The Crumpet Shop – Seattle, WA

The Crumpet Shop

1503 1^st Avenue

Seattle, WA 98101

http://www.thecrumpetshop.com

Sorry it has taken me more than a week to post something new.  What can I say; I have been in a java induced highly caffeinated state!  I have a reprieve from out of town travel for a couple of weeks so please stay tuned to read about coffee shops in and around the Seattle area for about two weeks.  I love the travel but I must admit it is nice to be home once in a while!

For me, the enjoyment of my coffee is always enhanced with some great baked good, muffin, scone, on in today’s case, a crumpet.  So today I stopped in to an old favorite of mine in Seattle.  The Crumpet Shop is a long time beloved bakery/coffee shop/lunch counter kind of place located in the famous Pike Place Market.  This is a family owned business and they really make you feel welcome, and can get you really excited about what they offer – crumpets!  Rob, the son of the family owner, almost always knows my name when I come in, and it is amazing what a difference that makes for me. 

This is a blog about coffee, so what’s with all the talk of crumpets?  Go check them out and you will know what I mean.  Of course, the coffee and espresso drinks are fabulous, and they serve coffee from one of Seattle’s more popular brands, Café Appassionato.

I must admit however, that for me, it’s all about the crumpets!!  I have been coming to this place for about 15 years, even before I lived in Seattle.  Today I had a warm crumpet, buttered of course, with an additional layer of peanut butter, and Marion berry jam (yes, that real low calorie breakfast).    (It’s the name of a jam, not a dethroned former mayor of an East coast city).

So I would encourage you to stop by and pay a visit to my friend Rob at The Crumpet Shop.

Seattle Coffee Works

Subject: Seattle Coffee Works (www.seattlecoffeeworks.com)

Location: Seattle, WA
Rating: 5 out of 6 cups

This week I ventured into Seattle Coffee Works in downtown Seattle. This great new coffee shop will give any of the national coffee retailers a run for their money in my opinion.  I was invited to sit at the Slow Bar which is a tasting room, and a key differentiator from other coffee shops I have visited.

My friend Antonio, who was visiting from Chicago, and I were invited by the owners (Katie and Sebastian) to sit at the Slow Bar and experience the art and science of coffee.  We sat at this bar, with a map of the four coffee growing regions of the world as the counter upon which we began our journey.

Antonio had a French Press of decaf French Roast and I had a Brazilian blend made via a Vacuum Pot.  For those of you who have never heard of a Vacuum Pot, don’t worry, because neither had I.  It is similar to a coffee percolator (but far better and not so 1960’s) where the water is heated in the bottom chamber and the coffee grounds are in the top chamber.  As the water is heated it makes its way up to steep the grounds in the top chamber, and when completed, the coffee is released to the bottom chamber.  The coffee was smooth, absolutely sediment free and delicious.

     

What was most fun about this place was the experience of learning about a method of making coffee, shared passionately by owners who are truly doing their right work, in a place that was nurturing, community oriented, and welcoming.

I will definitely be headed back to Seattle Coffee Works, so stay tuned!

Batdorf & Bronson – Olympia, WA

Today I was in Olympia, WA with my colleague Brady for a meeting with clients.  After our meeting we stopped by this great coffee shop in downtown Olympia by the name of Batdorf & Bronson.  Okay, I must admit that this was my third visit and I am completely hooked on this place!  It is one of the best coffee shops (in my opinion) in the Seattle area, and that is saying quite a bit, given that Seattle is the epicenter for coffee.

Batdorf & Bronson is a local coffee roaster founded in 1986 with a couple of stores and a tasting room. Much of their coffee is either organic and/or fair trade which is something I have a great deal of respect for. Batdorf & Bronson walks its talk, and attempts to operate as an environmentally sustainable business, by making earth friendly commitments such as composting, solar power, recycling and their recent completion of a 10 year commitment to purchase their electricity using green tag credits.

But, let’s not forget the great coffee!  Personally I am more of a brewed coffee kind of guy and I gravitate toward the dark roast varieties.  Their Capital City Blend is excellent and today I bought a pound of French Roast, which, I know seems a bit conventional, but it goes so, so well with their amazing chocolate cookies.  Today I had their frosted chocolate cookie which has a cake like consistency with a dark butter crème frosting. 

When and if you have a chance to visit, I would suggest sitting at the bar so you can watch the baristas make the coffee drinks and talk to them which is something I do when I visit. Don’t forget the cookies!

Joe

Welcome to my new blog about coffee!

Welcome to the Coffee Shop Traveler –

My name is Joe, and I have long been fascinated by anything related to coffee.   I love the aroma of the coffee, I love the way the coffee turns from black to a deep dark brown when you add crème, I love visiting coffee shops, I like just about every kind of coffee making apparatus there is.  So what is a guy to do who loves coffee, travels a ton, and never seems to blog like he feels he could or should do?    He starts a blog!

So welcome to my blog – I figured this was the best place to combine my two favorite passions of life into one (Coffee and travel) and blog about it.

My vision for this blog is to write about local coffee spots where I enjoy coffee in whatever city my business travel happens to land me.  I am CEO of my own consulting firm and spend about 30% of my time on the road to all urban and remote areas within the United States.  So I will have plenty of time to drink coffee, talk to the wonderful local owners and baristas that prepare their fabulous blends, and… share this all with you!

I am far from being described as a good writer, so I ask for your good sense of humor as I share my thoughts and ideas with you.  If you love coffee and coffee shops and the people who create the experiences for us as much as I do, I hope you will join me from time to time.

When you travel as much as I do it can be very comforting to find a “homey” spot to share a cup of coffee and talk to the locals.

Take this past winter when I was visiting Helena, Montana to conduct a series of business meetings.  I found this local coffee shop near my hotel, close to downtown: 

Subject: The Coffee Spot
Location: Helena, MT
Rating: 6 out of 6 cups

    

I got to my hotel late Sunday night and noticed the coffee shop even though it was not open until the next morning at 7am.  It gave me something to look forward to.

The next morning promptly at 7am on Monday January 11, I was there when The Coffee Spot opened for business.  The owner suggested that I try the local dark roast blend, and that it pairs well with their oatmeal muffin.  For you gluten free folks out there this is basically baked oatmeal, held together in a muffin tin with a bit of egg, without feeling like a quiche.  It was one of the best breakfast “muffins” I have ever had and gluten free.

My coffee was delicious.  We all know how wonderful that first cup of coffee in the morning tastes, but this blend was truly outstanding.  I tend to like the darker roasts with just about a teaspoon of cream or soy silk creamer, just enough to take the black away.

Anyway, the perfectionist side of me found that I was avoiding starting this blog, and that is no fun.  So… here we go.  Enjoy reading and be sure to say hello!