Before you order an espresso at a Seattle coffee bar, you can often read where the coffee beans came from, how those beans were roasted—and even a short résumé of the barista who’s making your cup.
“Coffee brewing is a science and an art, and is easy to mess up,” says Erin McCarthy, a barista with Counter Culture Coffee, and the 2013 World Brewers Cup Champion.
“Just because you’re getting a coffee that may have been grown, harvested, processed, and roasted well, it doesn’t mean that these things will translate into the cup if the barista isn’t skilled—or doesn’t care.”
Such passion made Seattle a shoo-in to win the title of best coffee city, according to Travel + Leisure readers. In the annual America’s Favorite Cities survey, readers ranked 35 cities on such features as friendly locals, cultural ambiance, and ice cream.
The results prove that Seattle isn’t alone in elevating the morning cup of joe. At one coffeehouse in Providence, RI, they won’t serve any coffee that’s older than a half hour. In Portland, ME, a purveyor boasts about the local wood used in the roasting process. And in New York City (rated No. 9), a chain hosts coffee-making classes and cuppings, where you can taste and discuss the latest single-origin treasures like fine wines.
Some everyday fans may feel overwhelmed by the sophisticated options, say, whether to order a pour-over versus a siphon or drip. McCarthy says that, when in doubt, just treat your barista like a bartender. “Say, ‘This is what I tend to like—do you have anything similar to that?’ A good barista loves questions.”
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This story was originally published by Travel + Leisure
#1 Seattle
Even without the omnipresent, homegrown Starbucks shops, this town of brainy locals was a no-brainer to win the coffee championship again, thanks to the sheer numbers of cozy coffee bars, roasters, and drive-through espresso shacks.
You’ll find the caffeinated cognoscenti at Joe Bar in Capitol Hill and branches of local chains such as Caffe Ladro, Espresso Vivace (which also has a sidewalk stand), and Caffè Vita, which offers a blend infused with local chocolate Theo.
#2 Portland, OR
Oregon’s hipster haven is probably rolling its collective eyes at coming in second to Seattle, but it may get the last laugh: Portland’s hottest coffee, Stumptown, now has branches in Seattle and is offered in increasing numbers of high-end coffeehouses around the nation.
At Stumptown’s Annex location, you can participate in free public cuppings each weekday at 3 p.m. Serious coffee drinkers also love Barista, in the Pearl District, and Courier Coffee (near famed bookstore Powell’s), where the staff pride themselves on their 23-karat-gold filters and on playing vinyl records rather than CDs.
#3 New Orleans
The Crescent City’s most famous java—the coffee with chicory at Café du Monde or the French drip at Morning Call—is unapologetically old-school, and holds its own alongside the near-obligatory beignet.
For an only-in–New Orleans cup, but with a different kind of kick, try the Café Brûlot Diabolique at Antoine’s, first created in 1890: it’s a hot spiced coffee, flaming with brandy at your table.
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