Start Your Morning Right: Coffee

So September 29th was National Coffee Day. Yup, the same day as our anniversary. Us and coffee, it was meant to be. 

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True Story: I haven’t always liked coffee (Gasp). It was my Josh who got me to start drinking coffee. He actually told me it was his goal to get me to drink coffee. I didn’t believe he could do it, but he pulled it off. I remember the first coffee I had that I actually enjoyed. Josh took me to Starbucks, what I like to now call the the gateway coffee shop. I don’t remember what I ordered, but I disliked it. In the usual Josh way, he encouraged me to go talk to the barista to see what they might suggest. The gal was so nice, and suggested a white chocolate mocha frappaccino. Yea, of course I liked that one.

When I lived in Eugene, Oregon for a year while Josh finished law school, I worked at Starbucks. Then I worked at Starbucks in Seattle for half a year as we got settled. By that time I was an official vanilla latte drinker. Now, I can even get a plain latte, but I prefer it with vanilla. For better or worse, now that I have lived in Seattle for six years, I am now officially a coffee snob.

Sadly, lattes are expensive for everyday. Le sigh. My everyday drink is a nice cup of brewed coffee sweetened up with creamer and sugar. Maybe sometime I will be able to drink it plain, but I am happy with where I am at with my coffee drinking.

When I found out I was pregnant, I quit drinking coffee cold turkey. Yikes, that was tough! But, then my doctor said I could have a cup a day. Hello, coffee, I’m back! I had my daily coffee in my traveler mug that I drank on the bus to work. Now, as I am nursing, I have still have my one cup of caffeinated coffee a day. I look forward to the days when I can drink a second cup again!

I want to share the coffee love, so here are some tips on getting a great cup of joe.

• Water – Do you like how your tap water tastes? Well, good water is important for good coffee.Water is a large part of the drink, so it better be good! If possible, try to use filtered water. We use the water from our Brita and it works pretty well.
• Beans – Try to get some fresh, whole beans and grind them as close as you can to when you plan on brewing the coffee. Resist the urge to keep your beans in the freezer. Resist the urge to drink weeks old beans. Also, keep them in an air tight container. We buy whole beans from local coffee shops every week. Play around with different types of beans to find the type you like best. We enjoy a medium roast with fruity notes like blueberry. Some favorite beans are from Slate Coffee, Caffe Umbria, and Valhalla.
• Grind – Different brewing methods require different grind size. The size that you grind your beans makes an impact on how the coffee turns out. For example, espresso is a super fine grind while French Press is a course grind. Even the type of coffee machine for your brewed coffee can have different grind sizes. One factor is if you use a cone or basket shaped brew. Check out your machine’s manual to find the right grind size.
• Ratio – The water to bean ratio is important. We have a small kitchen scale we use to measure out our beans. Generally, a good proportion is 10 grams of coffee to 6 fluid oz of water.
• Equipment – If you want to get serious, then you will want the following: a coffee brewer, kitchen scale, coffee grinder, and water filter. We use a Bonavita for our coffee machine and Encore burr grinder and both work great.

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There’s the basics! Now, be sure to have a nice cup of coffee tomorrow morning!

P.S. Starbucks has a nice resource for how to brew a great cup of coffee using different methods if you're interested.

Devil in my Coffee

Okay, it wasn't my coffee, the Devil was actually in Josh's coffee, but the title sounded much cooler as "in my coffee." My coffee actually had a beautiful butterfly. Josh got a Devil, and I got a butterfly. HA - goes to show...

Anyway, I've gotta give it to this barista, totally awesome foam-latte art. Not to mention, he was sarcastically joking around as he did this art too. Now, there is talent. This was our Sunday morning treat before church at...wait for it...El Diablo. Well, now I wonder were the Devil idea came from.

Before I go, I just wanted to tell you, this is my continued way of saying my coffee tour is not over. I have gone to many coffee shops and just neglected to post about it. Sad, I know. I am still sinfully drinking coffee though (or should I say Josh is since he got the Devil?). Eventually, I'll get back on the coffee tour posts, but for now, fun coffee-share moments.

 

The Skull

Josh and I got a sneak preview of Halloween with our coffee this morning. There was a skull in Josh's foam! I had heard that the barista's at Fremont Coffee can do this from Yelp reviews, but today we actually got one.

Scary coffee? No, scary good coffee. (Yes, it's actually one of our favorite coffee shops).



More about our uneventful Labor Day weekend coming soon...

Seattle Coffee Tour: Special ‘At Home’ Edition V2

Weekends are for the special outings to coffee shops, and weeke days are for drinking coffee at home. That's 5 vs. 2 days each week. Generally Josh and I prepare our coffee pot at night so we have fresh brewed coffee right when we wake up in the morning. Sometimes, if we're feeling jazzy, we will switch it up for french press, but that's a bit extra work. The taste of french press is just so much better though. Sigh. The dilemmas of life.

Over Christmas, Josh and I heard about a coffee maker called the Aeropress. Miss Dorothy Trogler got one from her aunt and was telling us about it at Christmas dinner. What's this? Another coffee device? Looks funny. But, Dorothy confirmed later on, after the holiday fun, that it made a pretty darn good cup of joe.

Now the awareness was set, it started springing up everywhere. Josh started seeing it online on his random Internet explorations and it was getting rav reviews. Being the coffee snobs we are (or at least was like to pretend we're coffee snobs--it makes us feel special), we finally decided last week that we should invest in an aeropress and just see for ourselves what all the hussle and bussle was about.

Over the weekend, we went to Target. No luck. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. No luck at first, but just as we were leaving, we asked the sales associate for help. She looked it up and found it online. Sold. Our first aeropress was delivered to our front door yesterday.

 

This morning was the grand reveal. I ate my Honey Nut Cheerios and helped Josh whip up a cup of aeropress joe.

 

Here's what we thought:

• Easy to make. I think once you get the hang of it, this is pretty easy.


• Good coffee. It makes like a shot of espresso. If you want a cup of coffee, you add hot water (this is called an Americano). It could also make a latte or cappuccino if you can steam milk.


• Quick & easy clean up. I hate, hate cleaning up coffee grinds. This just makes a puck of coffee (like an espresso machine) that you swipe off into the trash.


• Handy. It's just a few pieces of equipment and easy to store away.

Learn how yourself here. Kind of a fun video. We did it slightly different, but it's pratically the same process.

I think we'll add this to the week day morning circulation. Now we have three options for our coffee making. In this order from easiest to hardest: coffee pot, aeropress, french press.

Not impressed? Then, sheesh, go make your own cappuccino.

Beans and Dreams

Coffee Beans and Birthday Dreams. That was last weekend. Yes, I'm writing about last weekend this weekend. I'm bit behind. Deal with it.

Last week marked my last year in my 20s. Sigh. After about the age 26, I started to forget how old I was. Funny thing is, I still feel like I'm 18. Now I truly understand what my parents meant when they taked about not feeling X age (X for my parent's privacy). I think I still qualify as young. Although if you asked my 11 year old self if upper 20s was young, I'd probably disagree. College people seemed old to me at that time. It's all prespective.

For my birthday, Seattle has the Seattle weather - gray and rain. Apparently it'll get nice here after the 4th of July. If only I had a July birthday. No tears though. One can still have fun without the sun (I've learned this living here). Josh and I spent a fair portion of Saturday at the Northwest Coffee Festival.

There were coffee pot of all shapes and sizes on display. Check this out:

 

I will not be using these at home. Look at all the nobs and spouts on the left one. Craziness I tell you, craziness. It was fun to watch the experts at work though. We watched a presentation and they guy was weighing his coffee to ensure the right amount of water. Craziness.

We did taste a few different coffees. Victorola made me a cute little cappuccino. We tried macchiatos and espressos. Personally, I still like the sugar and milk in my coffee. However, you really can taste the difference in beans when you make coffee the right way.

 

Here's a Flickr site that has some cool photos.

I also celebrated my birthday with gifts and some good food. We went to dinner at Mistral. And I of course got myself some froyo.

Here's the cute stationary Josh got me. It's from Minted. It's postcard style and the back is uber cute too. Perhaps you might receive a piece of mail from me.

 

And that's a wrap (birthday gift pun intended).

Seattle Coffee Tour: Muse

This post has been a long time coming. First I haven't written a review in ages. Seriously. I think the last one was in February before I started work at Acxiom again. That seems like forever ago. Secondly, I actually went to Muse a while ago, back on April 24th. A month ago now. I've really behind on things.

That said, this review is based off memory.

Coffee Shop Name: Muse Coffee Co

Location: 1907 10th Ave W; Seattle WA 98119

The Order: I got a Sugar Free Vanilla 2% Latte and Josh a mocha (big surprise there).

General Babble: I want to love this place. It's got all the signs of Heather love on it. In my cute little Queen Anne neighborhood, trendy, but not overly so, decor, and it's nearby to home. I did really like it, but the coffee was just a wee bit disappointing. Not bad by any means; no it was quite good. But it just didn't call my name, "Heather, I'm an awesome drink. I'm now your favorite." Rather, it said, "hey, I'm pretty darn good, but I'm lacking that little extra umph aren't I?"

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 4  - As I was just saying, I really liked Muse. I like the name. I like the art and decor inside. The guy at the counter was nice and the right amount of talkative. The place was bright and airy. The muffin was tasty. It's just the coffee, it was really good, but not the best I've ever had. All in all, a definite return is necessary to full judge. I mean it was just one barista; I'm sure they have others and perhaps I just got an off day. And better yet...I just went to hyperlink the Yelp review here and saw 15% OFF if I mention Yelp. I'm going back now. It's a done deal. (Coffee is getting $$ - milk & coffee prices rising, bleh).

Latte Art: N/A – Honestly, I can't remember. Generally I take a picture of my foam, but my picture shows the cup after I began drinking. If I didn't take a photo though, it means I wasn't a OMG look at this foam moment for me. I bet it did have a design though.

Atmosphere: 5 – I think I like this place more than Josh. I just thought some of the decorating was so cool. I really wanted to sit in the cool looking hanging chair, but some group was already at that table. I did like the artwork and chandelier with all the little papers (I've been seeing this on HGTV, so it's the "in" thing - Muse is cutting edge in decorating). My seat was just fine and it was neither too loud or too quite. A great little neighborhood coffee shop. That's what I liked best. It didn't think too much of itself (unlike some other Seattle coffee shops).

Drink Options: 4 – Well, they had sugar free vanilla which is my standard. It was just fine tasting (sometimes sugar free can have a funky taste). I did have to go back up and ask for more sugar free vanilla, but they added it with a smile and very willingly. Sometimes barista give you a sour look when you ask for more and don't trust you. Phooey. Otherwise, they had all the usual options.

Coffee Knowledge: 3 – I just ordered this time without questions. The poor barista was all alone and I didn't want to bog down with questions. They do have a special page for coffee knowledge stuff though, so bravo.

Food: 4 - They had muffins. Yay! And a tasty bran-like blueberry banana muffin. It's Little Rae's Bakery, which is pretty popular around Seattle. Josh had a - orange scone.  I was happy with my muffin. Josh was happy with his scone.

I did like the photos we took while we were there...





 

Seattle Coffee Tour: Bauhaus

Bauhaus has been on our list to visit for ages. We actually visited it a few weekends ago, so this post is a bit belated. I promise the time lag won't affect the review though.

This is probably one of the more popular coffee shops in town. I remember when I started at Starbucks downtown, some of my friend baristas were staying it was quite good. Then I read Racing in the Rain which takes place in Seattle and the main character stops at Bauhaus on a walk. I think it was mentioned elsewhere too. It's just popular; enough said.

With this popularity, it got all amped up in my mind. This probably wasn't a good thing for my visit. I had this place built up to be fabulous. Well, I thought it was good, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. However, I have to say, it is very Capitol Hill.

Coffee Shop Name: Bauhaus Books and Coffee

Location: 301 E. Pine Street, Capitol Hill

The Order: I got a Sugar Free Irish Cream Latte and Josh a mocha.

General Babble: I did most of my babbling above, but perhaps I can speak more specifically to our visit. The interior has a whole wall that is a book case. There is a loft area up top that has additional seating. Josh and I chose to sit up there. At our particular table, we could look over the banister and see the baristas working away below. As we people watched, we decided it was a locals place for sure. Our coffee was in glass cups - very retro - but it looked cool that way. Not sure how they retain warmth for long.

I enjoyed parts of the store itself with some interesting pieces of decoration and the bookcase. It was quite lofty though so I could see how Josh got a more stark, cool feel from the visit. Overall, I enjoyed our time there but I'm not rushing back.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 3  - As I've said, I'm not sure if my expectations were too high or what, but it just was a decent experience. It wasn't the "wow, I want to go back there" reaction. We had a nice time though and the coffee was decent.

Latte Art: 3 - Nothing too great here. There was a design, but it was small and almost an after-thought. They had more foam on the top than some of the other fancy coffee places we've been too. The more foam it seems the less design. Josh had whip cream so we couldn't tell. Speaking of which, I found it funny that they pulled out a new bottle of Kirkland whip cream and then proceeded to rip off the wrapping so you couldn't tell where it was from. Tricky, but you could tell.

Atmosphere: 3.5 - I think Josh and I had slightly different options here. I thought it had a different feel and sort of neat with the bookcase and such. And good people watching. Josh thought it a bit less cozy.

Drink Options: 4 - Well, they answered my call for more sugar free flavors. However, I didn't like the taste of the one I chose...Irish cream. I've had it at other places and it was good, but perhaps it was the type of syrup. It gave it a weird after-taste (somewhat bitter). It did mellow out as I got through the first third though. Maybe as a mocha it would have been better. I just didn't like the syrup...Torani? So they get props for flavor option effort. They had all the other usuals too, of course.

Coffee Knowledge: 3 - I'm giving this a mid-range score because I really didn't ask many questions. Partly because the barista were a bit stand-off-ish. Not totally snobs or snooty, but just didn't get that warm welcome. Then I went on their website and their wasn't any information about their coffee...odd since it's a coffee place. They did have cool stuff for sale though!

Food: 3.75 - Plenty of options. They had Top Pot donuts, croissants, muffins, scones, and even ding dongs. I opted for my favorite thing...a muffin. It was alright. A bit dry, and nothing I want to go back for (definitely not Honey's or Palace Kitchen pumpkin muffins). Josh had a croissant which he thought was alright. We left wishing we just got coffee and going to Homegrown around the corner instead...

Seattle Coffee Tour: Special 'At Home' Edition

From my coffee tour, you might have assumed that I only drink coffee at coffee shops. Untrue! How presumptuous of you! Just kidding you, but I do have to enlighten you. The truth is, Josh and I have brewed coffee at home almost every morning. There is something quite different to having a regular cup of joe at home than going out. First, there is the magical smell of coffee as you wake up. Second, you can enjoy a no-frills coffee to snap you into the reality of the day. Third, it gets you out the door (and perhaps to a coffee shop later).

For obvious reasons, we drink a ton of Starbucks coffees. Hmm, I wonder why? Perhaps because it's "free" for me. Sadly, we don't get the chance to get other beans because I get this guilty feeling of spending money on beans when I know I have some at home already. That's where an awesome gift comes in...

This weekend the mailman brought Josh and I a gift. Okay, it wasn't the mailman, but he was the bearer of good things. Our friends, Jeff and Melissa, sent us Blue Bottle Coffee beans from the Bay Area. Josh and I have been wanting to try this place forever. Now at last we can, and to top it off this week we've enjoyed something different than the usual!

We received two tasty picks: Mexico Chiapas and Ethiopia Sidamo Howolso, both single origin coffees (from Mexico and Ethiopia - get it). So far I've enjoyed the Sidamo Howolso the best and Josh the Chiapas. When we opened both, we could tell it was something different than what we've been drinking. Both had very distinct smells.



Mexico Chiapas - As I mentioned, this was Josh's preference so far. It has a smokiness to it. Josh said it was earthy. I think it was best when I added more creamer to it, and then I thought it was quite tasty. It's one that I think needs that milk to balance it out a bit more. As I read the description on the Blue Bottle website I understand why it's a favorite for Josh. It says it is "a bacon-and-eggs coffee. Big bowls of chilaquiles" and other foods go well with it.

Ethiopia Sidamo Howolso - This was my preference. It had almost a chocolately smoothness to it. The website says it is a "is a punchy, winey, fruity, leathery coffee." Hey, I like all that stuff. Well, maybe not the leather. Umm, I've never eaten leather, so perhaps I do like it and didn't know it. Either way, this one was quite nice too.

For this special edition, I wanted to take you through our coffee at home ritual. It all starts the night before...

--Chose your coffee.



--Measure out the right amount of beans and grind. The coffee-to-water ratio is important to making a good cup. Our system is to fill the beans to the blue sticker - see it there. We did the math a while back and just stick to it. Also, you should double check the type of grind you should use for your machine. Flat bottom filters, cone filters, etc all are different grinds. What do I mean? The size of the bean that you grind...is it fine, medium, course? This makes a difference too! Are you getting it? So much magic in the making!



--Put the freshly ground beans into the filter. Now, don't be lazy and grind them all at once. It's tempting, but ground beans only last about 24 hours max before they start losing their yumminess. We push the envelope by grinding the night before, but who wants to grind in the AM (I'm sure our downstairs neighbors would agree).

--Use some fresh, pure water. Using good, filtered water makes a difference! Are you catching the theme here...everything makes a difference! Everything. Everything. Mwahahaha.



--Now, prepare the coffee machine. This is a new machine, so we are grinding them medium-fine. We love our new coffee machine (I broke our other one, but it was a cheap one luckily--from just after college).



--Set the timer for a few minutes before you wake up. Remember, the best part of waking up, is <coffee> in your cup! Yes, we made coffee at 9:46pm. Auto On!



--Wake up, sleepy head! Get your coffee on!



--Go start your day! ---->>>

(and enjoy this cartoon on caffeine)

Seattle Coffee Tour: Fremont Coffee

On a nice Saturday afternoon together, Josh and I decided to enjoy some coffee. Why not add another review to my tour? Yea, let's do it...

Coffee Shop Name: Fremont Coffee Company

Location: 459 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103

The Order: Tall Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte for me and a Tall mocha for Josh.

General Babble: This place had great coffee, a great atmosphere, but okay service. It's amazing how service can "put you off" a bit on a place. When we walked in, there were a few other folks inside. Josh and I headed to what we thought was the end of the line. Another gal that walked in later we did also stood behind us. After a few minutes, the barista told us that the line went around another way. However, during that time span, two to three other groups had gotten in line in front of us even though they came in after. Err. When we got to the front, they moved us along quickly which was nice.

Josh and I chose to sit outside on the porch since it was actually a sunny day. A bit of sun in January in Seattle is uncommon so we seized the chance to catch some rays. The porch was quite pleasant. We enjoyed our coffee in some wicker chairs. The building itself was fun with several rooms to enjoy. There were also some quirky things inside that gave the place some spice. Overall, a very Fremont, funky feel. Here me talk about it on my video below.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 4 - The coffee was really delicious. Smooth taste and lovely foam. Josh and I both were very pleased. The setting was nice on the porch and there was a good Fremont vibe to the place. The baristas weren't the friendliest - a bit barista snobby-ish. Perhaps they felt busy, or a bad day. I really just go for the coffee in the end I guess.

Latte Art: 3 - Now, I was disappointed here. I ready a few reviews before going here and a few folks talked up the latte art. How great it was and the cool designs such as this gal on Yelp. Sadly, I got a nice design, but nothing I haven't seen. I mean some have gotten hamster and pumpkin designs. The Yelp pictures are cool. Perhaps it's a barista that wasn't there on our visit. Sigh. I really want to see something cool someday. I'll keep trying! Until then, I'm happy with the flowers and hearts.

Atmosphere: 4.5 - Josh and I sat outside on a wrap around porch, which was great. They had plenty of sitting out there too. On sunny days, this is a great option. I'm not sure about the inside, but it seemed cozy enough. This might be a bit biased of a review because we sat outside on a day with some sun (sun which we haven't seen much lately...).

Drink Options: 4 - I stuck with my SF Vanilla latte and Josh to his mocha (you may notice these seem to be our default drinks), but they had a nice selection. I think I read a caramel latte or something too. Again, not much Sugar Free syrups, but who does?

Coffee Knowledge: 3.75 - Here's another point in the service that was disappointing (besides the line thing I mentioned above). I stopped to ask about they coffee they use and the barista didn't really want to give me the time of day. She simply said they roast their own and it was a type of espresso roast. I do think she really knew what she was talking about and you could tell they roasted it on their own (cool). Plus the taste of our drinks was great. That said, I could give them a 5 score here if they seemed more interested in talking to me.

Food: N/A - It seems they have croissants and a few muffins. There might be more earlier in the day. I might have had biscotti too. I just can't rate this because we didn't get anything to eat.

Don't agree with me? Check out Yelp reviews.

Coffee Tour - Fremont Coffee from Heather O'Neill on Vimeo.

January 22, 2011: As part of my Seattle Coffee Tour, Josh and I stopped over at Fremont Coffee in the early afternoon. We sat on the porch and enjoyed lattes and mochas. Hear more from me with this video!

Seattle Coffee Tour: Zoka

I was starting to worry about my coffee tour postings. I was sure giving out quite a few good scores - lots of 4 somethings. Am I being too nice? Should I be more critical? Are people really going to keep reading if I only give good reviews. In reality don't I want to give just good because then I'm not enjoying my coffee experience? Also, we must keep in mind that at the start of this tour I'm going to all the popular places, so of course they'll be good. However, something different for you today.

Another thought before I begin. I'm sitting here in Indio, CA Christmas vacation and realized that Seattle really is quite special when it comes to coffee. Here you'll find Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and It's a Grind, but these are all bigger chains. There isn't a whole lots of small, independent coffee shops. Startle is unique when it comes to coffee. It truly is the coffee capital. And another realization...I'm turning into a coffee snob.

On that note, let's launch into my next review.

Coffee Shop Name: Zoka Coffee Roasters

Location: 2200 North 56th Street

The Order: I got a cappuccino. Josh got a mocha.

General Babble: This has been my least favorite experience so far while on this tour. Josh found Zoka online after typing "Seattle coffee roasters." he wanted to go to a place that roasted their own coffee. When we walked into the store, we found it to be very spacious, but somewhat stark. For instance, Their were bookshelves in the back of the store, but they were empty. Why have book shelves with no books?

There were a few kickers for me: (1) The price. Now I know coffee is expensive, especially the fluffy kind I get, but this seemed more than others, even Starbucks. (2) The wait. We were only the second in line but we waited quite a while for our drinks. Then, when ours was finally ready some guy the came in way after us grabbed the drink - probably Thinking he had waited the normalfor drink waiting time, not realizing they were just that behind. He was nice about it and gave. It to Josh when he realized. (3) The quality. After points #1 and #2 I just made, you'd think the drink would be awesome. No. My cappuccino was a sad little sight to see. There was also hardly any foam. The taste..ugh. Burnt! Being that I paid for this drink, I decided to bring it back. When i approached the barista guy, i could tell he was struggling. Newbie. When I returned it, the guy. A was at register had left the customers in line to help out. He whipped out my cappuccino in no time. Much, much better.

Was that review harsh and unforgiving? No, but it was the most negative thus far.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 2.5 - I hate having to bring coffee back to be remade. Worse having it remade and and then still being slightly disappointed (the foam is key to the cappuccino). Or perhaps the cappuccino from Aster the day before, which I l-o-v-e-d, made this one pale in comparison.

Latte Art: 2.75 - The first cap I got was just sad. The second was good which is why this score got the .75 added to the 2.

Atmosphere: 3 - It was just a bit cold (not as in the temp), but the feel.

Drink Options: 3 - Just the standard options. Nothing more, nothing less.

Coffee Knowledge: 3 - I didn't get the chance to ask the guys very many questions about the coffee, but the website is full of information. They roast their own beans, but you couldn't see any of the roasting at the store we visited. They use their Espresso Paladino on their lattes. It was smooth, but the coffee wasn't singing in cup. Good but nothing to rave about later.

Food: The food was pretty good. Nothing to remember. It was Essential Bread Co. Which I usually really enjoy. However, their goodies seemed to lack the EBC umph of flavor, or maybe it was that they were day-old pastries. Who knows. It was good, but not spectacular.

The first cappuccino and then the re-make...

Seattle Coffee Tour: Aster Coffee

Today has been a great day. It's only the morning, but I'm in the best mood. Perhaps it's because it's my day off and I have no obligations and slept in. Perhaps it's the beautiful sun shining outside. Perhaps it's that I met a cute dog. Or that the ice spray worked perfectly on my windshield. I know, it's that I talked to my best friend on iChat. Or that I got a lovely mocha and pumpkin muffin...

Coffee Shop Name: Aster Coffee Lounge

Location: 5615 24th Avenue NW, Ballard, WA

The Order: I got a tall mocha. Eventually adding in Sugar Free Vanilla.

General Babble: Puntos (points = fun to say in Spanish) for the cool interior and logo. The Aster logo is well done. By the way, appreciating cool logos is something I picked up from the Brown family. They are big decorators and have an eye for good design. Anyway, that got me into the store. Plus it was close to home and easy parking (at least for a Friday morning). Then the lady behind the counter was very sweet. I found out her name was Beth. When I told her about my blog, she gladly fielded my questions. I was on the fence about getting a pastry, but then I saw a pumpkin muffin and better yet that they were homemade at the store. Sold!

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 4.5 - The seating was plentiful. The people were nice. The coffee smooth and tasty. The mocha was a darker chocolate that they make at the store. At first, I thought it was a bit too dark for me; however, she graciously added some vanilla. With a bit of a stir, it was heavenly. Nice and sweet, but not overpowering.  I've found with mochas that you definitely need to give it a bit of a stir to get the chocolate permeating throughout the drink. I enjoyed sitting by the window, eating my muffins, drinking my mocha, and enjoying the sun rays.

Latte Art: 4 - Beth made this seem so easy. I'm sure she could have done a more complex design, but her rosetta was quite pretty. I wonder what it'd look like on a latte. Next time!

Atmosphere: 4 - Like I said, the interior was quite nice. Lots of seating, and a nice, comfortable temperature. The stars in the window were fun. The clocks with the different time zones of popular coffee growing regions was a fun idea. People were chill just reading the paper or talking with friends. It was not a total hipster place which was a nice to see, but normal everyday people.

Drink Options: 4.5 - Besides Starbucks, this is the first place I've come across on my tour that had Clover brew available. I'll have to try it there next time. Clover is a great way to enjoy a cup of coffee. It's like a mix between a french press and a vacuum pot. You can really taste the type of coffee with the Clover. If you like french press, you must give Clover a try. There are not a whole lot of the brewers out there, so get it when you can. Otherwise, they had the normal coffee menu. I noticed a few holidays drinks on the sign out front - eggnog and peppermint mocha. However, they do offer beer and wine in the evenings. Now, I want to return at night!

Coffee Knowledge: The espresso drinks use Intelligentsia, which is what was in my mocha. They also Stumptown for single origin coffees. Apparently they invite guest roasters every few months as well.

Food: You can't beat freshly made onsite bakery goodies. They even offered waffles there, something I'm sure Josh would spring for if he were with me (he's traveling for work today). My pumpkin muffin was tasty and the hard sugar on top was a good touch. I wouldn't say they are comparable to my pumpkin muffin from Full City / Palace Bakery in Eugene, but a nice decent muffin. The other stuff looked good, like the cookies. I'll have to try an afternoon or evening treat there sometime.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but I'm going to be using the Disloyalty Card as I tour around. It's a good start for where to go...Get it? Disloyalty? You're going to different coffee shops (so you're not loyal). HA! It's cute.



P.S. I really enjoyed my visit, and will definitely return with Josh. Next time, I might come in the evening for a coffee and cookie and Josh can get a beer. Sounds fun! Oh, and sorry my pictures are a bit blurry. I forgot my camera...again. I need to get better about that. The iPhone is handy though! And sorry, the muffin picture has a bit in it -- I was hungry.



P.P.S. On some online research On Intelligentsia, I came across another coffee blogger. Check it out. He's probably more coffee knowledgable than me. Mine are more just for fun than anything. If I keep going though, I'm sure I'll get more knowledgable. Or if I become a Coffee Master...

Seattle Coffee Tour: Victrola

Although I haven't posted to the Coffee Tour in a while, I have actually been drinking coffee. I guess that happens when you work in a coffee shop. Or maybe it's just the grey Seattle weather that forces the coffee habit. Either way, I have a bit of catching up to do on my coffee tour series.

Today Josh and I headed into Capitol Hill where there is a plethora of coffee joints. I had a hard time deciding on which to visit. We ended up at a place that Josh's parents went to with some friends a couple years ago. We have little espresso cups at home actually, so we thought we should give it a try. Not to mention, some great raves on Yelp.

Coffee Shop Name: Victrola Coffee Roasters

Location: 310 E Pike St (between Bellevue Ave & Minor Ave)

The Order: I ordered a sugar free vanilla, 2% latte, and Josh got a mocha.

General Babble: Like I said, we have cups from this place, so we thought we should taste it to be able to speak to the cups that we own. Also, I've heard good talk about this place. They roast their own coffee in shop. When I asked, they roast it during the week and you can see the roasting machine in the back. There are also free cupping (tastings) on Wednesdays. Perhaps something to try someday. The place was quiet and parking easy to find (a plus in downtown). There wasn't a ton of people, so I didn't have to wait hungrily in line.

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 3.75 - I know this looks funny with the below ratings, but Josh's mocha wasn't our favorite. The chocolate was different and we couldn't quite pin-point the taste. It could have been made wrong or it's just how it tastes. Perhaps it is the kind of chocolate they use. Who knows. I think he wished he got my drink. However, we liked it enough to go say we'd go back and re-try it though. I enjoyed my latte; it was very smooth and even balanced. I did go back and add some more vanilla (but that's just me liking it on the sweeter side). The food adds some points too. I liked the place very much, I just docked a few for the mocha. I revised visit sometime in the future.

Latte Art: 4 - there wasn't anything brilliant about it. A fun little design like a tree flower. It was the same design in both of our drinks. The color contrast was cool though.

Atmosphere: 4 - The missing point is for hard seats & strange art. However, the plus is for the ease of finding a seat, openness (tall ceilings), quiet and easy to hear each other talk, and it was a nice temperature inside.

Drink Options: 4 - the typical drink options. No current specials or store specials. There was only one sugar free flavor option. Points for doing the drinks they do have well though. The had french press, pour over, and other options too.

Coffee Knowledge: The espresso drinks used a single origin coffee. It was their Ethiopia Nekisse. I think I like cofees from Ehiopia because an old favorite was Ethiopia Sidamo at Starbucks. Just smooth, silky, and slightly sweet. The board menu was pretty descriptive too.

Food: Well, it was Macrina's. Enough said. I love Macrinas. It would have been cool if they made their own and I found some awesomely delicious new muffin or something, but at least it was Macrina. If you're going to purchase the food, that's the best way to go. Macrina's coffee isn't stellar, so at least I can get great coffee with my favorite squash harvest bread (just have to drive further). Josh had a yogurt parfait. He got a day-old discount, which is nice. He said it was alright, but the granola on top got a little too soft. He could imagine it being tasty if it were a tad bit fresher.

Seattle Coffee Tour: Vivace

Note: Be sure to read the series introduction first.

To start off this series, I'll be writing about my recent visit to Vivance. Josh and I headed to the up-and-coming South Lake Union area around mid-morning on a brisk day; definitely a day for a warm coffee.

Of course I read up a bit on the place beforehand. I learned that there white velvet and cafe nico drinks were favorites. Also, that it started as a sidewalk, walk-up window type place, which has now expanded to include some larger shops. Oh, and apparently this place is known for it's latte art because there are t-shirts and logos with the rosetta design when you walk in the door.

Coffee Shop Name: Espresso Vivace Roasteria or Espresso Vivace Sidewalk Bar

Location: 227 Yale Avenue, Seattle, WA

The Order: Josh ordered the white velvet, which happens to be a white mocha. I ordered a mocha.

General Babble: We received some beautiful coffees to enjoy. They both had the lovely rosetta design. The coffee was smooth and sweet; we could hardly taste it in our drinks. Hardly being the key word though because it still had that espresso that balanced out the sweetness. For some descriptive words, try creamy, cocoa, and nutty (or perhaps that's the mocha part of the drink).

Ratings:

Overall Visit: 4.5

Latte Art: 4 - they could have done something more than just a rosetta

Atmosphere: 4

Drink Options: 4 - I wish they had more sugar-free syrups

Coffee Knowledge: They use Northern Italian inspired espresso blends.

Food: Sorry, we had breakfast at home that morning and really didn't feel like food. They did seem to serve a few Macrina items though and that makes me happy.

Introducing: Seattle Coffee Tour

Congratulations, you are now participating in a series I will be running on coffee shops. I will be touring Seattle to taste coffee all around town - shops big and small, corporate and local. Then you'll get to hear all about the experience with a personal review by yours truly.

This won't be a true coffee tasting where you pull out the french press then sniff, slurp, describe, and share. Rather, a tasting of lattes, mochas, and such. The fru-fru drinks.

Also, you'll hear about the fun latte art that you see on the foam. It's not a serious review, but a fun tour with yummy coffee. And the review might be swayed since my faithful coffee commando confidant, Josh, will be joining me on the tour.

Here's how it will work:

• Blog Category: There will be a category on my blog called "Coffee Tour." You'll find this in the top navigation bar. All my posts about the tour will be associated with this category.


• Coffee Shop Name: You probably want to know the shop's name.


• Location: Just in case you want to head there yourself.


• The Order: What did Josh and I actually purchase?


• General Babble: I will most likely give you some random thoughts on the experience. Perhaps some information or other random thoughts.


• Ratings: I will be rating each shop in several areas on a scale of 1 to 5. With 5 being the "I've died and gone to heaven" best and 1 being "wow, ick, get this out of my face." The categories include:
  
  
  
  • Overall Visit
  
  
  • Latte Art
  
  
  • Atmosphere
  
  
  • Drink Options
  
  
  
  


• Coffee Knowledge: I'll try to find out about their roasting and beans and share this with you. This is more official coffee stuff than the rest of the review.


• Food: Coffee pairs great with food. If I have something there, I'll be sure to let you know about it.

I'll try to organize the entry starting with a general description of our visit, then I'll do some bullet points in the sequence I have above. Not to mention, there will be pictures at the end (and maybe in the middle on some occasions)!

Lastly, below is some information to educate yourself. This is so you know what the heck I'm talking about:

• Region - Coffee beans come from all over the world. Such regions include: Latin America, Africa / Arabia, Asia / Pacific, Multi-Region blends, and dark roasts. As a heads-up, most lattes and such drinks are made using dark roasts and more specially espresso roast.


• Espresso - a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Definition from Wikipedia.


• Pairing - This is when you match food to the coffee you are drinking. It works best with french press that is not dressed up.


• Crema -


• Dressed up (aka Fru Fru) - I believe this is a Heather term only. It is when you add sweeteners, milk, chocolate, anything really, to your coffee. This is how I like it best.


• Latte Art (aka Coffee Art or Foam Art) - These are patterns made in the foam that tops espresso drinks made by your barista. There are stencils out there, but the true art is done by those barista free hand. It's in the wrist I hear (and the proper equipment, which I personally don't have...boo).


• Rosetta - This is a common pattern used in latte art. It's almost like a flower.


• Coffee Geek - Got you. I've never really looked at this site until I was trying to find stuff to educate you with...read up my friends.


• How To - This will show you the steps to making latte art it at home. Beware: you have to have the right equipment for this stuff.


• Glossary (for all those times when you just don't know what to say about your coffee) - Cocoa, nutty, caramel, fruity, buttery, spicy, citrus, smooth, earthy, floral, body, bright, complex, clean, exotic, balanced, intense, smoky, and oh so much more.

Cheers!