Following my time on holidays in Idaho, I made the drive west to Seattle. In a city that is the epicentre of many of the worlds best coffee shops, it was not an easy task to have to choose just a select few to visit when I was there for just shy of 24 hours.
And if it was just me in this amazing coffee-laden city I would have hit up many more spots, but finding that balance between seeing everything, and dragging my family to café after café, I chose to be a good husband & father! 🙂
I did have a few spots that I didn’t want to miss, and was really glad to finally have gotten the chance to visit them. Two spots in particular I can’t speak more highly of.
This place did NOT DISSAPOINT! Unlike any other café, La Marzocco (which has their US HQ in Ballard), brings in coffee roasters for one month guest residencies. They train their staff to make all of their signature drinks, and offer them for the duration of that residency. Needless to say I was really excited to find out that La Colombe was their current in-residence café! I had heard about their Draft Latte, and really enjoyed it…so much so that I bought four more cans of it to take home!
Their entire staff team was super friendly, the layout of the place is really well done. The entire experience from the moment I first walked in the doors was any coffee-geek’s dream. I really would love to get back down here when another roaster is in residence to compare the experience…hopefully one day soon!
Now, before I get crucified….Narrative Coffee is NOT in Seattle. They are in Everett. And when you talk to someone from Everett, they are emphatic to mention they are NOT from Seattle. I had the privilege a few weeks back to sit down with Rich (one of the co-owners). He grew up in Calgary, and moved to Seattle about 15 years ago. When he was here in Calgary we grabbed coffee (d’uh) and had a great chat. I promised him that I would visit when I was in town in a few weeks.
This place is conveniently located just minutes off the I-5 and so it was a definite pit-stop. As far as I am aware they are the only café that determines their current roaster lineup through a blind cupping process. Each month they sample many coffee’s and determine which ones impress them the most. What is selected becomes what it used in-house for their drinks, and is made available as well for retail. Such an amazing concept, and it ensures that what is served to the customer has already impressed their staff team. The café is GORGEOUS. The exposed brick, minimal design, and spacious area for seating lends itself to being an awesome place to connect for a drink, or to enjoy some of their incredible food options. I only I wish I had more time to stick around.
My final stop was at a place I hadn’t been to in over 5 years. As far as I am aware they are one of the first multi-roaster cafe’s in Seattle. Their bean selection is CRAZY. I wish I could have bought a number of their offerings since many are so hard to come by living in Canada.
Located in Freemont, just down the road from “The Troll” their new café is spectacular. Five years ago I had been at their old location, but this new one is such an improvement. It’s spacious, bright, and has lots of spots to hang out or get some work done. My Trad-Capp was spot on, and I enjoyed it using some locally roasted Kuma Coffee which they also had for retail.
I know that many of you who read this already have a number of other places that you would say are “must-visit” cafes. But like I said I only had a limited amount of time and thankfully these were all solid choices. I’m always looking for more locations for the next time, so feel free to comment below.
-Tyler
commonly coffee 