Old Town café

This was a great little café in the old town section of Nampa, ID. For those of you who haven’t heard of Nampa, well it’s about 15 miles outside of Boise and is better known for its secret network of underground tunnels and local ghosts from its stagecoach days. This little establishment is run jointly with an antiques shop and offers a selection of various sandwhiches and homemade soups daily. On my first visit I tried one of their sandwhices and a mocha latte of course. It is locally owned place, and upon talking with the owner it turns out that he decided to open the place to keep himself out of trouble (and boredom) during retirement. He told me about some of the challenges of small business (I’m always looking for tips on my future coffee shop) and about some of his discoveries is nuclear time travel. Ok, well it wasn’t time travel but more along the lines of some ideas for his soup recipes. I returned later that week on Sat. morning and tried some of the chili and cornbread afterwhich I promptly made a beeline for the local farmers market down the street. Cool farmers market, small, but I bought 7 cinnamon pecan buns for the band (they were the best I’ve ever had in my life!.....the people must be fellow amish folk) and some fresh honey.

A rather average espresso drink; a little too much chocolate flavor. There was no foam present, ‘twas served in a “to go” cup. 2.9 beans

Vivace

Located on “the hill” in Seattle, this little coffee joint of Italian flair was very welcoming and European. Being that my motorcycle is Italian, it didn’t have a hard time finding the way to these superb beans. There are 2 places to find Vivace in Seattle, this place on the hill and an espresso stand (which is apperantly a motorcycle haven) nearby. When I walked in the aroma was a splendid sensation and since it was the morning rush, I patiently took a place in line with the local regulars and silently observed the skill of the baristas behind the counter. As I looked around, it was obvious that everything is roasted in house and the owner pays attention to detail; even the tables and counters were marble. There was a smoking section and I was asked if it was dine in/out. I purchased a pound of their espresso beans (to be used when I can afford my own espresso machine) and my standard mocha latte.

It was quite the drink, probably among the best that has even gone down my throat. Everything about it was subtle and quality. Excellent espresso taste, not too much chocolate or milk, perfect foam (and they even left a design in it) 4.7 beans

Original Starbucks

Seattle, arguably the coffee capitol of the US, nothing like a cup of tasty aromatic brown caffine to make you forget about an overcast day by the bay. Seattle is also home of the mega coffee producer Starbucks. For better or worse, they have ushered in a coffee culture era in America. And have made it easier than ever to order your customized coffee drink almost anywhere, and now (for the ultimate is American apathy) they offer drive- thrus at many of their places. So, the original establishment where it all began is located at Pike’s Place market in downtown Seattle. It’s a small little place with hardwood floors, no seats, and a view of the market just outside the windows. I was there visiting with my cousin Janine and since it was the fall, we both ended up getting the spiced pumpkin latte. The baristas were friendly and the coffee was good, but it was Starbucks. We’ll talk on this further my coffee friends in my Tallahasse Starbucks report.

Thomas Hammer coffee company

This is a hip little coffee joint in downtown Spokane. Thomas Hammer is a regional coffee roaster with various stores throughout the NW states. They have a very upscale industrial feel to their esptablishments and offer an assortment of imported baked goods along with a quite imaginative coffee menu. In this case I had some variation of a latte with a little cinnamon and spice in it (this was pre-mocha latte quest) They have the standard drinks that every coffee establishment offers and then “kick it up a notch” (thanks Emril) by offering combinations that you probably never dreamed possible with coffee. Overall a great little store, and of course I had to buy one of their sumo wrestlers for sale. (he lives in my wind chimes now ) overall a great place, if you see one, pull off of the highway and check it out.