153 N. 78th St., Seattle, WA 98103
http://www.makedacoffee.com/
My plan was to arrive at 7am, I didn’t manage that, I arrived closer to 7:30.
I had to parallel park on the street, I didn’t see any signs about the
limitations of that parking, I’ve been having to parallel park my
entire visit to Seattle, I can not wait to get back home.
The location was off the main corner of the street and a bit farther
back on 78th than I was expecting. I believe it was the third store
in.
Prashanthi was the only one working at that early hour on Saturday.
There was one or two other customers inside when I arrived, but as
time passed many more people kept arriving. Each person was greeted
and chatted with, most seemed to be regulars. Parents brought their
children, people came in with their well behaved dogs then sat out in
the outside seating. Overall the atmosphere was a happy, busy local
shop with tons of regulars. Everyone was happy, talkative, and
Prashanthi kept the conversations going asking about upcoming family
birthdays she knew about and other things showing off how connected
the shop is with it’s customers.
The store itself was skinny but long and comfortable. There was
quiet, upbeat, music playing at a volume that didn’t stop
conversations but also provided a nice backbeat to the place. The
store was all rich colors and art that made it a nice friendly
atmosphere. There was plenty of table seating, bar seating, and
outdoor seating. In the back was a comfortable couch and bookshelf
full of books. I noticed a sign advertising a board games night on
Fridays! Near the front door was used coffee grinds available for
everyone to take home for their compost or gardens. On the condiment
bar was a microwave and real silverware.
While talking with Prashanthi I found out she has worked for years in
the coffee shop industry, coming all the way from barista to assistant
store manager. She has a true passion for coffee and customer
service. She is very knowledgeable about the entire process of getting
the best cup of coffee and knows the importance of the (green) beans
themselves, the way they are roasted, and the way they are prepared.
She has always considered owning a coffee shop, and things happened to
line up a few years back enabling her to realize that. She is an east
coast transplant but seems to be thriving here on the west coast.
There was a large assortment of loose leaf teas, beers, wines,
pastries, and of course espresso beverages. Makeda sells only coffees
from Seven Roasters Coffee.
While there I watched her make many beverages for the other customers,
I failed to get photographs of some of the beautiful late art foam
patterns, but I can tell you each cup was carefully prepared. The
beans were ground fresh for each pull, and nothing sat – it was lovely
to watch the slow of the drinks being prepared in one well timed
seamless process.
I ordered an Assam large tea, and a buttermilk raspberry scone for
there. The pastry came on a colorful and sturdy plate, while the tea
arrived as hot water with a make your own paper teabag on the side in
a teabag dish. Bless her heart! This allowed me to make the tea
steeped to my desired strength, and she measured the leaf into the bag
for the amount of water poured. It may be called Makeda coffee but the
allow tea fanatics to get the best from their lovely loose leaf!
I let my tea steep for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Color: Golden red-brown
Body: Medium
Tea Smell: Rich black tea
Taste: smooth, crisp, full black tea with no astringency and no bitterness
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and plan to return before my trip home
tomorrow night. If you are ever in Seattle, although it’s outside
city center it is worth the trip to stop by this gem of a neighborhood
coffee shop.
outside
door mat
compost
bar area
tea
buttermilk raspberry scone
1 comment:
My girl, P! Miss her so!
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