Seattle Visit

My wife and I just returned from a brief trip to Seattle, where we toured some espresso hot spots on May 23 - 25. Hal Perry graciously hosted us for some of that visit, which I'll share with you. I apologize in advance for not having more interior photos. I like visiting with the baristas and owners of these establishments without putting them on the spot for picture taking.

Our first day wasn't very focused on the great coffee hunt, and we began by getting a salmon scramble lunch at the Athenian Inn in Seattle's famous Pike's Place Market. While there, I couldn't help but notice two wonderful collectibles behind the bar (you'll see a partial self-portrait in the mirror), a Hobart grinder and Pasquini espresso and coffeemaker.





I'd searched online to find the closest decent espresso to Pike's Place and didn't find anything obvious. But we'd just talked to a local foodie who said she'd heard the best coffee in Seattle is just across the street from Pike's Place. So I searched and found this:



Here's a view from behind the Local Color cafe, with Pike's Place Market in the background.



I don't know that it was the "best coffee in Seattle," but the young ladies there pulled a completely dialed in shot of Cafe Vita's Caffe Del Sol on their La Marzocco Linea, and I was more than pleased. All the characteristics described in Vita's tasting notes marched across my grateful taste buds.

http://www.caffevita.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_1&products_id=2

Added: Later that afternoon, we walked from Pike's Place Market toward the center of town on some errands and came across Caffe D'Arte. The cafe was very attractive, clean and well-equipped. They must have had a half dozen different roasts, each supposed to serve a different style of Italian espresso, and each with a bag upside down on its own grinder. If I remember correctly, they had a La Marzocco WBC machine, all clean and well-maintained. It was too late for a caffeinated shot so I tried their one decaf selection, which was served with a piece of chocolate on the demi-tasse saucer. It was too darkly roasted for my taste, so the roast obscured other flavors, unlike Counter Culture Coffee's decaf Espresso Rustico, which is, so far, my decaf favorite. I didn't stop to take pictures of the shop and didn't review their espresso because I didn't give them a fair try. They're located here:

125 Stewart St
Seattle, WA 98101-1018
(206) 728-4468
http://www.caffedarte.com‎

But this was just a start. I looked forward to our visit with Hal the next morning.

Hal met us at 9, and the first place we went to isn't usually on the radar of today's coffee connoisseurs, but was a wonderful find. We visited The Good Coffee Company near our hotel on Pioneer Square. Here's a link to the place page:

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en...62267&z=14

Here's their location and contact info. They don't have a web site:

818 Post Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-1419
(206) 622-5602

Hal told us this business predates Starbuck's, and walking through the door was a journey back in time. Joe Kittay, the original owner, still runs the place with his son, Carl. They were the first importer of La Marzocco machines to Seattle and still handle some current brands and refurbish old machines as a side business. For anyone who wants a rebuilt Nuova Simonelli Ellimatic, (precursor to the Oscar), this is your go-to place. They don't advertise these but will respond if you contact them.

We didn't get to meet Joe, who is 83, but had a long visit with Carl, who showed us his roasting gear and told us some of the history of the company. There were large bags of greens on the floor and a well-maintained two-group Faema Termazona out front. They offer shots on that machine for $1 donation. The espresso is mellow but old-style dark roast. I did pick up a bag because I think it will be good in milk drinks.

Next we drove to the Capitol Hill location of Stumptown and entered a very busy small cafe where the tattooed baristas were pulling Hairbender on two Slayer machines. The result was predictably delicious, with spice and a strong honeyed taste and mouthfeel.



The Hairbender blend is familiar to many of us and reviewed last year here: Favorite Espresso Blends 2010

We then went next door to Cafe Presse, which specializes in very rich French country cooking. This is way off our diet and I'd just overdone it on desserts at the wedding two days earlier, so we sat and visited while Hal had what looked like a delicious breakfast. Here's their description: http://www.cafepresseseattle.com/pages/home.php

Our next stop was David Schomer's Espresso Vivace. Being somewhat new to this scene, I didn't know what to expect. Hal said their Dolce blend is best suited to milk drinks and had me sample his macchiato while I tried a strait shot. I agree with him. It was mostly dark chocolate with a slightly bitter finish but was nice in a short milk drink.



Here's Chris Tacy's (aka malachi) review of Dolce from last year:

Favorite Espresso Blends 2010

Our next stop had been praised by the gourmet event planner at the wedding and is now a favorite of Hal's despite his lesser review of it last year on this thread. We went to Zoka Cafe where I had one of the nicest espresso shots in my brief experience, ground on an electronic Mazzer Robur and pulled on a La Marzocco machine (added: and served with a large shot glass of sparkling water). It was unbelievably mellow and after about a minute, a strong lilac aftertaste rolled across the back of my tongue. The baristas there were very approachable, the cafe itself spacious and comfortable. I bought a bag of Espresso Paladino to try again at home. One of the baristas told me they've recently added a new coffee (Ethiopian? not sure ...) that may be the reason for the lilac taste. This is an espresso that likes to be updosed. Hal's prep suggestions are 18 - 20 gm, 201 F, 25 seconds.



We had limited time for Hal's tour, only part of a morning. But as he drove us through the Capitol Hill area, my impression is there are more serious coffee bars in Seattle than in my beloved San Francisco. I'm told there are many small shops and roasters trying their hand.

The next day, as we wistfully prepared to return home, we had lunch at a lovely Mediterranean restaurant next door to our hotel, and I couldn't help but notice this orphan sitting forlornly in the window.



I just looked it up and found it's an Italianstyle. Here's the model number on the bottom.



I was only slightly tempted as I'm now rebuilding three machines, but anyone interested might drop by and ask the owner if he's willing to part with something that he's just keeping for window dressing. (I haven't read any good reviews of Italianstyle vintage machines, but this does tell you where my attention focuses given the least opportunity!) See: Help on Cappuccino Amore BTW, the food and ambiance at Cafe Paloma are well worth the visit. It's at 93 Yesler Way.

This morning I tried the Paladino at home. I'd sampled it some months ago and wasn't impressed. I now realize it's a bit challenging to pull correctly unless you updose and finely tune the temperature. But my skills have improved, and now I knew what to look for and have had some initial success on the Amica, with more exploration to come.

drgary,

nice travelogue. I enjoyed the report. You mentioned

Hal said their Dolce blend is best suited to milk drinks and had me sample his macchiato while I tried a strait shot. I agree with him.

Are the baristas at Vivace now making milk drinks with Dolce or is that a special request item. I thought Vita was the milk-based drink option.