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With the push of a button, nuanced Ghost Note Coffee opens on Capitol Hill

Christos Andrews’ quest to do “every little small thing we can to make it better” when it comes to a cup of coffee was celebrated in a grand opening on Bellevue Ave with a Tuesday of demonstrations and a showcase of its fancy pants coffee machine.

Ghost Note Coffee, named for a silent beat with rhythmic value “but no discernible pitch,” is about nuances and raising the bar with custom mugs from a local ceramics maker, collared shirts and uniformed employees, no tipping, fresh herb and citrus garnishes, and “an emphasis on housemade elements borrowed from craft bartending.”

We first told you in January about the project with the former coffee director at Central District’s Tougo Coffee and Columbia City Bakery Andrews and his business partner and “biz guy” Lee Hampton. Ghost Note takes over on Bellevue from Broadcast Coffee which handed over the space to concentrate on creating its new Central District roastery and headquarters. “It’s really a simple kind of core idea with the coffee but we’re doing every little small thing we can to make it better,” Andrews told us about his hopes for Ghost Note. Andrews also said part of his business model is a “high wage” and a passion for employee morale. “I’m planning to spend more on personnel than anybody else,” Andrews told CHS.

A key element for the project is front and center — the unique French-made Unic espresso machine behind the counter:

The Bellevue Ave location aims to separate from its peers with a relatively novel approach to brewed coffee: Instead of drip, pour-overs, Aeropress, or other more common methods, Ghost Note will brew every cup to order via an espresso machine custom built by the French manufacturer Unic. With a push of a button, the cashier “pulls” a 12-ounce cup at a set pressure and temperature, mimicking the body and balance of a pour-over.

Ghost Note offers your standard fare, old school fancy latte coffees, etc., also. Broadcast hasn’t exited Bellevue Ave completely. As part of the deal to take over the space, Ghost Note will include Broadcast beans as part of its featured offerings. Salmonberry Goods, meanwhile, is powering the bakery end of things.

Ghost Note Coffee is located at 1623 Bellevue Ave. Its hours are 7 AM to 4 PM on Mondays, 7 AM to 6 PM on Tuesdays through Fridays, and 8 AM to 6 Pm on the weekend. You can learn more at ghostnotecoffee.com.

11222234_415695505288110_4370917030671367232_n (1)Welcome Dorothea to Chophouse Row
Dorothea Coffee has quietly become part of the Capitol Hill coffee scene. CHS told you last year about the tiny Central District roaster and cafe. A few weeks back, Dorothea moved in to handle the coffee end of things at Amandine. Dorothea replaces Empire Espresso after the Columbia City-born concern opened with the bakeshop in late 2015 inside Chophouse Row. Empire tells CHS their vision for the joint project wasn’t matching up with Bruce and Sara Naftaly who own Amandine and its neighbors Marmite and Spirit in the Bottle. As for Dorothea, Conor Mahoney says, well, he’s excite. “We’re excited to be next to Amandine’s pastry. We’re excited to be doing espresso (and pairing it with Amandine’s awesome house-made milks and syrups!) since we don’t offer anything other than brewed in our roastery.”

 

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