THE FOOD ITINERARY
The birthplace of Starbucks also supports a rich indie coffee scene. KATE APPLETON finds out what’s brewing星巴克的發源地，原來亦是獨立咖啡館百花齊放的地方。Kate Appleton探索西雅圖咖啡杯裡的乾坤
KATE APPLETON highlights five coffee spots to refuel in Seattle
SEBASTIAN SIMSCH HAS a theory about what has fuelled Seattle’s thirst for coffee. ‘It started less with a passion than with a need to compensate for grey weather,’ he says. ‘Coffee is a little sunshine in a cup, and once Seattleites got drinking, they decided they might as well drink really good coffee.’
Seattle Coffee Works, which Simsch founded in 2006, sources beans directly from farmers and roasts them onsite at its cafe by Pike Place Market – opposite the first Starbucks. In this serious coffee city you don’t dash in and call out ‘two lattes, please’. First you choose your preferred single-origin coffee, then your brewing method (say, Aeropress or siphon) – and then you sit back as a barista prepares your drink with scientific precision.
This trend of treating coffee as a nuanced craft beverage has been dubbed the ‘third wave’, and it’s recently washed over Seattle, introducing lighter, fruitier flavours.
‘Seattle has a deep-rooted relationship with darker roasts,’ says Jason Chase of Slate Coffee Roasters, citing local European-style cafes dating back to the ’60s. ‘Coffee drinkers are coming round to celebrating a much wider spectrum.’
Seattle’s full-blown passion for coffee continues to attract newcomers. Last year, the city ranked number one in the US for coffee shop visits per capita, based on Google location data. Here are five of the best.
ESPRESSO VIVACE 1
Vivace’s Sidewalk Bar has been a fixture of Capitol Hill for about 30 years. Co-founder David Schomer is widely credited with popularising latte art (a rosetta leaf is the most challenging design) in the city, and produces one of its finest cappuccinos. It’s based on a silky foam and northern Italian espresso and prepared with a Japanese steam tip. espressovivace.com
MILSTEAD & CO 2
Andrew Milstead exemplifies the new guard of multiroasters – sourcing a rotating selection of 20 coffees that are freshly brewed on an Aeropress or V60 pour-over coffee dripper. One favourite is a single-estate Honduran from Seattle’s Kuma Coffee Roasters that he says tastes of quince, cane sugar and marzipan. Even if you’re not the type to wax poetic, you’ll appreciate Milstead’s light-filled space in artsy Fremont. milsteadandco.com
PELOTON 3
A tyre pump bolted to the pavement is one indication you’ve arrived at Peloton, an exposed-brick cafe that combines two Seattle passions. Here in the Central District, locals can wait out a bike tuneup over a berry-flavoured Ethiopian roast. There’s craft beer, too, along with nourishing breakfasty stuff, sandwiches and salads. Credit goes to co-owner/chef Mckenzie Hart, previously of locavore restaurant Sitka & Spruce. pelotonseattle.com
SEATTLE COFFEE WORKS 4
During their nine months’ training, baristas here are schooled in espresso extraction, drink creation and hospitality. ‘ We’re the friendly coffee geeks,’ says founder Simsch. They educate drinkers while manually brewing direct-source coffee as part of the Slow Bar tasting experience at the downtown cafe. There are three more, each named for their respective neighbourhoods (Capitol Hill, Cascade, Ballard), plus a flagship slated to open in the summer. seattlecoffeeworks.com
CAFFÈ VITA 5
Caffè Vita debuted in Lower Queen Anne in 1995, right by the now legendary (and relocated) Laundry Room recording studio. Musicians began coming by to caffeinate, including members of grunge heroes Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Vita now supplies coffee to music festivals and restaurants while operating 10-plus locations, including a counter at SeattleTacoma International Airport. Still independently owned by Seattle-born Michael McConnell, Vita roasts all its own (sustainable) coffee and hosts free monthly brewing classes. caffevita.com
西雅圖人熱愛咖啡的原因， Sebas t ian Simsch自有一番見：解「與其說是對咖啡情有獨鍾，不如說他們只是為了驅走陰天的鬱悶咖。 啡成為了杯中的陽光，對橫豎要喝的西雅圖人來說，當然是選最好的來喝了。」
Simsch於2006年在Pike Place Market市創咖集 辦 啡專門店S e a t t l e Co f f e e Works，地點正好在首間星巴咖店克 啡 對面。他直接向農民採購咖啡豆，再於店內即場烘焙在。 這個認真看待啡城咖 的 市裡，你可不能衝入店內，隨說口 「要兩杯鮮奶咖啡算」就 。首先，要你 挑選喜愛的單品咖啡指，再 定沖泡的方法，例如用Aeropress愛壓樂 壺或虹吸式來泡沖；然後就坐，待咖啡師以媲美科學實驗的精準手法為你沖調一杯優質咖啡。
這股以巧手炮製精品咖啡的風氣，目前席捲西雅圖，被稱為「第三波」咖啡新浪潮，帶來更清新、更富果香的味道。
來自Slate Cof fee Roasters的Jason Chase以當地年1960 代的歐陸咖啡館為例，指出：「西雅圖一直鍾情於深度焙烘 法現，在，咖啡迷不再墨守成規，樂於享受日種咖啡的不同風味。」
西雅圖的咖啡狂熱令咖啡迷數目不斷增加。，去年 這個城位市 列美國顧啡光 咖 店人均次數最多的地方，以下是城中五家最出色啡的咖 店。
Espresso Vivace 1
Vivace的Sidewalk Bar已於國會山莊開業30載。創辦人之一David Schomer被視為推廣當地拉花藝術（蓮座葉是難度最高的圖案）的大旗手，沖由他 調的泡沫咖啡，
品質更屬城中數一數二，秘訣在選於 用意大利北部的特濃啡咖 ，並以日式蒸氣噴嘴打出絲滑奶泡。espressovivace.com
Milstead & Co 2
創人辦 Andrew Milstead堪支稱 持選用多間烘焙工場的生力軍，他愛從不同的供應商流輪 採購多達20款咖啡豆，再以愛樂壓壺或V60濾滴式咖啡杯沖泡出新鮮的咖啡。其中一款皇牌咖啡豆出自洪都拉斯單一莊園，由西雅圖Kuma Coffee Roasters負責烘焙， Andrew指這咖種 啡豆帶有榲桲果、蔗糖及杏仁糖膏的味道。即使你對長篇大論的咖啡品鑑知不識 感，興趣 也定會欣賞Milstead明亮光潔的環，方 和費利蒙區的藝術氣息。milsteadandco.com
Peloton 3
看到輪胎擱泵在路旁，表示你已來到Peloton。這間磚牆外露的咖啡館，融合西雅圖人鍾情的兩件事：單車和咖啡在。 中央內區 ，你不難發現當地人一邊呷著帶漿果味的埃塞俄比亞咖啡，一邊等候維修單車。這裡亦有供應手工啤酒，營以及 養豐富的「早餐類美、食」 三文治和沙。律啡咖店經營得有聲有色，皆因東主之一兼主廚Mckenzie Hart曾於主打本土食材的餐廳Sitka & Spruce工作。pelotonseattle.com
Seattle Co ee Works 4
這裡的咖啡在訓師 受 九個月，期間 已掌握了萃取特濃啡咖 和調製品飲 的方法，還有待客之道。創辦人Simsch表示：「我是們親善啡切友 的咖 癡。」他們會在Slow Bar一邊教客人如何品嚐，咖啡 一邊以人手沖泡直接採購的咖啡豆，為客人帶來鬧市中的咖啡體驗。此外，他們還有三間分別位於國會山莊、Cascade及Ballard的分店，另有間旗一 新艦將店 於夏天開幕。seattlecoffeeworks.com
Ca è Vita 5
Caffè Vita於1995年在Lower Queen Anne區開業，毗鄰鼎鼎大名（但現已搬遷）的Laundry Room錄音室著。 名grunge樂隊Pearl Jam和Soundgarden的成員都曾是這裡的熟客。Vita現時是日大音樂節及餐廳的咖供啡 應，商 並擁有十多間分店，包括位於西雅圖可塔 瑪國際機場的專櫃。Vita仍由西雅圖土生土長的Michael McConnell獨立營運，自家烘焙出自給自足的咖啡豆，每月更會開設課免費 堂，教授沖調技藝。caffevita.com