My Cuppa Joe

This week I’ve been busy drinking coffee. It’s only Thursday morning, and since Monday morning I have been to five different coffee shops or cafés, plus hosted a group of women for coffee at my home. I start my morning with two cups of San Francisco Bay French Roast – the environmentally friendly, biodegradable coffee pods -  even before anyone else is awake, just because there is something about that smell and taste of coffee when you have just woken up, the world is still quiet, and it’s just Martha and I, and my coffee with the morning news. The coffee at my office is too strong. At home I mix my drink with hot milk, but in the office I just add some hot water to my cup to soften the utter bitterness as I don’t care for creamers.

A coffee connoisseur would be horrified and most likely appalled by my coffee habits, but I do have my own favorites, coffees and coffee shops that I prefer above others, and then there are the ones I really don’t care for. So even if I dump water in my coffee and can live on the office blend or traditional diner coffee, it for sure does not mean that I don’t appreciate an exceptionally good cuppa joe.

The Seattle area has earned its bragging rights when it comes to great coffee. Not only is it the birth place of Starbucks, to many, the McDonalds of coffee, and Tully’s, but also known for its several coffee roasters, big and small. I remember hearing then we have more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the United States.

Sometimes you'll get surprised!

But where do I go to meet with my clients or friends. What are my favorite places in Redmond?

Sometimes convenience is vital, and at those times I will choose Starbucks. My order is always the same and it does not have those breathtaking twists and adjustments that some have. We all know the person ordering “a grande mocha without mocha but with half coconut, half almond milk, with five pumps of vanilla and two of caramel, and extra whipped cream and four Splendas blended in…” I know we have all met these people, and you may be one of them. So, when I order the barista tends to ask me, if that really is it? Yes, that’s it “a Grande Flat White”. I love the Ristretto bean, and I love whole milk, but most of all I love the convenience of their mobile app, and the ability to order my coffee way before I even get there.

A break at Starbucks with Miss Martha.

But if I have time, I will drive to downtown Redmond and Victor’s Celtic Coffee on Gilman. My kids call this place "the Cowboy Cafe", most likely for its somewhat Western appearance from the outside. I still remember a time when they would only accept cash, and there was no Wi-Fi. In also remember that one time, when they forgot about me, and never completed my order. That day they took a receipt, wrote on it that I would get free coffee the next time I would come in, and honored that old receipt a couple of years later when I found it in a drawer all wrinkled. At Victor’s they roast their own coffee, making the fantastic smell of freshly roasted beans linger even outside the shop. My favorite order is the plain and simple Jumbo Latte, the one that is almost the size of a bucket and has to be enjoyed there, with an apple oat bar on the side. Plainly delicious. I even love Walter, yelling at his customers openly hating everyone whom dares to open their laptop whilst visiting even. Victor’s tends to divide people as many work at coffee shops and Walter’s somewhat hostile attitude toward modern technology and customers with the intention of working, does not favor that. However, the coffee is excellent, and if you’re fine traveling back to the time prior to laptops you will for sure love it.

Breakfast at Victor's

Hoffman’s isn’t cozy and warm, inviting you to stay for hours, but boy do they have delicious pastries. My sole reason for visiting can be their Princess Torte or the almond coffee cake. Coffee at Hoffman’s is just coffee, decent and enjoyable as such, but I wouldn’t exactly travel there for it. Their pastries are a different story though, and if you have a sweet tooth like me and have not been to their bakery on Cleveland Street, I promise you will enjoy the visit. Even though Hoffman’s can be considered a newbie in Redmond, it first opened in 1984 and was located in Kirkland. In 2000 the Hoffmans sold the bakery to the current owners and for 17 years they have maintained the tradition of European fine pastries.

My third most favorite down in Redmond, yes, I live up on the Redmond foothills, where my only option is the Starbucks mentioned above, so I would literally be driving down to Redmond. This one is truly new, but it is inviting, warm and as its name reveals they roast their own beans. The River Trail Roasters is tucked away from the highest traffic, located in the corner of 158^th Ave NE and NE 85^th St, opposite from the City Hall. I enjoy sitting here, whether with a client, a friend or just by myself enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and superb coffee. 

Sitting by the fire at River Trail Roasters with Martha