I'm going to Seattle in late October for a three day weekend. Hope to spend a good deal of time on espresso related tourism.

Which places are a must go and whose beans should I bring home?

Thanks in advance,
George

Well, I am a fan -- a big fan -- of Espresso Vivace Roasteria, so I'd certainly say this is a "must."

Another popular roaster/café is Zoka, though I am less enthalled than some. There is also Victrola Coffee, and I think Stumptown was planning to open a place in Seattle.

And even if you don't order anything, it's worth poking your head inside the original Starbucks across from the Pike's Place Market . . . compare that to the corporate, cookie-cutter store you see everywhere.

Cheers,
Jason

Stumptown has two locations in Seattle, a roastery on 12th and a cafe on Pike or Pine. The old Vivace roastery is gone, don't know when their new location will be open. They still have the bar on Broadway and a cafe behind REI, you can get greens at the cafe. You might also check out Vita on Pike or Pine, Caffe Umbria in Pioneer Square. Lighthouse and Herkimer are also worth checking out. Have a good time when you are here, hope the weather is decent for you.

Cheers,
David

The new Vivace location up near Broadway and Denny at the Brixtown condo complex is likely to be open by the time you visit. But the "Alley 24" location on Yale across from the REI store is definitely worth a stop.
Vivace is also taking over a defunct cafe that was previously operated by someone else - it will be in Belltown on 2nd between battery and Wall but not sure of the opening date.

Both Victrola and Stumptown have cafes just out of downtown up the hill on Pike past the Convention Center. great places to visit but you really should get to the Stumptown roastery further up the hill. There's a cafe but they also have free public cuppings twice daily in the basement adjacent to the roastery and their lab. Cool facility and much fun.

I agree with the suggestion of Lighthouse although it is a trek if you don't have a car (driving at rush hour is a nightmare and parking is crazy expensive). I have not tried the Umbria cafe but have enjoyed their beans when I tried them in the past (it's owned by the family that originally started and owned cafe Torrefazione years ago before Seattle's Best bought it).

I can give a thumbs up to the cafe Trabant (or maybe it's call Trabant Coffee & Chai?) down in Pioneer Square. We had artfully pulled and exceptionally tasty shots there. I brought home beans form both Stumptown and Vivace after my annual Labor Day weekend visit and am still working through those.....

You might consider Stickman in the Fremont district just a couple of doors from the Lenin statue. I had a fantastic macchiato there last year when visiting my folks. The shop isn't flashy; it has a certain underground vibe but we had our drinks out in the sunny patio area. The owner is a former USBC champ who roasts his own beans. Even though we were the only ones in the shop, he wasn't eager to chat about coffee. Strange.

eric

Vivace, definitely a must-visit when we're there (we were at the walk up in the Capital District on Broadway, and we went to the Cafe by REI, both VERY good), and we visited Stumptown (on 12th? down hill from Vivace) a couple of weekends ago - it was some of the best we've had!

We looked for Cafe Victrola, but didn't manage to find it - got distracted when we ran across Stumptown!

I like Caffe Umbria and Cafe D'Arte.

Doug,

Did you go visit Joe at the Good Coffee Company. They may be the only ones with more spare lever parts than you!

PC

If you're able to get out of downtown Hotwire in North City and Cafe Javasti in the North End are both worth a try. I second Stumptown - right now I think its probably the best in Seattle.

[quote="Phaelon56"]
I agree with the suggestion of Lighthouse although it is a trek if you don't have a car (driving at rush hour is a nightmare and parking is crazy expensive). [quote]

Just take the #5 Metro bus from downtown (about a 10-15 minute ride) and get off right as the bus turns north (right) onto Phinney Ave N from 43rd St. You'll be right at Lighthouse - on the north east corner of Phinney & 43rd, in "upper Fremont". After that, it's an easy walk down the hill (down being much easier than back up!) to Stickman in "downtown Fremont". Either way, welcome to Fremont, Center of the Universe... Don't forget to set your watch ahead 5 minutes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremont,_Seattle,_Washington

r-gordon-7