Coffee-life lessons

I am always amazed by the lessons of my Northwest coffee tours.Our trip this time was a little more laid back  – more time for observation, pondering and hanging with friends and lots of  walking rather than the usual over caffeinated chase for the latest and greatest coffee innovation.  Oliver and I decided to do our coffee crawl by visiting some of the “old” shops, some of the “new” and some in transition.

Back in November, Oliver and crew bought Olympia Coffee Roasting Company and two of the company’s espresso bars.  In a very short time the roastry is cranking out amazing coffee and the espresso bars are vibrant with great baristas, coffee and espresso and a growing following of customers.

Jared making me a pour-over of Kenya Nyanja AA Top Auction Lot

Some of the “old” shops we visited were Starbucks on 15th Ave, Espresso Vivace on Broadway and Stumptown Coffee on 12th Ave -all located in the Seattle neighborhood of Capital Hill.  These guys don’t seem to be pushing the envelope but are focusing on doing what they do well.  It was obvious the culture these stores created just by simple observation of their baristas, the feel of the stores and for some stores, the endless line of customers.  The only difference, we all agreed on, were stores that maintained their passion, quality and service!

The new espresso bars continue to pop up daily in the Northwest.  There always seems to be an endless market.  Coffee has truly become a huge part of daily life in the Northwest – like going to work!  We visited a new spot called Arabica Lounge open for approximately four months and serving Stumptown Coffee.  And this is the moment I thoroughly enjoyed about our coffee crawl – hangin with our peeps!

After all the coffee stops, walks and pondering, a few things are clear as they always are after our visits to the Northwest – passion, quality and customer service are paramount!  These words are overused and maybe due to their importance, but it’s the action of these words that count.  I will always search for what’s new and what tazza doro needs to stay on top of  in order to deliver exceptional quality and customer service!  My trips always fuel my passion for coffee and help breathe new life into tazza doro…

along with taking a few risks!