Makeda Coffee

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• TT

  AmazonV

   Oct 18, 2010

  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.