Every so often I will drive by Moka’s Cafe on Fairview Avenue North in the South Lake Union area of Seattle. There are a couple of reasons why I have not tried the place till very recently. One thing that immediately stands out as you drive by is the huge and pretty cool looking sign with the round polka dot coffee mug. I have been wanting to take a picture of the sign but I just haven’t been there at the right time with the right weather to take the kind of shot that I want too… but I digress…
The main reason why I had not actually tried the place was because very time I passed by, the place always seemed like it was closed. for the longest time I actually thought that the place had closed down but the sign was still up. And why did I think the place was closed? It seemed to me that the place always looked rather dark inside so it was really hard to tell that indeed the place was open. And more often than not I would drive by the place on a Sunday and indeed, they are closed on Sundays.
The other reason I was hesitant to check out the place was because when I finally went into the shop some months ago, I noticed that they used Vashon Coffee, a roaster I had never heard of before and I was a little reluctant to to try it. But after I decided to get serious with this blog, and also have tried the same coffee at 5ive Cafe, I was now interested in seeing what Moka’s Vashon coffee tasted like.
The baristas were really nice. I asked them about their coffee and their shop. Yes they do use Vashon Coffee. The blend that they use for their lattes and other espresson drinks is the Espresso Artisano blend. She made for me a strong latte and I really liked the fact that they also asked me for my milk preference. The latte wasn’t too bad actually but nothing super memorable… I could go back and get another…
What I thought was most interesting is that according to the barista, the owner of Moka’s Cafe, is also the owner of Vashon Coffee… so she actually roasts the coffee that is served in her Cafe. Vashon supplies coffee to a few places around Seattle including 5ive Cafe which I checked out a few weeks back. Since I was in a hurry, I didn’t have much time to really chat with the barista and get more details, but that will probably be another conversation topic the next time I visit Moka’s Cafe…
