This morning, Metroblogging Seattle surfaces some drama over on 15th Ave — tonx.org caffeine blogger Tony Konecny is parting ways with Victrola.
It’s tough to be the cool guy — Victrola has seen a fair bit of drama lately. Not much new about the cooler-than-thou backlash, but add the hated/loved weekend wi-fi ban and now this announcement and we’re talking a Capitol Hill soap opera. Oh boy!
Also, this snip from Tony’s goodbye-to-Seattle blog post makes us wonder…
Victrola is poised to do some really great things for coffee in Seattle and I wish everyone there the best of luck.
What great things are left for coffee to do in Seattle? Pave the streets in used grounds? Caffeinate Lake Union? Make a 2nd tap dispensing hot joe standard on every sink? Clearly, Tony is a coffee visionary because we’re pretty much tapped out on ideas. Then again, given some of the things we’ve read about Lake Union, maybe we should work on decaffeinating it.
–j
Tonx is a great person… it’s sad that he’s not at Victrola anymore. I’ll miss him rolling by on his little roller-shoes.
As for what great things are left for coffee? TONS. Yes the city is smothered in cafes, both corporate and indie, but the true specialty coffee industry is just getting going, believe it or not. Fine coffee’s not about 16 oz vanilla soy lattes. It’s about beans so delicious you wouldn’t dream of drowning them in sugars and pints of milk product. That’s an American tradition because American espresso has traditionally needed masking, it is so awful. But you don’t see that in Italy where it can be divine.
There are several places in the Northwest (and a few elsewhere in the country) that are taking coffee buying, roasting, preparing and drinking to an art form. Victrola, from what I can tell, is trying to be one of them. Vivace is another, of course. Lighthouse Roasters. And Hines Public Market before they left town.
There’s stuff about this on Tonx’s blog and all over the coffee web… how supporting quality “in the cup” can support farmers directly (actual, tangible support for actual, breathing humans).
Lakes of burnt coffee and mega-lattes are to great beans (espresso or otherwise) what kegs of Natty Ice are to great wine. It’s definitely got it’s place, and sometimes you just want yer booze or buzz without the pretense, but it’d be a shame never to enjoy the true divine potential of something people put in their bodies every day.
Seattle in 2006 is like Napa in 1974… bursting with unique quality that very, very few people appreciate because they are not looking for it. Yes, it’s acknowledged coffee country, but people have no idea how good it can be. I predict it’s going to blow up just like Napa did.
Of course, Tonx is one of the people who taught me this…