I usually drive by the Blue Saucer Cafe on most Sundays and I have always wanted to stop and try it out. The reason I didn’t do so until recently is if you were to take a casual glance at the place as you pass by, looked more like some small restaurant then a coffee shop… In other words the place just did not look very “coffeeish” to me.
Well this one Sunday I decided that I might as well stop by and check it out and if I didn’t like it, then I simply wouldn’t go back again. And so I did. The inside was much different than I had expected… it actually looked coffee shop’ish to me… not Capital Hill coffee shop style, and certainly not the Capital Hill type of customer but nonetheless the place was inviting.
The baristas on duty were really nice and told me a bit about their coffee.They pride themselves in serving Stumptown coffee in addition to having a fine selection of great teas. Like most of the coffee shops here in Seattle that use Stumptown coffee beans, they use Stumptown’s Hairbender blend for the espresso. However, for the drip coffee, they use a French press as opposed to the common way most places will brew their drip.
In addition to French pressing the drip, they tend to rotate the blends of drip coffee so if you decide to go there, be sure to ask what blend they are serving that day. Now I have to be honest, I tried a sample of the French pressed drip that was being served that day but I really didn’t like it that much. I think partly the answer may have been because it was rather weak and watery.
On the other hand the latte I got was actually pretty decent. Good, familiar Stumptown flavor… though I wouldn’t have minded if it was a little stronger… but that is what I have noticed with a lot of places that serve Stumptown, the espresso drinks tend to be a tad on the milder side.
The Blue Saucer Cafe opened for business last year in March. They are located in the Maple Leaf neighborhood and they seem to be doing well. And I have to admit, though I wouldn’t mind going back again for another latte, there are two places relatively close by that I think server better espress… these are Cloud City Coffee (better) and Javasti (even better!).
