About us

What we’re doing: My brother and I have a goal to visit every coffee shop in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater, Washington in 2010. We want to do extensive reviews on every aspect of each coffee shop to find the best one!

Notes: Our reviews do not include drive through coffee stands, or coffee shops in stores (like the Starbucks in Safeway.)


If you know of any coffee shops in Olympia, Lacey or Tumwater (Washington) that we haven't been to yet, and aren't on our list of shops to hit, please let us know on our FB page! (OlympiaCoffeeShops.blogspot.com)
We want to know your favorite too. So comment on whichever coffee shop you like the most!


Our Archives: All the coffee shops we've rated will be listed on the side under archives. You will also see a title for "Olympia", "Lacey", and "Tumwater" and "Starbucks". That way you can narrow our reviews down. We numbered the coffee shops in the order that we went to them. This number has nothing to do with how we rated them.

How to read our reviews:

Wifi: This is the local area connection your laptop will be able to connect to.

Isaiah (#): His opinion about the Dirty Chai. This number next to the name represents our overall opinion of the drink on a scale of 1-10 (1 being dissatisfied, 10 being extremely blown away.)

Hannah (#): Her opinion about the Vanilla Latte. This number next to the name represents our overall opinion of the drink on a scale of 1-10 (1 being dissatisfied, 10 being extremely blown away.

Foam art: A skilled barista knows how to pour the foam in the cup to create a design such as a leaf or a heart.

For here? Is the difference between "to go" cups or mugs.

Environment: We feel that the atmosphere of the coffee shop makes all the difference in rating whether or not it's a good coffee shop. We look for things like lounge chairs, fireplaces, general organization or set up, outlet availability, and the overall mood (is it welcoming, or is everyone doing their own business?) Overall rating for environment is shown as the number next to our name near the bottom of each post.

Baristas: We recognize that every coffee shop might not have their best barista on shift when we come to rate them, so we try to leave room for bad experiences. Most all of the coffee shops we've already been to several times so we make sure to keep that in mind. But we rate the baristas based of their level of conversation. Are they friendly and outgoing? Did we initiate the conversation or did they? Do they really know their coffee?

Music: We decided not to go into too much detail with the music. Isaiah and I have different preferences of music and I know everyone elses varies too. We focus mostly on the volume level, and whether or not their variety seems to fit well with the atmosphere they're trying to create.

Seating: Is VERY important in a coffee shop! Most coffee shops should have a good variety, but we've also found a few that don't, yet it still works for them. But overall, we look for lounge chairs, number of tables, and outlet availability, seating availability, conference (or business) tables, bars, couches, etc.

And finally, our overall reviews: This number next to the name represents our overall opinion of the environment on a scale of 1-10 (1 being dissatisfied, 10 being extremely blown away.) Sometimes we have a lot to say about the coffee shop, sometimes not so much. This does not determine how much we like the coffee shop, just how much we had to ponder it.

Hannah: 12oz Fat Free Vanilla Latte.

Favorite shop: CP on Lacey Blvd

The first latte I ever tried was a hazelnut latte from Starbucks. Since that day, I've loved coffee! Vanilla lattes aren't necessarily my favorite drink, but I really like them. I've had about 3 years of barista experience working at my church epsresso stand, but have never worked in a coffee shop. However, many days of my life have passed in an Olympia coffee shop! I'm the younger of the two of us, and anyone could describe us as best friends. My barista training was taken at Batdorf and Bronson. And yes, most every morning starts out with that perking sound of the coffee pot as it finishes brewing that first warm cup.

Isaiah: 16oz double shot Chai Latte (this is my favorite drink)

Favorite Shop: Such a hard decision.. I'd have to go with Cutters Point on Lacey Blvd but Batdorf&Bronson on Market St. is almost just as awesome.

I've loved coffee forever and it's hard to imagine that I ever didn't like it. I drank black coffee only until about 4 years ago Hannah became a barista and introduced me to espresso. The raspberry mocha turn me onto a spectrum of coffee I could never have imagined more wonderful. Now since my sis and I were drinking espresso about 4 times a week and started rating it ourselves, we decided to share our interests and our opinions on what has got to be the greatest drink ever created.