I can remember my first coffee experience. At the time, I was a grungy 18-year-old college student. The year was 1991.
I was never tempted to even try coffee before then. When I was a kid, Dunkin’ Donuts was king and the coal-colored drip coffee my parents drank with powdered creamer held no allure.
So when I stepped into Starbucks that first time, I recall inhaling the luxurious dark-roasted aroma. The smell conjured the image of donkeys stacked high with burlap sacks, angling down remote mountaintops, heavy with indigenous beans from lands with names like: Antigua, Guatemala, Sumatra.
The handsome pony-tailed “barista” (What the heck was that?, I wondered wide-eyed) appeared more like a beat poet than a cashier. Peering up at the menu, I felt like that backward kid strumming the banjo in the movie “Deliverance” … Americano? Macchiato? Doppio Espresso? These now commonplace words to my ears back then sounded exotic beyond belief.
And yet, I fondly recall blasting Pearl Jam as I pulled away in my red RX-7, sipping my first iced mocha—she tasted like sophistication, freedom and the adulthood I craved.
So sparked the beginning of my love affair with coffee and the Queen Bean.
In 2011 I find myself seeking a different kind of coffee experience.
Are there local watering holes for this coffee drinker to slake her thirst for the daily dose while at the same time shopping locally, supporting the small business owners in our community?
The answer I’ve discovered is a resounding, YES!
I took two days driving around Renton searching out eight local coffee hot spots. What I discovered was not so much about coffee (I mean it was) but even better than the coffee (which was fantastic) was the entrepreneurial spirit and the unrivaled sense of passion to customer service I experienced at every single location.
I learned that a Rosetta is a latte art performed with great care and attention by the baristas at Caffe Felice.
I learned that the coffee drive-thru Sorrento’s prides itself on customer service and the highest-quality ingredients for their customers.
I learned that Peyrassol has great coffee and yummy food. I’m headed back soon to try their brunch service on Saturdays!
I learned that The Met Coffee and Wine Bar is pairing BBQ hot off the grill every Tuesday with the Renton Farmers Market.
I learned that Vince’s has a sprawling family sized leather sofa you’ll just wanna run and launch yourself onto with a good book or watch the big-screen television hunkered down on one of their two massage chairs.
I learned that Common Ground still has fantastic cupcakes (highly recommend their Reese’s Peanut Butter Cupcake) and that when the Farmers Market begins on Tuesday, they have a tradition of creating a cupcake flavor each week inspired by the fresh produce from the market.
I think the weirdest thing I learned was that Sips Drive-Thru is fully clothed! Years of going thru Starbuck’s drive-thru I guess I missed out on the bikini-clad espresso drive-thru controversy/fad. Sips is also partnering with The Bistro Box mobile kitchen every Saturday.
I learned that according to the singing fish that greets every customer who walks through Jet City’s open door to the tune, “Don’t worry, be happy!”
I learned that Mike from Liberty Café is still my favorite barista in town!
But I think Ruben Chen, owner of Vince’s, summed it up best…
“The owner is the soul of the place. Our philosophy is that the customer is always first, when they leave Vince’s they have a big smile. Our customers tell us our place feels like a home away from home. When customers tell their friends and family about us—that’s what we earn for all our hard work.”
This afternoon I took a final swig off an Americano from Sips Drive-Thru. I looked around my minivan and discovered all eight cup-holders contained empty paper cups.
As the rain drizzles off and on over these Renton skies and the idea of a café latte sounds like an appealing reprieve from mundane chores. I highly recommend trying something different. These are just eight … but there are many other coffee places in Renton to enjoy.
