Caffe Ladro in Lower Queen Anne

Caffe Ladro in Lower Queen Anne sits on a busy corner where Queen Anne and Roy St. intersect; not far from the Seattle Center. The physical enviroment was comfortable with plenty of seating. Their menu consisted of baked goods and beverages. I ordered a latte and was not disappointed. The coffee was excellent. I have to admit I find myself wanting to drop in a Cafe Ladro just because I really like their coffee.

Caffe Ladro offers a variety of places to hang out at throughout Seattle and its surrounding area. On Queen Anne hill, where the Tea Cup, Starbuck and another coffee place sits, is also another Caffe Ladro. It's much smaller than their other cafes, but when you walk by, you can't help but be pulled in by the smell of coffee.

Ladro means "thief". I don't know if this is true or not, but I was told that the Caffe Ladro near the Starbucks on upper Queen Anne was intended to steal customers away. Whether this is true or not, my senses were definitely drawn toward Caffe Ladro with that aroma of coffee waifing from their doors.

If you haven't already been to a Caffe Ladro, I encourage you to check one out. You might find that your taste buds are also won over as well. For more information on Caffe Ladro, go to:

http://www.caffeladro.com/.

Laughing Ladies Cafe in Shoreline

In the heart of Shoreline at 17551 15th Ave. NE, is the Laughing Ladies Cafe. Don't let the name fool you. This is a great place to hang out for both men and women of any age. It's spaceous and comfortable with lots of seating for individuals or for groups. You can tap in to the internet, read, or be entertained by the various entertainers that pass through weekly.

Laughing Ladies offers quite a selection of food and beverages. Their menu includes a variety of breakfast items, sandwiches, salads and soup and baked goods, made at their Mill Creek location. This is also where they roast their coffee beans. In addition to serving coffee, a tea drinker can enjoy tea from Kuan Yin Tea House. Laughing Ladies also serves beer and wine.

So if you want a comfortable place to hang out or want to go somewhere for entertainment, Laughing Ladies is the place to go. For more information, check out their website:
http://www.laughingladiescafe.com/

Caffe Fiore in the Sunset Hill area in Ballard

Heading down 85th west toward the water, you'll find a triangular cafe hidden on Sunset Hill in Ballard. It's a bit out of the way, but another neighborhood option. The environment is cool looking. The lighting isn't quite as bright as I would have preferred, but it's a comfortable place to hang out and have a bakery item and a cup of coffee, which is exactly what my boyfriend and I did today. We noticed this place was kid-friendly with a box of toys to keep kids occupied. Like Irwin's, Caffe Fiore, had a similar drink options- coffee from Cafe Vita and a variety of tea. The coffee was pretty good. But unlike Irwin's, the selection of food was pretty limited to bakery items that were brought in. I'd go back if I were in the area, but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way. As it turns out, there are three Caffee Fiore's in the Seattle area. If you want to check them out, you can get information for locations and times at www.caffefiore.com.

Irwin's Bakery and Coffee House, Wallingford Neighborhood

I can't tell you how many times I've driven by this place on a short cut to Fremont from the U District and have wanted to stop by. Irwin's is nestled in the Wallingford neighborhood at N. 40th and Blakely. The first thing I noticed was how comfortable and homey this place was. It's a medium sized place with wooden chairs and tables sit at, as well as a lounge area to relax in. At the counter, I was enticed with an array of homemade baked goods all calling my name (homemade apple pie, a variety of muffins, cookies, etc...) and they seemed fairly "healthy". Additionally, there were salads, sandwiches and homemade soup- with vegan and vegetarian options. Impressive by my standards. They had a good selection of teas, and coffee drinks, with the coffee from Caffe Vita.

I found a spot near the window which happened to have a the heater next to it. I enjoyed my coffee and apple turnover and did some reading. Nearby were other folks with their computers tapping into the free Wi-Fi.

If you want to escape to a neighborhood coffee place, this is it. I will definitely go back!

Met Kuma Coffee Roaster, Bellevue WA

This morning a group of us from the Coffee Club of Seattle meetup (www.meetup.com/seattle-coffee-club/) met with Mark Barany, the proprieter/roast of Kuma Coffee. The roasting location is in a little industrial area off of 520 in Bellevue. Mark started home roasting coffee and selling to co-workers back in 2006. At that time he was roasting 5 pounds a month. When the holidays hit, the need grew to 40 pounds a month. But now he's selling to a variety of markets and cafes in the Seattle and roasting more than 1000 pounds a month.

The roaster he uses is a roaster formally used by both Cafe Appassionato and Zoka, when they started their roasting business.

Kuma Coffee specializes in sourcing high end coffees and prefers coffee beans roasted medium roasted, before they produce oil, resulting in a more complex flavored, more acidic, higher caffeinated coffee than a darker roasted coffee.

We sampled various coffees, including Kuma's popular Guatamalen Elinjerto coffee and our favorite, Kenyan roast as well as their new Holiday roast, soon to hit the market.

Kuma Coffee can be found at various coffee places and markets throughout the Seattle area as well as Kuma Coffee Cafe in Wallingford. Additionally, it can be purchased directly through their website- http://www.kumacoffee.com/, which also lists locations where Kuma Coffee can be found.

The Teacup on Queen Anne hill in Seattle

It was a misty Sunday morning when I got to the top of Queen Anne hill to the Teacup. Ironically, the Teacup sits at an intersection with Starbucks on one corner and Peets Coffee on another. Inside the Teacup has an inviting atmosphere with a fireplace and two levels of seating. Behind the counter are shelves of canisters filled with loose teas to drink there or purchase to take home. I was impressed by the tea knowlege of the folks helping me. While there is a great selection of teas to choose from, the food was pretty minimal. Additionally, the Teacup offers tea tasting classes. In general, I found it a comfortable place to hang out and enjoy some good tea. http://seattleteacup.com

Three Cups of Tea in downtown Bothell, WA

Saturday, I joined a couple of girlfriends in downtown Bothell, WA for lunch and tea at Three Cups of Tea. The name was inspired by Greg Mortensen's book, Three Cups of Tea. On the outside the place looked like any cafe. When you enter in, however, you are greeted by a bright and cheery environment. (This is duly noted since we experience a lot of cloudy days around here.) In addition to dining, the guest is surrounded by a variety of retail items-books, tea items, cups, etc... There is a dessert counter to the left when you enter and in addition to the public seating area, there are two private rooms for parties. The menu was a mix of lunch items and tea-type meals as well as a good selection of loose teas. The prices varied, but overall were reasonable. While women would most likely be drawn to this place, it wasn't so feminized that men wouldn't feel comfortable. I would definitely go back and bring some friends with me. http://www.threecupsoftea.biz/