Their
coffee beans are roasted at their
Roasteria location on Denny Road, just off Broadway in
Seattle's
Capitol Hill neighborhood. Their location on Broadway proper is just a
coffee cart, which also serves great
espresso drinks, but is hardly as
awe-inspiring as the cafe at the Roasteria.
Famous not just for their
insanely great espresso, the
baristas there also take the time to pour a swirly
rosetta pattern of milk foam in every
cafe latte. Even the caffeine-addicted
zombies who stumble in for their morning latte fix have been seen taking a moment to admire the barista's handiwork before drinking away their withdrawl headaches.
The
purist who runs the joint is
David Schomer, a veritable
fanatic about the art of espresso, who writes and speaks extensively about the best ways to consistently make "
una bella tazza di caffe". For anyone who gives a damn about pulling the perfect shot, his book,
Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques, is a must read.
I used to enjoy Espresso Vivace beans at home only sporadically back when I bothered to make the three hour drive to Seattle, but now that I've gotten a few friends to go in with me, we've been able to scrape up a weekly order for their two-pound shipping minimum. The orders typically arrive at my office in
Portland within a day of being roasted. My officemates are so
jealous, even though most of them would never bother to make their own espresso at home.