Who roasts the best coffee in Tacoma & Pierce County? Vote here
Sure, Seattle hoards attention as the nation’s coffee-roasting capital. Then there’s Portland and Bellingham. Raise your hand if you think Tacoma deserves to be part of that conversation.
Valhalla Coffee started roasting in the city nearly 18 years ago. Bluebeard opened on Sixth Avenue in 2011, followed by Manifesto on Hilltop in 2016 — plus many others in between and since. Most recently, Campfire Coffee Co. has shown us what live-flame coffee roasting is all about.
But it was in East Pierce County, in Buckley, that coffee roasting really took hold: Dillanos Coffee Roasters opened its first espresso stand in 1992. Today their beans are used by myriad coffee shops across the country — look for that bold DCR on cups from your favorite drive-thru stand. In the Puyallup Valley, Martin Henry launched in 1998.
In the years since, roasting has further blossomed in the South Sound, thanks in part to Roasterworks, a shared roasting facility in Auburn. Micro-roasters have likewise proliferated: Nomad PNW now roasts its own beans in its modest Wilkeson cafe as does Lander in Tacoma’s North End. Wolfe Club does so out of a teeny drive-thru stand in Parkland, while Anchor House opened in a century-old Buckley home last year.
Many of these craft roasters hold themselves to a higher standard, too, committing not only to high-quality beans and careful roasting technique but also to sustainable sourcing and direct relationships with farmers.
Another perk of having stellar local roasters: stellar cold coffee in cans and jugs come summertime.
When you’re looking for a locally roasted cup, where do you go? Vote for your favorite below.
Note that we included Olympia Coffee Co. and Batdorf & Bronson (Dancing Goats Cafe) because they operate their own cafes in Tacoma, though they physically roast in the state capital. On the flip side, we excluded shops like Cosmonaut in the Stadium District, Lux in McKinley and Electric Coffee House in Sumner; they are still awesome and might find their way into a future survey.
If you don’t see your favorite on the list, select that choice in the poll and email TNT Diner with your pick.
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 5:00 AM.