My wife, Karen, and I are members of the cult of coffee. It’s not a religious affiliation, although the perfect cup can bring sighs of rapture. We’ve decided to sample our way through Port Townsend’s nearly two dozen coffee shops and share the results with you.

We don’t prefer the same drink. Karen likes lattes and has a fancy Italian espresso machine with which she steams her dark beans and foams them into a milky delight.

I drink brewed coffee of a milder roast. And when I say roast, I’m being very specific, as I roast my own varietal beans in micro batches and brew one cup at a time.

As we realize that judging a cup depends on personal taste as much as it does the person brewing it, we won’t rate coffee quality. With one exception, all the suppliers of coffee goodness we describe here usually produce a good cup. Since espresso is ideally hand crafted, the experience and attention of the barista brewing the coffee is as important as the equipment used and the coffee itself. Instead, we will offer a description of each coffee shop and hopefully provide enough information for you to make an informed choice about which to visit.


Coffee in cup

Hi-test coffee