Seattle's Annual Coffee Grind

Anyone who knows me understands that I live and breathe coffee, which makes living in Seattle a little overwhelming, because there are so many coffeehouses.  Seattle is Starbucks' headquarters, and I have been known to nestle in the comfy booths of my Queen Anne’s Starbucks, but I also love trying new coffee  shops and their signature drinks. In the newspaper, Seattle Weekly September 24-30^th edition, they showcased “The Annual Grind” which was a guide to what’s great in the Seattle coffee-culture and the Indie 15 (Seattle’s most inventive and inviting small coffee shops).  After reading this article, I made the very “hard” decision that I was going to visit each shop mentioned in the article. I had already visited Seattle & Ballard Coffee Works (both locations) and Slate Coffee Bar; therefore, I only had 13 coffee shops to visit; my deadline was before I went to Missouri for Thanksgiving. As Barney Stinson would say “Challenge Accepted!”

Here are a few things you should know about my relationship with coffee. Before I started this coffee challenge, I was a firm believer that coffee should taste like coffee and not a food (i.e. French toast, pumpkin, hazelnut, etc). When I order at a coffeehouse it’s always a plain roast; however, I will order different brewing methods (pour-overs, French press, Aeropress, Chemex, etc.). For this coffee challenge, I went outside my coffee comfort zone and tried beverages with milk and flavors. Also, I am a strong advocate that coffee should always be served hot even it’s 100+ degrees outside; therefore, I tried only one iced coffee beverage and that was only because it was part of the flight of coffees at Slate Coffee Bar. I do not like chocolate (I know, I am odd) and so I avoided trying drinks and treats with chocolate (but there were a few that were sampled). Here's my coffee adventure and majority of the coffeehouses have pictures of my visit.

Ada’s Technical Books and Café

In the article, they mentioned this is a hip space for nerds, and is nestled in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.  It is known for it’s Kuma roasts, a line of housemade syrups, and their rose iced tea. On Yelp, reviewers gushed about the lavender syrup and the grilled cheese sandwich. I ended up ordering a white lavender mocha and a coffee shot. A coffee shot is where they take their ground coffee blend and put it through the espresso machine, and it comes out similar to a French Press. I saw several people ordering the grilled cheese while I was in there and it smelled delicious; I will definitely be trying it during my next visit.

Analog

In the article they mention that this Capitol Hill coffeehouse focuses on simplicity. They are known for their 15-hour cold-brew served from a keg, single brews and pour-overs using Herkimer Coffee beans. I ended up trying a pour-over. The atmosphere is very “hipster” Capitol Hill, with vinyl always spinning on the turntable.

Anchored Ship

This hidden Ballard neighborhood coffeehouse is definitely well hidden. This was a coffeehouse that I visited before I read the Seattle Weekly article. The article suggests trying the Lavender Chai. I ended up trying the coffee on nitro. It’s cold coffee that is suppose to come out with the consistency of Guinness. I wasn’t a fan, but it was definitely unique and matched the personality of this coffeehouse.

Bird On A Wire Espresso

In the article, they mention this their own extracts, pastries, Cold Brew Toddy (a 13-hour slow brew), Nutella latte, and their house blend (Three Peckered Billy Goat). I ordered a Vanilla latte and a lemony pastry. My friend ordered a macchiato, and it was amazing.  The atmosphere of this West Seattle coffeehouse has been compared to “your grandma’s 1950s kitchen” and that is very true with tons of bird memorabilia. Another unique aspect about this coffeehouse is that they do not have Wi-fi, encouraging diners to meet a new neighbor instead of being on their electronics.

Empire Espresso

My favorite consignment shop to sell items to in Seattle is in the Columbia City neighborhood and Empire Espresso (also located in Columbia City and just across the street) is now my go-to place while I wait. In the article they gushed about the weekend waffle bar, Aero or French press, espresso drinks, and Panini sandwiches with homemade sauces. On yelp, reviewers mention that the “must try” drink is the Cayenne Mocha with rice milk. They serve their waffles all day long, and so I ordered a blackberry jam waffle and a Cayenne Mocha with skim milk—and I have to say, this was an amazing combination—loved both of them! The waffle was so delicious and the jam was top-notch. The waffle seemed to be made with cornmeal and it was cooked to perfection! And the Cayenne Mocha…oh my gosh! I do not like chocolate but this drink made me rethink that…the addition of cayenne made this drink absolutely irresistible! I would be interested to taste it with rice milk (I have never tried rice milk before). If you are in Columbia City—skip the Starbuck on the corner and Columbia City Bakery, and try this amazing coffee shop on the side street!

Finn’s Bakery and Café

In the article they recommended trying the Croatian pastries, Danish, quiche, and espresso drinks. I tried their Stumptown drip coffee and a Butterhorn Danish. I didn’t care for the drip coffee and I wished I ordered just a plain espresso. This coffeehouse is nestled in the Magnolia neighborhood and Magnolia is really close to my Queen Anne neighborhood, but I hardly ever visit. After I finished eating my dessert and coffee, I grabbed a gyro from Niko’s Gyro (across the street) for dinner.

Milstead

Milstead is located in the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle. In the article they recommended trying the mocha with 85% dark chocolate from Fremont’s own Theo Chocolate Factory. Since I am no chocolate fan, I did not try it. On Yelp, reviewers recommended a macchiato with vanilla and the ginger plum ice tea. Therefore, I did try the macchiato with vanilla and it was simply delicious and I drank it with two gulps. I also tried a Masala Seattle Fog (a hot chai with milk and vanilla flavoring). The Seattle Fog was good for the first couple of sips but then it was too sugary and milky for me to finish. Milstead has been renown as the “snobbiest” coffeehouse in Seattle.

Neptune Coffee

Neptune Coffee is located in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle, and is another neighborhood I haven’t spent much time in. In the article they recommended trying their roasted coffees, espresso-based drinks, and their high-end beans from Geisha. On Yelp, reviewers raved about their breakfast sandwiches. For the first time ever I tried a cappuccino, and their breakfast sandwich. Conclusion: I am sure the cappuccino was good quality, but I realized I do NOT like cappuccinos. Their breakfast sandwich was very delicious, and I ate every crumb. They served with their hot beverages a glass of water-but forewarning, it’s sparkling/carbonated which is I absolutely abhor! Water should taste like water- no bubbles and no fruits or vegetables in it (i.e. lemon and cucumber). There must be a school nearby because there were a lot of kids standing outside of the shop for the bus. Next door to Neptune is Mr. Gyros (they have another location in Ballard) and they have some of the best gyros I have ever tried (the pita is simply divine) so I grabbed one to-go.

Seattle & Ballard Coffee Works

Seattle Coffee Works is located near Pikes Market and Ballard Coffee Works is located in the Ballard neighborhood. I visited both of these establishments before the Seattle Weekly article, because I heard about their slow bar option for coffee. For those unfamiliar to a “slow bar,” it includes unique methods of extraction for a cup of coffee. Brewing methods include: French press, Aeropress, pour over using a Chemex, and vacuum pot. I have tried all of these different brewing methods and Aeropress is definitely my favorite. You can buy an Aeropress at both establishments and on the box of the Aeropress, it states “it is the best cup of coffee you will ever have.” A cup of coffee from the slow bar ranges from $4-$10 depending on what method you choose.  In the Seattle Weekly article they recommended trying the slow bar and trying the Obama Blend “to bring out the Democrat in you.”

Slate Coffee Bar

This was another coffee house I visited before the Seattle Weekly article. I visited because it was featured in another article and encouraged people to visit because “baristas usher you through a coffee experience complete with table service and stemware, and you get to try a deconstructed espresso with milk.” Some friends and I went and did a flight of coffee that consisted of two cold brews, the deconstructed espresso, and two hot brews. In the article, pour overs and the deconstructed espresso are the recommendations. I am going to ramble on about the deconstructed espresso. First of all if you think the espresso was my favorite part, you would be wrong—the milk was the BEST part. Slate Coffee uses Pure Eire Dairy and it is the best milk experience ever. I went with a friend that doesn’t like dairy and she drank all of hers too. They don’t serve food here, but just our luck, there was a pop-up bakery across the street for us to get some food to absorb the copious amount of caffeine we ingested during our flights of coffee.

Street Bean Espresso

This is a coffeehouse that is located in the Belltown neighborhood of downtown Seatttle. In the Seattle Weekly article it stated that this coffeehouse is unique based on it’s community impact: providing training programs and employment for homeless and street-involved youth. The article recommended their espresso drinks, so ordered a latte. Since I volunteer and am involved in non-profit organizations in Seattle, I really enjoy a coffee house that has a mission to help with community reintegration.

Tin Umbrella

This coffeehouse is located in Hillman City neighborhood that is just south of Columbia City. In the article, they recommended trying the house-roasted Chase Your Dreams blend, pastries, and their 24-hour cold-brew Ethiopian Sidamo drink. Yelp suggested the Masala Chai. I ended up getting a drip coffee and tried both the Chase Your Dreams and Ethiopian Sidamo blends, and I preferred the latter. The exterior is adorable, with old porch chairs and chalk drawings on the building. The interior is exquisite with the right amount of charm (mismatched chairs and tables) with a blue chandelier hanging from the ceiling. They have a whole wall filled with merchandise and I was very tempted to buy a t-shirt.

Tougo Coffee Co.

This Capitol Hill neighborhood coffee house is on a secluded and residential part of Capitol Hill, and away from all the noise and bustle of the business part of downtown.  It is known for their pour overs, but unfortunately, they were out of Chemex filters when I visited. Therefore, I tried a drip coffee and an Americano, and preferred the Americano.

Zeitgeist

Located in the Pioneer Square neighborhood and known for it’s Old World charm, this was definitely the biggest coffeehouse in the article. Seattle Weekly recommended trying the mocha made from specially formulated chocolate from a small shop in Gig Harbor (a city in Washington). I snagged a table in this coffeehouse and tried a latte and a gluten-free biscuit with jam. The biscuit was delicious and I definitely licked all the crumbs off my fork. This is definitely a coffeehouse that I would go back to try more of their baked goods and desserts.