In Seattle, the U.S. capital of coffee culture, there’s always something interesting brewing.
By Kristine Hansen
EVERGREENS, ROCK MUSIC and the Space Needle have nothing on coffee when it comes to finding the most iconic symbol of Seattle. The beverage is seamlessly woven throughout local culture. Coffee shops can be found on many of the city’s street corners; they begin brewing before sunrise and continue pouring cups of joe deep into the night. In Seattle, “making coffee” has evolved into an art form, with baristas expressing their creative side through latte art and extracting shots of flavorful espresso with a perfect thin layer of copper-colored foam.
David Schomer, cofounder of Espresso Vivace Roasteria, which has two Seattle cafés and an espresso bar, says coffee is such a popular beverage in his town that “I’ll be walking down the street, waiting for the light, and hear people talking about coffee.”
Seattle is also home to award-winning baristas. Each year the United States Barista Championship, organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, attracts several contestants from the Emerald City. In 2007, Seattle coffee shops Trabant Coffee & Chai and Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company were both represented.
2004 U.S. Barista Champion Bronwen Serna used to work at the now-closed Hines Place Market, and in 2002, Seattle resident Dismas Smith, then employed at Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company, clinched his win.
The city is also home to Star-bucks Corporation headquarters. Drop by the original Starbucks, which opened on Western Avenue in 1971, but relocated in 1977 to 1912 Pike Place, across from Pike Place Market (an indoor epicurean experience uniting local growers of vegetables and fruits, as well as fish mongers). “It was Starbucks, nationwide, that educated people about coffee quality, lattes and cappuccinos,” says Julie Beals, editor of Fresh Cup. However, more than Starbucks keeps this city caffeinated.
AT JUST AFTER 2 P.M. on a Monday, there’s a line snaking outside of the entrance of the original Espresso Vivace Roasteria on East Denny Way. Some customers are studying articles taped to the door, including one in an Asian coffee and tea magazine about the rise of the super-automatic espresso machine, which Schomer wrote. He also wrote Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques, a book that is often used to help train baristas around the world. “David Schomer is influential in the industry,” Beals says. “He’s one of those people like Dr. Illy [of Illy coffeemakers] whose knowledge is sought.”
Twenty years ago, Schomer and his wife, Geneva Sullivan, founded Espresso Vivace, and now his two stores prepare drinks using their own roasted espresso blends, including Vita (available as decaf) and Dolce. Ristrettos are served deliciously thick, with a small silver spoon.
Inside Vivace’s Denny Way store, the atmosphere is low-key, despite an ode to the caffeinated beverage chalked on the menu. Two baristas work in silence, extracting shots of espresso, frothing milk or collecting money at the cash register. Sunlight spills in through windows that offer views of Cal Anderson Park. Seating consists of 1950s-style yellow and white Formica tables, paired with green and mustard-colored chairs, and a countertop made of Ukrainian granite encircles the room. Framed photos of latte art are inscribed with the barista’s name and the date of creation. A chess set awaits in a bookcase near the barista station.
DROP INTO the Victrola Coffee Roasters on Pike Street (where the roastery is) on a Wednesday at 11 a.m. to be ushered into the world of cupping. There is no cost, and the practice is quite similar to a wine tasting, where nuances and aromas are evaluated and cooed over. Coffee grounds are placed in the bottom of a wide-mouth cup before they are smothered with boiling water. There is no brew cycle, but you must remove the grounds before slurping the coffee with a soup-like spoon.
Though Victrola opened in 2000, the company was not roasting its own beans until 2003. “After getting bigger and busier, founder Chris Sharp felt like he wanted full control over the coffee,” says Lindsay Davis, roasting operations manager. “We started in a tiny back room on 15th Avenue.”
The first Victrola café on 15th Avenue is decked out in ’50s décor, with period lawn chairs out front and minty green walls inside. There is even a Victrola record player (the namesake) in back. Among the pastry selections are vegan, organic sprinkle donuts from Seattle-based Mighty-O Donuts. When you have a seat at one of the tables, click on the gauzy, red-shaded reading lamp. Art on the walls depicts nature, with warm reds and golds as the color scheme.
ALSO ASTUTE with espresso is Caffe D’arte, just blocks from Pike Place Market. It’s the roaster’s only Seattle store, which founder Mauro Cipolla opened in the early ’90s, and designed to mimic a wine bar in Italy, which it does well. The menu is written on glass and set in an antique frame, a nod to the artistic nature of making coffee. Each of the espresso blends is roasted with a specific drink in mind, and each even has its own grinder. If you’re ordering a mocha, the barista automatically knows which bean to use, a different one than if ordering a ristretto. The Velletri blend is made in a 1949 Balestra wood roaster, which was imported from Naples, Italy, and uses alderwood, a wood native to the Northwest, while the rest are roasted in machines powered with natural gas.
“This is a very traditional Italian method,” says Tim Fleming, national sales manager at Caffe D’arte, of the Balestra. “There are only a few handfuls of roasters in America that use this.” Because of the focus on high-quality espresso, only beans roasted in small batches are served in this café. “The café is designed to strictly showcase our coffees,” Fleming says. “Really, how Mauro has set it up is more like a wine bar.”
TO BREW in your own kitchen, head to Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company and pick up whole beans from places like Costa Rica, Rwanda and Yemen. Twelve years ago, University of Washington alumnus Jeff Babcock created Zoka with partner Tim McCormack.
The Blakeley location, not far from the University of Washington, buzzes with activity on most week-day afternoons. The pastry case is stocked with not only sweet treats (red velvet cake and baked French toast are sometimes among the selections), but also heartier items like sandwiches. Hardwood tables and chairs complement the store’s wood paneling, creating a cozy feel that contrasts the newly constructed building’s exterior. Cuddle up with a book here and order the Cozy Latte, which is flavored with hazelnut, orange and caramel.
The Greenlake District store—on a corner storefront and with beautiful woodwork inside—is also buzzing at all hours, day or night. Both stores are open until midnight and offer coffee brewed in a Clover, the coffee industry’s hottest brew tool, as well as a French press.
FIVE YEARS AGO, Tatiana Becker opened Trabant Coffee & Chai on 45th Street in Seattle’s U District. The walls in this two-story space are a blue-gray color, and black curtains are tied back from tall windows during the day. Trabant’s focuses have always been on quality and ethical practices; she only buys coffee from highly paid farmers, often paying more than market price. And while it’s a bit unconventional, it was an easy decision for Becker to drop plain drip coffee from the menu. The reason? She acquired a Clover, which offers a French press-like cup from an automated machine. This allows customers to choose from a variety of single-origin or blend coffees, instead of sticking with “coffee of the day.”
“It was a lot better than we thought it would be. We had such an overwhelming interest from customers that we were only selling a couple cups a day from the air pot,” Becker says. “A lot of customers already have home espresso machines, so the Clover was an instant hit.” So much so that when the Pioneer Square location opened last year on Second Avenue, the Clover was up and running. Becker estimates that 40 percent of Trabant customers order coffee brewed with the Clover, undeterred by the price (anywhere from $2 to $15, depending on the bean). Designed to reflect that neighborhood’s collection of art galleries, pieces by local artists are hung inside. Another type of art is on display, too: “We wanted to put even more focus on the barista. The counter is even lower so you can see the barista at work,” Becker says.
From time to time, the stores offer educational events, from chocolate tasting to home-brewing demonstrations, and even tastings of coffees that have earned coveted Cup of Excellence awards. Monday is open-mic night at the Pioneer Square location, and Friday and Saturday offer live music. Check the Web site to see what’s on deck for the month.
WHILE STARBUCKS certainly contributed to the spotlight on Seattle’s coffee culture, it is by no means the only place to grab a cup of joe. This city is buzzing, with great places to get your daily fix.
JAVA JARGON
Feel like you need a dictionary to navigate coffeehouse menus? Brush up on some common drink names and their definitions.
AMERICANO
Espresso diluted with water.
CAPPUCCINO
The drink is 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 espresso and 1/3 foam.
ESPRESSO
Concentrated coffee made by forcing water through powdered beans at high pressure.
LATTE
One or two shots of espresso combined with steamed milk.
LATTE ART
When the barista wiggles the milk pitcher so that a design forms in the milk. Common design themes include a heart, an apple or a rosetta (leaf shape).
MACCHIATO
Espresso with a thin layer of foam on top.
RISTRETTO
¾ of an ounce of espresso, instead of the usual 1 ¼.
THE BUZZ:
ESPRESSO VIVACE ROASTERIA ESPRESSO VIVACE ROASTERIA
227 Yale Ave. N., 206-388-5164 227 Yale Ave. N., 206-388-5164 901 E. Denny Way, 206-860-5869 901 E. Denny Way, 206-860-5869 321 Broadway Ave. E. (sidewalk 321 Broadway Ave. E. (sidewalk espresso bar) espresso bar) www.espressovivace.com
CAFFE D’ARTE
1625 2nd Ave., 206-728-4468 www.caffedarte.com
VICTROLA COFFEE ROASTERS
411 15th Ave. E, 206-325-6520
310 E. Pike St., 206-624-1725 www.victrolacoffee.com
ZOKA COFFEE ROASTER & TEA COMPANY
2200 N. 56th St., 206-545-4277
2901 NE Blakeley St., 206-527-0990 www.zokacoffee.com
TRABANT COFFEE & CHAI
602 Second Ave.
1309 NE 45th St., 206-675-0668 www.trabantcoffee.com
COFFEE TALK
Seattle’s top Seattle’s top shops and shops and managers share managers share details about details about some of their some of their best beans.
LINDSAY DAVIS Victrola Coffee Roasters
Streamline Espresso: “It has a really thick syrupy body and a nice bittersweet chocolate taste and a citrus-y aftertaste, with a nice clean finish. The cream really holds, especially when you add milk.”
Yemen Mocca Sanani: “It’s really grown on me. It has a nice syrupiness and a spicy, tobacco-y taste.”
TIM FLEMING Caffe D’arte
Firenze Blend: “Designed for straight shots, macchiatos and small milk-based drinks.”
Taormina: “It’s dark and heavy-bodied with a sweet finish.”
TATIANA BECKER Trabant Coffee & Chai
Organic Ethiopia Yergacheffe Konga Cooperative Fair Trade: “On top of the region’s citrus and chocolate notes are aromas of raspberry lemonade and delicate notes of white pepper.”
Papua New Guinea: “There are strawberry-rhubarb notes.”
