Sunday, November 09, 2008

Aster Coffee Lounge in Ballard

One of my new favorite places for good coffee is Aster Coffee Lounge, just a couple blocks north of the downtown Ballard corner of 24th NW and NW Market. Serving Intelligentsia Coffee using the Clover machine, delish baked goods from Magnolia's Upper Crust Bakery, beer and wine, and live music on the weekends, this place rocks!

Aster is one of the few places in Seattle (besides Trabant) outside of Starbucks that still has their own Clover. I tried two of their current Intelligentsia choices, a Flor Azul Nicaragua and a Kurimi, Ethiopia Yergacheffe. Nothing beats a Clover for bringing out the distinctive notes, florals and tones from those varieties, each with its' own distinctive terroir, each bringing a blissful coffee exhilaration. I also tried the Black Cat Espresso and was blown away or, as one of my coffee comrades put it, "this is like crack" for espresso lovers, but in a good way!

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