Coffee culture is ubiquitous in Seattle, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that you can find a coffee shop on almost every corner. Home to Starbucks, Tully’s, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and a wide range of smaller local roasters and coffee shops, locals are passionate and opinionated about their coffee. Local roasters popped up in the late 1800s, along with the young city, but when espresso machines from Italy started arriving in the 1970s, a new way of enjoying coffee spread through the region. Seattle was an early adopter of sidewalk coffee carts, but quickly pivoted to multiple coffee shops on every block. You can still visit the original Starbucks location on Pike Place, but don’t miss out on the smaller shops, where passionate baristas make coffee into an art. When you do: close your eyes, breathe in, fill your mind with the aroma of morning, feel those brain cells rev into gear, and say thank you.
