participated in a coffee cupping with six different offerings.

1. Panama Duncan Estate
2. Guatemala La Concepcion Buena Vista
3. El Salvador Kilimanjaro
4. Ethiopia Michelle
5. Indonesia Gajah Aceh
6. Panama Esmeralda Especial Mario Carnival

Roasting, Brewing, Cupping:  a perfect coffee triple play.  Thank you Stumptown.

Sources:

Popbites – Thanks to Popbites for writing down the coffee names.

Stumptown Coffee – 12th Avenue location

Coffee Club of Seattle – Our Meetup.com page.

Over 30 days ago I was able to drop my coffee intake to no more than 1 serving per day.  Some days I would have no coffee.  This is an impressive feat for someone that has average 4-5 coffees per day for 20 years and has 2 coffee websites!

I’m keeping notes on how on how this is affecting me.  At some point I will post an article on INeedCoffee detailing this experiment.  In the meantime, don’t be shocked if I order the occasional decaf espresso.  So far, Trabant Coffee has the best decaf espresso.   It has a round full flavor with a peppery finish.

Does any one else have a favorite decaf espresso blend here in Seattle?

Comic created by INeedCoffee contributor Todd Zapoli.

The Clover

Before Starbucks acquired the Clover, there were several independents that carried this $11,000 single cup coffee brewer.  After Starbucks took over, many of these coffee shops got rid of their Clovers.  Starbucks now has the technology to make an excellent cup of coffee, but they don’t because their roast profile is too fast.  The Clover still needs great coffee to excel.  Fortunately, Seattle still has three remaining Clover machines in the hands of independent coffee shops.

If want an excellent cup of Clover Coffee, avoid Starbucks.  Visit Aster or Trabant.

1. Aster Coffee Lounge (BALLARD)  5615 24th Ave NW –> NOVA and Stumptown Coffee.
2. Trabant Coffee (UNIVERSITY) 1309 NE 45th Street –> 49th Parallel Coffee.
3. Trabant Coffee (PIONEER SQUARE)  602 2nd Ave –> 49th Parallel Coffee.

The Slayer Espresso Machine

Seattle is home to a next generation espresso machine called the Slayer.  I’ve had it a few times and although not every shot has been perfect, the flavors it pulls out of espresso have been amazing.  Gizmodo describes what makes the Slayer special:

…it allows a barista to easily play with pressure to do some interesting things—like start with a low pressure extraction, ramp up to full pressure, then back it down to get different textures or flavors…

Photo Slayer by Lay-Luh

You can try a Slayer Espresso at two places.

1. Equal Exchange Espresso (BALLARD) – 1400 NW 56th St – Ballard Market
2. Vovito Caffe & Gelato (BELLEVUE) – 700 11th Ave NE – The Bravern

Zoka Coffee had one in Kirkland that was removed.  It may or may not surface at one of their Seattle locations.

The Trifecta

The Trifecta is the next generation of the single cup brewer.  It is like a Clover with more controls.  Some coffees do OK in the Trifecta and some really shine.  Seattle Coffee Works is home to the only Trifecta in Seattle.  If you order one, I encourage you to ask for their recommendation on which coffee to use.  They are always tinkering with this machine and will certainly have a solid recommendation.

1. Seattle Coffee Works (DOWNTOWN) – 107 Pike St

Sources:

A Little $18,000 Espresso Machine Called Slayer – Gizmodo article

Zoka Kirkland – PopBites post on the Slayer status with Zoka.

In the past year we have seen good coffee establish a foothold in Kirkland with Urban Coffee Lounge and Zoka.  Now good coffee has arrived in Bellevue.  Vovito Caffe and Gelato is now open in the Bravern Shopping Center.  Vovito sports two Slayer espresso machines and their own espresso blend, which includes Indian Moonson Malabar.  I’m a fan.

This is the first coffee shop I have seen that plays CNBC.  Your not in Capitol Hill anymore!

When the Coffee Club of Seattle visited lat week, we meet the owners and the head barista Alex.  Alex is formerly of Trabant Coffee and runs the local coffee website Why Not? Coffee.  He served us some signature espresso drinks, which combined espresso, whipped cream, coconut and orange peel.

Bellevue now has a solid quality coffee option with Vovito.  Next time I go, I plan to try the gelato. 

Sources:

VoVito Caffe & Gelato – 700 110th Avenue NE, Suite 195 Bellevue, WA 98004

Why Not? Coffee – Seattle’s Coffee Culture and more.

Coffee Club of Seattle – Aug 4, 2010 event.

1. Costa Rica Brumas Del Zurqui
2. Guatemala Finca El Injerto
3. Ethiopia Michelle
4. Kenya Kangunu

They were all outstanding, but the clear favorite was the Kenya Kangunu.

After the cupping, Stumptown did a brewing demonstration and coffee tasting using the French Press and the Chemex.  The Kenya shined in the French Press and the Ethiopia did its best in the Chemex.  The Coffee Club of Seattle would like to thank Dubsea and Stumptown for hosting a great coffee event.

Sources:

Stumptown Coffee – Official website.

Dubsea Coffee – 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106

Coffee Club of Seattle – Our invite for the July 31, 2010 event.

1. Trabant Coffee – I think the Epic Espresso Blend is back to its former glory.
2. Urban Coffee Lounge – I love this place.  They pulled another amazing Single Origin espresso for me.  Make the journey to Juanita.  It is worth it.
3. Aster Coffee Lounge – Black Cat Espresso = Yummy!

Will I go for Round #3?  Maybe.  I’ll save those thoughts for another post.

We are planning our first trip to Seattle this weekend and obviously a trip to a couple coffee shops is in order. We’re wondering if you could recommend a couple of your favourites in the downtown area? If you could only visit, say three shops – which ones would you go to?

In no particular order, here are the three best coffee shops in downtown Seattle.

Seattle Coffee Works

As you emerge from Pike Place Market, look for the 14 foot sign of the man drinking coffee.  They roast right on location and have some of the best espresso blends in the city.  In the right part of the cafe, they have a “Slow Bar”.  This is where you can have a coffee made in a slower brewing method, such as Chemex or Vac-Pot.  Seattle Coffee Works is a must visit for any Seattle tourist.

Stella Caffe

If you want a true Italian style espresso, this is the place to go.  Stella proudly uses robusta coffee in their espresso blend.  If you hear someone say that robusta is by nature inferior to arabica, that is nonsense.  Robusta adds crema and mouth-feel to espresso.  Although not required, it adds a flavor dimension that I really enjoy.  Stella has one of the best and certainly the most unique espresso blend in the city.

Trabant Coffee

Trabant uses coffee roasted by 49th Parallel Roasters in BC.  If you’ve never had the Epic Espresso Blend, you need to check it out.  Trabant also has a Clover Coffee machine.  This means you can avoid the Starbucks at 1st and Pike and actually drink great coffee in the Clover.

Word to the Tourists

Yes Starbucks has a long history in the Pike Place Market and with Seattle, but the quality of the coffee is no different than what you can get in your hometown.  If you are a Starbucks fan, I encourage you to visit the Roy Street Coffee and Tea concept store in Capitol Hill.  It is Starbucks at their best.  It is still not as good as Seattle Coffee Works, Stella or Trabant, but they are better than the two Pike Market tourist locations (Original and Heritage).

Sources:

Seattle Coffee Works – 107 Pike Street

Stella Caffe – 1224 1st Avenue

Trabant Coffee – 602 2nd Avenue

Starbucks Coffee College – Article where I discuss the Roy Street Coffee and Tea location.

Seattle – The blogger who emailed me posted on her trip to Seattle where she visited the 3 coffee shops I recommended.

I’ll be interested to see if they steal this post too.