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.

It’s Not a Double Latte, But It’ll Do…

1. French Press
2. Pour Over
3. Chemex
4. Vac-Pot
5. Siphon (a different sized vac-pot)
6. Stove-top Espresso Maker
7. Cold Brewed Coffee (samples)

For the class a single coffee is selected and then brewed in all the various methods.  Students get to sample each method and discuss how the brewing method alters the taste.   This is an outstanding fast paced class that any fan of coffee should attend.

The next PBS dates are:

• Saturday, July 31st 10AM – Noon
• Saturday, August 21st 10AM – Noon
• Saturday, September 11th 10AM – Noon

RSVP information is here.

Sources:

What I Learned at Public Brewing School – Blog post by Plate Lunch.

Caffe Vita Bog – This is where they announce Public Brewing School dates and RSVP information.

Photo Gallery – Photos taken at the Caffe Vita PBS on July 10, 2010.

Leaving From Edmonds

I didn’t get a coffee at the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, but there was no mistaking the Caffe Vita sign at Waterfront Coffee Company.  I have no idea if they make good drinks, but at least they found a good roaster and then proudly displayed their logo outside for all potential customers to see.  You know I like that.

Waterfront Coffee Company – 101 Main St, Edmonds, WA

Arriving in Sequim

By the time I arrived in Sequim, I was ready for coffee.  This was all new territory for me, so I had to listen to my espresso senses.  I have a heroic gift for looking at the naming and fonts used for coffee shops to determine a level of quality before even stepping in the door.  Coffee shops with chaotic names that focus on caffeine almost always will suck (Ex: Jitterz).  Those with subtle names tend to speak to true coffee fans.

When I drove past Adagio Bean and Leaf, my espresso senses told me to turn around.  If I was wrong about the coffee, I could always get tea (the Leaf).  So I turned around to check it out.  Once inside I saw the barista was timing shots and then I saw a Stumptown bag of coffee.   I was safe.  One excellent double short Americano later and I was on the road.

Adagio Bean & Leaf – 981 East Washington St, Sequim, WA

At the Lavender Festival

Downtown Sequim is where the food options were and the buses that drove to the lavender farms.  I was happy to see Seattle based Caffe Fiore had their own booth there.

At the Farms

I went to four farms and the coffee options there looked awful.  At Purple Haze, there is a tea booth that serves a good Dragonwell tea.   There were signs of lavender infused lattes.  No thanks.

Sources:

Adagio Bean & Leaf – Sequim, WA cafe using Stumptown Coffee.

Caffe Fiore – Seattle based coffee shop.

Sequim Lavender Festival – July 16, 17, and 18, 2010.

Purple Haze Lavender – Of the four farms visited, this was my favorite.

There are several Seattle coffee shops that serve alcohol, but are there other places that are turning off their espresso machine in the evening?

Watertown Coffee & Saloon: 550 – 12th Ave

Liberty – 517 15th Ave E

1. Fremont Coffee Company
2. Caffe Vita
3. Caffe Ladro

The night before I went to Caffe Ladro and got a pretty bad espresso, which I discussed with my fellow hikers.  We came to a group decision to not visit Ladro.  Although I have had decent espresso from their Queen Anne location, all their other locations over extract their shots.  I can make their espresso blend better on my $600 home espresso machine.

Caffe Vita was the clear winner on this espresso hike.  Although Fremont Coffee Company is better since dumping Lighthouse and choosing to roast their own coffee, they still aren’t top tier.  In fairness to them, I wouldn’t expect any new roaster to be top tier in Seattle in less than one year.

The photos below are from the hike.

Sources:

Coffee Club of Seattle – Our Meetup group.

Photo Gallery – Photo Gallery for Espresso Hike #4

Fremont Coffee Company – 459 N 36th St

Caffe Vita - 4301 Fremont Avenue North

Caffe Ladro – 452 N 36th St

Fremont Universe – A community blog highlighting the Fremont area of Seattle.

Espresso Hike #1 – From July 2009

Espresso Hike #2 – From September 2009

Espresso Hike #3 – From June 2010

A tour of Theo’s Chocolate costs $6, but if you have a Chinook Coupon book, there is a buy-one-get-one-free coupon inside.  Be sure to call ahead, as the tours do fill up.  You will eat way more than $6 worth of chocolate on the tour.  Do it!

For those outside of Seattle, Amazon sells their Fig Fennel and Almond Dark Chocolate bar.

Theo Chocolate Dark Choc,Fig Fennel W/Almonds, 2-Ounce (Pack of 12)

Sources:

Theo’s Factory Tours – Details are on their home page.

Theo Fantasy Flavor Coffee Dark Chocolate – Product page.

Theo’s Blend Coffee – Caffe Vita coffee blend.

Chinook Coupon offer for Theo’s Tour – Book is available for sale at PCC.