Can anybody recommend a place to buy coffee beans in Seattle?

December 17, 2004 2:17 PM

Here's an easy one, hopefully. Can anybody recommend a place to buy coffee (beans) in Seattle?

I'd like to buy my dad a couple pounds of a nice dark roast to go along with the various gourmet coffee-accessories I'm getting him for Christmas (don't worry, he doesn't read metafilter). I'm looking for a place that roasts their own and sells it by the pound. There's a lot of them, but what is your favorite? Where is it located?

I did a search for this, but didn't find anything, though it seems like something that's been asked before. Apologies if I'm wrong.

posted by Hildago to shopping (25 comments total)

I'm a bit partial to Caffe Vita.
posted by barkingpumpkin at 2:24 PM on December 17, 2004

I used to really like the Tully's Madison Blend cut with some of their French Roast. This was about 5 or 6 years ago. I'm sure you can get both kinds at just about any store location. You can probably have one of the Barista's mix the two up whole bean (and then ground, if you're not also getting your dad a grinder or he doesn't have one) in the store. Side-note: They would appreciate it if you asked them to do this when the store isn't in a crazy rush and you tipped.

I think the roaster's name used to be Richard and their facilities may have also changed, but I bet the roast hasn't significantly changed too much since I used to drink the stuff.

I liked them because they were between Starbucks (too dark overall) and Seattle's Best Coffee (too light overall).
posted by safetyfork at 2:30 PM on December 17, 2004

Vivace
posted by caitlinb at 2:30 PM on December 17, 2004

B & O Espresso on Capitol Hill has some good stuff.
posted by Skot at 2:31 PM on December 17, 2004

Sigh: Baristas. Plural not possessive...
posted by safetyfork at 2:32 PM on December 17, 2004

My two favorite micro-roaster in Seattle are (in order of preference):
Caffe Appassianato - their roasting plant is over by Fisherman's Terminal at 4001 21st Avenue West (website is here: www.caffeappassionato.com/)

The other place is much smaller, and has fewer outlets, but I think it's the best coffee around - Olympic Coffee. Their roasting plant and retail shop is located in Normandy Park (of all places!). They also have coffee shops/outlets in Port Orchard and Bremerton. Odd locations, I know - but this guy does a kick-ass job of roasting. He also gets some very small batches of beans, my current fave is a darker roast that is still quite mellow - Celibes.
Good luck!
posted by dbmcd at 2:33 PM on December 17, 2004

I would also second both Vivace and B & O if you didn't want to go with Tully's. In fact, Vivace has more of the upscale vibe roast-wise. Coffee is one of the things I do miss about Seattle. Your dad is in for a treat. Excellent gift!
posted by safetyfork at 2:36 PM on December 17, 2004

I'm pretty sure this is the best coffee in seattle. they take it real serious. vivace.
posted by alkupe at 2:40 PM on December 17, 2004

If you don't mind looking further south (Olympia), there's always Batdorf and Bronson. They offer a pretty wide range of beans on their site, and have the added warm-fuzziness of being the only coffee company in the country to operate on 100% "green power" (if that matters to you).
posted by Vervain at 3:20 PM on December 17, 2004

I love Peet's as well as a brand roasted in Woodenville called Black Swan which you can purchase at the Bean & Bagel near the UW campus and possibly elsewhere. (Thanks to everyone else for more recommendations.)
posted by fatllama at 3:33 PM on December 17, 2004

I second Caffe Vita. Great coffee.
posted by j.edwards at 3:37 PM on December 17, 2004

Vivace is the best.
posted by roboto at 3:59 PM on December 17, 2004

It can't be said enough times - Vivace.
posted by glyphlet at 4:01 PM on December 17, 2004

CoffeeGeek - good roasters / retailers in the Seattle area.
posted by milovoo at 4:12 PM on December 17, 2004

I second Vervain's recommendation. Also, I have the feeling that B&B coffee is sold somewhere in Seattle, although I don't actually know where that would be.
posted by Captain_Tenille at 4:18 PM on December 17, 2004

Thanks. I used to live by B&O, and I really like theirs. Haven't tried Vivace, but that sounds like one to put on the short list. Keep them coming guys.
posted by Hildago at 4:21 PM on December 17, 2004

Zoka!

It's great coffee, among the best I've had, and the stores are great too. They also have some of the best baristas in the nation, and although you're looking for beans not a cup of coffee, they could still point you in the right direction.

They host cuppings and such too, sometimes.
posted by thethirdman at 4:41 PM on December 17, 2004

Also, I have the feeling that B&B coffee is sold somewhere in Seattle, although I don't actually know where that would be.

Hollys.
posted by y2karl at 5:03 PM on December 17, 2004

My first choice would be Vivace, 2nd Caffe Vita. Personally I think that Tully's is awful and that Zoka is overrated.

BTW, techincally Vivace only sells its 2 espresso blends, but these should be great brewed any way you like.
posted by turbodog at 5:40 PM on December 17, 2004

I like Cafe Ladro Vita and Vivace are very nice too. You should really take some time to sample the coffee around town before making your final decision.

I've never been impressed with the espresso serverd at the B&O, but the food is amazing. $10 will get you much better food in Seattle than $30 will in southern california...
posted by b1tr0t at 1:11 AM on December 18, 2004

I think Cafe Vita and Vivace are easily the best but if you want a little hole-in-the-wall place that is a bit off the beaten track, I also suggest Lighthouse Roasters
posted by jessamyn at 5:52 AM on December 18, 2004

I'm going to throw my vote in with Vivace. I am currently sitting in Brooklyn enjoying a fine cup of Vivace Vita from beans I purchased back in September during a trip to Seattle. The beans have kept very well and the coffee is astoundingly rich and flavorful. One point of advice - do NOT store your beans in the freezer. I don't know who came up with this ridiculousness, but moisture is the enemy. Keep your beans in a cabinet away from light and moisture.
posted by spicynuts at 9:02 AM on December 18, 2004

A huge second for Lighthouse in Fremont. Their coffee is the absolute shiznit.
posted by vito90 at 9:30 AM on December 18, 2004

Vivace, of course! I forget how spoiled we Capitol Hillians are to have it so easily accessible, until I drink coffee from... well, pretty much anywhere else. You cannot really go wrong with Vivace, hidalgo, and as this thread suggests the natives are in pretty strong agreement.

However, a big caveat: Vivace does not, technically, sell coffee beans: they sell only two roasts of espresso beans (or you can buy unroasted, but I'm betting your dad's not that much of a do-it-your-selfer), which though smaller you can store, grind, and brew very much like you would the larger coffee beans, but it may not be quite the same.

It's also very important to remember that while Vivace uses very good beans, their real secret is the obsessive quality control: a visit to their shop reveals the extensive analysis the owner did to determine the optimal temperature (203.5) at which only the best flavor can be extracted, without the bitterness we typically associate with coffee (many machines will range as far as +/- 15 degrees, which is where the acidity we associate with mediocre coffee can come from). He then worked to develop custom PID controllers connected to their espresso machines so as to maintain a +/- of less than half a degree in the water temperature. It truly is coffee that tastes precisely like it smells- and sadly, is a part of the extraordinary Vivace coffee experience that your father won't be able to achieve simply based on the beans.

One last note about coffee: the best coffee- not espresso/lattes- that I am aware of here in Seattle is or at least was (before I became singularly devoted to lattes and by extension Vivace) Caffe D'Arte, with a couple of shops downtown. It was D'Arte coffee, which has a sweet taste, that originally got me hooked on coffee when I first arrived in Seattle ~10 years ago.
posted by hincandenza at 8:17 PM on December 18, 2004

You guys all rule. I'm stickin' with Vivace for the gift, but I'll try these other places myself.
posted by Hildago at 11:34 AM on December 21, 2004