Independent, local Coffeehouses THRIVE in Seattle area (YAY!)

Best Independent Coffee Houses in Puget Sound « CBS Seattle

The big chain coffee shops are well known around the country, but Seattle’s status as coffee capitol is also well known because of its smaller, independent roasters and cafes. Here are some new coffee houses to try, if you haven’t already!

Zoka Coffee & Tea Company
1220 W. Nickerson St.
Seattle, WA 98119
866.965.2669
http://www.zokacoffee.com

In 1996, University of Washington Alumni Jeff Babcock created Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company. Nestled in the heart of Seattle’s Wallingford District, this vibrant café has become a hub of activity and community, open seven days a week. Thanks to the small-batch roasting of Zoka coffees, homemade baked goods and hand-sourced teas, it’s often hard to find a seat. Now with the third Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea House, Kirkland Zoka, customers have recently been given another chance to settle in with a Zoka cappuccino and scone. The cornerstone concept of the Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company is a focus on the local community. Where other coffeehouses may hurry customers out the door, Zoka invites you to stay, and feel honored when you decide to settle in for a whole afternoon (that’s why Zoka likes to tempt you with free wireless Internet).

from Kaladi of Colorado… a new kind for me to try. The aroma alone is intoxicating!

Coffee: 2nd largest commodity in the world! … notice stats at end of article :)

Coffee prices, a sign of a jittery economy

By Conrad Collaco, CBC News.  Posted: May 25, 2012 1:28 PM ET

The spread between robusta and arabica coffee beans has changed drastically this year. (Lawrence Libby/CBC)

A single cup of coffee can say a lot about the story of the world’s economy.

The two most commonly produced coffee varieties are the arabica and the robusta. Commodities watchers say more people are buying the cheaper robusta variety as the economy continues to need a jolt. Prices for robusta beans are rising while the higher-end arabica beans have been dropping in price.

Independent coffeehouses are growing!

Independent coffee shops spreading in Las Vegas Valley

By CAITLIN MCGARRY, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

March 4, 2012

Tucked behind a nondescript door in the back of a Boulder City industrial center 20 miles from Las Vegas, there’s a whole wide world of beans — sacks of imported, green coffee beans piled to the ceiling.

Next door is the roastery, where a shiny black Diedrich roasting machine is caramelizing the beans, some from Ethiopia, others from Guatemala. The rich aroma of roasted beans competes with warm blueberry notes of the morning’s drip coffee and the chocolaty scent of espresso. 

It’s a sunny Monday — roasting day at Colorado River Coffee Roasters.

Erik Anderson funnels the beans into the Diedrich, monitoring the exact temperature inside on a laptop computer. Roasting is an art and a science — some of the beans are roasted at a low temperature, some high, some low and then high, all in the quest to achieve just the right flavor. There’s no second chance if something goes wrong.

Anderson is part of a rare breed in Southern Nevada. His father, Colorado River owner Don Anderson, is one of a handful of coffee roasters in Southern Nevada, and the only one in metropolitan Las Vegas who roasts for widespread commercial distribution. Colorado River’s beans are grounds for lattes and cappuccinos from Strip eateries like Carnevino to independent coffeehouses like The Beat and Sambalatte

Java on the Rock, Kona Hawaii

Me and Bruce at his kiosk in downtown  Kona.  He grows, roasts, and serves his own coffee. 

In our own USA!