Secondly, I know that Starbucks started in Seattle but I couldn't believe how many there are in the downtown area. I thought Seattle was suppose to be the top of the Coffee Culture food chain in the USA, but with so many Starbucks in such a small area I was beginning to have my doubts. But not to worry those doubts were put to rest once I got out of the downtown area.
So the first coffee shop I visited was Caffe Vita in Capitol Hill. Since I've heard good things about Caffe Vita and also liked their booth at Coffeefest, this place was on the top of my list to visit. As I made the 2 mile hike from my hotel downtown to the Capitol Hill area my faith in Seattle as the center of all things coffee in the US was restored as I must have passed a dozen independent coffee shops with about half of those roasting their own beans. My first impression of Caffe Vita was not a good one. It's a kind of dark and rustic place which too me didn't seem very inviting. Add to that the Barista put my small cappuccino in a to go cup without asking if that is what I wanted. With two strikes against it I took my to go cup of cappuccino and sat at one of the tables. There were a handful of people working furiously on their laptops in the cafe, which showed they had free wi-fi and didn't mind people hanging out. I did also like how there was plenty of room and nice sized tables for people to work at and that there was also a upstairs area for even more room. As waited for my cappuccino to cool down a little I took in the decor again and started to see things I didn't notice initially. Like the art (see below) on the walls or the huge window that lets you see their gigantic roasting machine in the back of the building or the display case with Coffee Cups from other shops from around the world.
So with feeling a little better about this place I tried the cappuccino. I was happy that it was well made and tasted good. And although the customer service given by the Barista sucked (also had a hard time buying some coffee as leaving), the coffee was good enough that I would give Caffe Vita a second chance and also my recommendation to others.
My next, second, and final stop was at Stumptown Coffee which was more to my liking. It was a smaller shop then Caffe Vita but was better lit and more inviting. Walking up to the counter to order I couldn't help but notice the beautiful La Marzocco Mistral machine that they use.
The staff here was very friendly and pegged me instantly as a vistor attending Coffeefest. They not only made me a the best cappuccino I had that day but also offered advice about other coffee shops in the area to try out, some advice on the the different beans they offered for sale, and just some random chit chat. This was a throughly enjoyable coffee shop experience and I highly recommend Stumptown Coffee to anyone who might ever be in the area.
One a final note, I know that a lot of other blogs that review coffee shops have straight espresso in order to determine the quality of beans, skill of the Barista, and taste of the drink. And one day I might do that, but for now I'm going to stick with cappuccino's and tell you wether I liked them or not. The coffee shop experience is so much more to me then how well made the espresso is and besides I'm just not the pretentious.
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