Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
is regarded as a world center for
coffee roasting
Roasting coffee transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process is what produces the characteristic flavor of coffee by causing the green coffee beans to change in taste. ...
and coffee
supply chain management
In commerce, supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services including all processes that transform raw materials into final products between businesses and locations. This can include the movement and stor ...
. Related to this, many of
the city's inhabitants are
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
enthusiasts; the city is known for its prominent
coffee culture
Coffee culture is the set of traditions and social behaviors that surround the consumption of coffee, particularly as a social lubricant. The term also refers to the cultural diffusion and adoption of coffee as a widely consumed stimulant. In the ...
and numerous
coffeehouse
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
s.
Coffee consumption and culture
People in Seattle consume more coffee than in any other American city; one study stated that there are 35 coffee shops per 100,000 residents and that Seattle people spend an average of $36 a month on coffee. It is nearly impossible to walk past a single block in a
commercial area
Commercial areas in a city are areas, districts, or neighborhoods primarily composed of commercial buildings, such as a strip mall, office parks, downtown, central business district, financial district, " Main Street", or shopping centers. Comm ...
in Seattle without walking past at least one coffee shop. Coffee drinkers can get coffee at a local sidewalk stand, parking lot, tiny coffee houses, big coffee houses, drive-through, and even delivery.
Several Seattle Ethiopian restaurants carry forward one or another degree of
Ethiopian coffee tradition, which includes doing their own roasting. These include the Jebena Cafe in
Pinehurst, Kaffa Coffee & Wine Bar in the
Rainier Valley, and Adey Abeba in the
Central District.
In the early 2000s in Seattle a coffee concept called the
bikini barista
A bikini barista is a woman who works as a barista, preparing and serving coffee beverages, while dressed in scanty attire such as a bikini, lingerie or a crop top combined with bikini bottoms or hotpants. In the United States, this marketing tec ...
began to be implemented by various marketers throughout the area. Coffee distribution in this business model utilizes baristas wearing little clothing to prepare and serve the coffee.
Roasters
![Seattle, WA, November 2022 - 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Seattle%2C_WA%2C_November_2022_-_01.jpg)
Numerous coffee roasting companies are headquartered in Seattle, including:
*
Anchorhead Coffee
Anchorhead Coffee is coffee company founded and based in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Description
'' Seattle Metropolitan'' says, "Anchorhead creates a space that’s more inclusive than a coffee temple, but more restrained than a ...
* Conduit Coffee Roasters
* Fonté Coffee Roasters
* River Trail Roasters
*
Caffè Umbria
*
Torrefazione Italia
Torrefazione Italia is a high-end brand of Starbucks coffee beans sold in grocery stores. It started out as its own coffeehouse chain before being acquired by Starbucks in 2003.
History
The first Torrefazione Italia café opened in Seattle, Wa ...
* Fremont Coffee Company
* Herkimer Coffee
* Kuma Coffee
* Caffe Appassionato
*
Caffe Ladro
*
Top Pot Coffee Roasters
*
Victrola Coffee Roasters
Victrola Coffee Roasters is a coffee roasting company with multiple locations in Seattle, Washington.
Description and history
Established in 2000, Victrola has locations in Seattle's Capitol Hill and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. The company's f ...
* Lighthouse Roaster,
* Zoka Coffee Roaster and Tea Company
Storyville Coffee also operates within the Seattle metropolitan area.
Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.
As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...
is Seattle's largest coffee retailer. It was founded in 1971 in
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market is a public market in Seattle, Washington, United States. It opened on August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States. Overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront on Pu ...
as a roaster, but only later became an espresso bar. In 1984 ownership of the company changed and
Howard Schultz
Howard D. Schultz (born July 19, 1953) is an American businessman and author who served as both chairman and CEO of Starbucks from 1986 to 2000, from 2008 to 2017, and as interim CEO since 2022. Schultz also owned the Seattle SuperSonics basket ...
led a massive international expansion of the company.
In 2003, Starbucks acquired pioneering Seattle roaster Seattle's Best Coffee (SBC, originally Stewart Brothers' Coffee).
Tully's Coffee
Tully's Coffee
Tully's Coffee is an American specialty coffee manufacturing brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which acquired the Tully's brand and wholesale business in 2009.
At the time of the Keurig wholesale acquisition, the "Tully's" name and retail-store r ...
was at one time Seattle's second-largest coffee retailer. As of March 2018 there no longer are any Tully’s retail locations in the United States. Tom Tully O'Keefe founded the chain in
Kent, Washington
Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest municipality in greater Seattle and t ...
in 1992 to rival the expansion of Starbucks with an alternative business model.
Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting Company
![Caffe Vita](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Caffe_Vita.jpg)
Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting Company
Caffè Vita Coffee Roasting Company, commonly known as Caffè Vita, is an American coffee roasting company based in Seattle, Washington. Part of the third wave of coffee movement, it has been named one of 10 places offering "the best coffee in Ame ...
was founded in 1995 to produce excellent artisan coffee and to implement an ethical model for coffee production which bypassed the
fair trade
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
business model and sourced coffee beans directly from the farmers producing it.
Espresso Vivace
Espresso Vivace
Espresso Vivace is a Seattle area coffee shop and roaster known for its coffee and roasting practices. Vivace's owner, David Schomer,
Allison, MelissaVivace founder, David Schomer is a coffee prophet ''Seattle Times.'' Sunday, July 2, 2006 is ...
is a set of coffeehouses and a roaster. Founded in 1988
[Shannon Borg]
Seattle Coffee Guide: Locally Roasted Beans
Seattle Magazine, October 2010. Accessed 2015-10-23. by a Boeing engineer, the coffee is produced to exacting specifications to match the owner's taste and the taste of patrons who prefer this different blend.
Stumptown
Portland-based
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a coffee roaster and retailer based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The chain's flagship café and roastery opened in 1999. Three other cafes, a roastery and a tasting annex have since opened in Portland, as well ...
opened a roasting facility in Seattle
in 2010.
On October 6, 2015, it was announced that San Francisco-based
Peet's Coffee
Peet's Coffee is a San Francisco Bay Area-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer owned by JAB Holding Company via JDE Peet's. Founded in 1966 by Alfred Peet in Berkeley, California, Peet's introduced the United States to its darker roasted ...
(a division of
JAB Holding Company
JAB Holding Company ("JAB" or Joh. A. Benckiser) is a German conglomerate, headquartered in Luxembourg, that includes investments in companies operating in the areas of consumer goods, forestry, coffee, luxury fashion, animal health, and fast foo ...
of Germany, since 2012) would acquire Stumptown.
Coffeehouses
![December 2022 - Seattle 55](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/December_2022_-_Seattle_55.jpg)
Seattle coffeehouse culture includes chains, such as Starbucks, Tully's Coffee and Seattle's Best Coffee, alongside many independently owned coffee shops. Independently owned coffee shops include:
*
Boon Boona Coffee
Boon Boona Coffee is a Black-owned coffee roaster and coffeehouse with two locations in the U.S. state of Washington.
History
The business was founded by owner Efrem Fesaha in 2012. According to ''Eater Seattle'', "As Fesaha developed the roas ...
*
Café Allegro
* Caffé D’arte
* Caffè Umbria
*
Caffé Vita
*
Cherry Street Coffee House
Cherry Street Coffee House is a chain of Coffeehouse, coffeehouses in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States.
History
The business was founded by co-owner Ali Ghambari. By April 2011, the business had five locations, and it had ...
*
Drinkmore Cafe
*
Espresso Vivace
Espresso Vivace is a Seattle area coffee shop and roaster known for its coffee and roasting practices. Vivace's owner, David Schomer,
Allison, MelissaVivace founder, David Schomer is a coffee prophet ''Seattle Times.'' Sunday, July 2, 2006 is ...
*
Ghost Alley Espresso
Ghost Alley Espresso is a coffee shop located at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The business operates in a former service room for bathroom attendants on Post Alley, close to the Gum Wall. The curre ...
*
Hello Em
Hello Em Việt Coffee & Roastery, or simply Hello Em, is a Vietnamese Coffeehouse, coffee shop in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington.
Description
Hello Em is a "sleek" Vietnamese Coffeehouse, coffee shop on Weller Str ...
*
Kaladi Brothers Coffee
*
Monorail Espresso
*
Overcast Coffee Company
Overcast Coffee Company is a coffee shop with two locations in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Description
Overcast Coffee Company has two locations on Seattle's Capitol Hill. In addition to coffee and tea drinks such as Americanos ...
*
Pegasus Coffee Company
Pegasus Coffee Company (also known as Pegasus Coffee House) is a coffee company operating in Bainbridge Island and Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business has operated Pegasus Coffee Bar on 3rd Avenue, in the lobby of the Dexter Ho ...
*
Top Pot Doughnuts
Top Pot Doughnuts is a chain of coffee and doughnut cafes started in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
Top Pot began in February 2002 and was started by brothers Mark and Michael Klebeck.
Locations
, Top Pot has 18 cafe loca ...
* Elm Coffee Roasters
* Slate Coffee
* Victrola
*
Zeitgeist Coffee
Zeitgeist Coffee is a coffeehouse in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business was established in 1997.
Description and history
Zeitgeist Coffee has operated in downtown Seattle's Pioneer Square dis ...
* Zoka Coffee
Café Allegro
Café Allegro is a coffeeshop in
University District. Its founder worked with Starbucks roasters to develop the original Starbucks espresso roast, which is darker than most other roasts but still lighter than the darkest roast. That espresso roast remains the standard Starbucks espresso offering, but it was developed for Café Allegro.
Last Exit on Brooklyn
The
Last Exit on Brooklyn
The Last Exit on Brooklyn was a Seattle University District coffeehouse established in 1967 by Irv Cisski. It is known for its part in the history of Seattle's counterculture, for its pioneering role in establishing Seattle's coffee culture, ...
was a coffee house which opened in 1967 and closed in 2000. It was a gathering place for high-level chess players and intellectuals, and the proprietor worked to "create a haven where students and the benign crazies" were welcome and where "everyone felt equal and there were no sacred cows".
Top Pot Doughnuts
Top Pot Doughnuts
Top Pot Doughnuts is a chain of coffee and doughnut cafes started in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
Top Pot began in February 2002 and was started by brothers Mark and Michael Klebeck.
Locations
, Top Pot has 18 cafe loca ...
was founded in 2002 on
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
as a pastry bakery which also roasts and sells coffee. It has since expanded to locations across the Puget Sound region and
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
.
Bauhaus Coffee and Books
A precursor to Top Pot Doughnuts;
Bauhaus Strong Coffee was founded on October 5, 1993,
and is notable for an unusual coffeehouse space design, which the Top Pot Doughnuts co-founders later applied to its design. While the original location closed on October 5, 2013, a new Capitol Hill location later opened that year, following two new locations in
Ballard and
Green Lake.
All three were closed abruptly on December 13, 2015. Owner Joel Radin filed bankruptcy in February 2017.
Coffee technology
In 2007 the
Coffee Equipment Company
Coffee Equipment Company was a Seattle-based manufacturer of coffee equipment. The company focused on producing equipment that creates high-quality brewed coffee. It was purchased in 2008 by Starbucks.
The company's first product was the Clover 1 ...
released a product called the Clover, which was a machine which brewed coffee one cup at a time. The company was acquired by Starbucks who now produces the Clover.
Coffee events
''Coffee: World in your Cup'' is the name of an exhibition and community series which premiered in Seattle through most of 2009 at the
Burke Museum
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (Burke Museum) is a natural history museum in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. Established in 1899 as the Washington State Museum, it traces its origins to a high school naturalist club fo ...
. The exhibition includes displays of equipment at the museum and a lecture series with talks in various locations wherein experts talk about aspects of the coffee industry.
The
World Barista Championship
The World Barista Championship (WBC) is an annual barista competition operated by World Coffee Events for the title of World Barista Champion. The competition is composed of the winners of the national barista championships, which are operated by ...
was held in Seattle in April 2015. The competition, and its winner
Sasa Sestic
Sasa Sestic (born 24 October 1978) is a Bosnian-Australian[NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...](_blank)
series ''
Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Case ...
'', the characters are often seen drinking coffee at the fictional Café Nervosa, which is said to have been inspired by the real-life Elliott Bay Café.
See also
*
Coffee in Portland, Oregon
References
External links
*
{{Coffee in Seattle
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
Culture of Seattle
Tourist attractions in Seattle