Who are Seattle's best coffee roasters? for Questionland Seattle

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Who are Seattle's best coffee roasters?

Perhaps the more important question being: does Seattle even have progressive, micro-roasting anymore? Sure we have our Vivaces and Vitas and Zokas, but these are businesses, with business interests in mind; their coffee is good only in as much as it brings in patrons. Where are the serious coffee aficionados anymore, the ones with the true drive for the perfect roast, working weekends for a flight to South America to pick up a bag they can personally watch and fidget with from plant to pot, roasting in the backs of established businesses or in an apartment basement? Do any of these entrepreneurs even exist in this city anymore?

Let this be an open thread to the state of coffee roasting in Seattle.

Josh Mahar asked in Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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infernactual

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One of my favorite topics. Thanks for asking.

First, I'd say that Vivace is hardly a company that I would describe that puts business before coffee. They are truly the coffee gods of Seattle. No one is fussier about the details and the art and the science of coffee. They are generous with their time and have helped new coffee places get started. What business would do that? They have made no effort to expand into a retail chain although they could have.

Vita is another thing. They are clearly a business that has attempted to coffee roasting into a locally profitable concern. I'm not a big fan of their coffee, but I don't see anything wrong with what they are doing.

Lighthouse Coffee probably fits your ideals pretty well and they produce great coffee.

But... the best coffee roasting IMO is the one you roast at home. Get yourself a popcorn popper - whirley pop or air popper (careful which one) and order green beans from Sweet Maria's or someone like that online and become your own ideal. My friend and I roast once or twice a week (takes 15 minutes) and have become fans of Central American coffees for their chocolate, sweetness and body. El Salvador bourbons have been great. YouTube can show you how it is done, and if you have specific questions you can always ask them here. I'm sure I'm not the only home roaster.

infernactual answered in Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

1 comment by Rev.Enant…

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Stella coffee downtown is hands down the best coffee in the city. I live nowhere near them, yet make every attempt to go to their cafe on first and university. They roast their own beans off site....their coffee is always so rich and delicious, especially if its Sara making your drink.

CuriousKitten answered in Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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Stumptown! (I know they are originally from Portland, but they roast at their spot on 12th).

I prefer single estate coffees (vs. blends) and stumptown has the best single estate selection, hands down. AND most of their beans are direct trade, which is way more progressive than fair trade.

michiko swiggs answered in Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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d.p.

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If Vivace (and its ilk) are the straight-laced university research labs of the coffee roasting world, then Pike Street's Seattle Coffee Works are the mad scientists.

Check out the owner's blog and Twitter feed:
http://blog.seattlecoffeeworks.com/
http://twitter.com/DrinkingMan

Every five minutes he's getting his hands on a new moisture meter or fiddling with temperature and timing. That is, if he and his crew aren't busy sourcing a fantastically luscious new direct-trade coffee, tweaking one of the six different brewing methods they offer in the shop (French press, vacuum pot, Melitta, Chemex, Hario, or Trifecta machine) for each new bean, or pulling test-shots of a single-origin espresso!

Seriously, if you haven't experienced this wonderland of next-generation coffee geekery, get yourself downtown and set yourself behind their "slow bar" immediately. (Note that they will taste-test anything they brew for you there and remake it if it doesn't meet their exacting standards).

And no, I don't work there. I just go there A LOT!

d.p. answered in Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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Victrola [locations on Pike & Bellevue and 15th near Harrison] will happily show you the pictures of their buyers on the farms with the family growers from whom they buy their beans. The Pike st. location offers free cuppings on Wednesdays, and each roast is designed to compliment the particular qualities of the crop.

Seattle Coffee works [1st & Pike] has similar direct-from-family relationships with growers, and will steer you away from ordering a beverage made from a roast it is not suited for.

I'll always love Vivace on a coffee = science level and for starting my bean obsession. Vita, Stumptown and Zoka all seem to prefer burnt beans - maybe they are wooing the SBux crowd.

Stephen McLaughlin answered in Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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