Comments on: Stumptown vs. Zoka

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:30:18 +0000

Brian, thanks for the coffee suggestions! We’ve had Blue Bottle (love it!), and tried Ritual, too, when we were in SF last year. Haven’t tried Verve or Barefoot, though. It would be interesting to put them head-to-head in a blind test. Vivace is awesome – more often than not, it’s the espresso we have each morning at home.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:15:30 +0000

I’ve been wanting to do something like this myself. Being from CA, here are the places I would look at, for starters:

Verve Coffee Roasters
Barefoot Coffee Roasters
Ritual
Blue Bottle

For espresso, Vivace is the best I’ve had. WOW!

By: Steph

Steph — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:31:28 +0000

Zoka has a new location in Kirkland, WA.

129 Central Way
Kirkland, WA 98033

(425) 284-1830?
zokacoffee.com

They source their own beans. Hmm. Delicious.

By: Mike Rupp

Mike Rupp — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:59:51 +0000

Zoka’s Sidamo is a fantastic roast and anything Ethiopian that I’ve had from Stumptown just didn’t even compare. The one thing that I’ve noticed about Stumptown is that it seems that they roast their beans to the exact same degree of darkness, regardless of the bean itself. I think that the African beans lend themselves to a lighter roast to allow the fruity smells and flavor to come through and the Latin American beans are better when roasted darker.

By: Anne [wideangle.ca]

Anne [wideangle.ca] — Thu, 28 May 2009 01:42:37 +0000

Tried to check out Cafe Lusso this morning. Not only is it hard to find (obscure location and no door signs…), it is also closed at 8h45am…

By: Philip @ Caffe Lusso

Philip @ Caffe Lusso — Sat, 23 May 2009 23:56:34 +0000

Heh heh. So it’s a bit of a slow saturday and I was googling our small family roastery, Caffe Lusso. This site popped up so here I am. Always weird to see yourself online, especially when you’re a small, underground mom and pop.

Thanks for the kind words, Joseph! And anyone who would like to drop by the roastery next week, I should be around. Macchiato’s on the house (mention this post). We’re just outside of Marymoor Park, although tricky to find. Give me a shout at 425-284-2327 and I’ll give you directions.

Happy Coffee Adventures,

Philip @ Caffe Lusso

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:55:47 +0000

Joseph, thanks for the Caffe Lusso tip – I’ve never heard of them, and will give them a try. Good coffee on the Eastside would be nice to see!

By: Joseph

Joseph — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:43:09 +0000

I agree that Stumptown coffee is overhyped and overrated. I am a Victrola fan though the best whole beans in the area come from a little know roaster in Redmond, Caffe Lusso. Most of the rosters use Atlas as a supplier of raw beans. It is the roast that differentiates.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:56:54 +0000

Lauren, thanks for the suggestion. It’s been years since I had Diva coffee, so I will check out that blend and get them into our coffee bracket!

By: Eric Vigesaa

Eric Vigesaa — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:44:33 +0000

Nice tweet on this piece from Jonathan Kauffman! After all of the national press Stumptown has had recently, I was surprised to see Zoka win so convincingly. The prices btw are almost identical ($15-16/lb).