L'Italo-Americano

S eattle is said to have more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the country― at last count, 43 cafés every 100,000 residents. But even in a city synonymous with coffee behemoth Starbucks, there are still plenty of regional roasters and in- dependent cafés to entice the most discerning coffee-lover. Two of these companies offer their customers more than just a great cup of coffee. Read on to see how Caffé d'Arte and La Mar- zocco are pushing the envelope on Seattle's coffee narrative. Caffé d'Arte was one of Seat- tle's first artisan roasters, founded in 1985 by Italian-born Mauro Cipolla. Initially he named the business after himself, Caffé Mauro, but the brand was changed in 1993 to Caffé d'Arte, or "artful coffee" in Italian. After nearly three decades in Seattle's George- town neighborhood, the company moved its headquarters to Federal Way, Wash., in 2014. Cipolla learned the craft in Naples under the discerning eye of a fourth-generation master roaster. After moving to Seattle, he put his passion and expertise to work, starting the roasting business where, in the traditional Italian way, he roasted beans from small batches separately and then blended them to make the perfect drink. Primarily a wholesale business, Caffé d'Arte flew under the radar for many years. "We don't want RITA CIPALLA café shares the space with listener- supported radio station KEXP, one of the most influential independent radio stations in the country, as well as with Light in the Attic Record Store, a record label and distributor. Customers can order an espresso from the bar and then listen to the KEXP play list or see one of the 500 artists who perform live in the space each year. An espresso machine manufac- turer, La Marzocco is a brand fa- vored by both professional baristas and passionate coffee lovers. The company was founded in Florence in 1927 by brothers Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi. Proud of their Flo- rence roots, the brothers chose the company name to honor Do- natello's famous sculpture of a seated lion, the symbol of Flo- rence. Although the machines are still manufactured in Italy, the company is now headquartered in Seattle. The brothers helped revolution- ize the coffee industry by re- designing the espresso machine. Before World War II, espresso machines used vertical boilers with big filters. In 1939, the Bambi brothers turned the machine on its side and got a patent for the first horizontal espresso machine. Af- ter the war, the lever machine was invented and espresso went from a long cup to a short, more con- centrated draw with the distinctive foam on top. La Marzocco Café offers cus- tomers an educational and cultural experience through regularly scheduled panel discussions, cof- fee chats and musical guests. Re- cently, the café hosted Seattle res- ident Sam Spillman, winner of the 2019 United States barista cham- pionship, who shared her compe- tition signature drink with cus- tomers. One of La Marzocco's most creative ideas is its Roaster in Residence program, which show- cases the breadth of specialty cof- fees from around the world. Guest roasters spend a one-month resi- dency at the café, bringing their own distinctive roasts and service philosophies to the city. The most recent list of roasters represents six countries (Denmark, China, New Zealand, Japan, Italy and Germany) and eight states. The café's décor is stylish and industrial-chic, featuring a locally crafted U-shaped pewter bar sur- rounded by handmade cabinets with bar doors and drawers im- ported from Italy. A display wall highlights vintage espresso ma- chines and artifacts from the com- pany's 90-year history. With lectures, demonstrations and the Roasters in Residence program, La Marzocco is commit- ted to educating consumers and advancing the coffee culture. As the company's former CEO Kent Bakke once put it: "We want peo- ple to explore, learn and love the art of coffee-making as much as we do." to be on every single street cor- ner," general manager Joe Man- cuso told Sound South Business a few years ago. "We're very niche- oriented and we're coffee geeks at heart." Now Caffé d'Arte seems poised to make up for lost time. In February it welcomed its fourth and newest café located at a humdinger of a spot: Sea-Tac In- ternational Airport. Landing the Sea-Tac concession was a bold move. Air travel has increased at Sea-Tac for eight years in a row, with some 49.8 million passengers passing through its gates last year alone. Caffé d'Arte is located near Gate N13 in the North Satellite which is undergoing an expansion. When reviewing applications for new retail and food concessions, airport officials were looking for businesses that could supply a Northwest sense of place. As a lo- cally owned business known for fostering long-term relationships with its customers, Caffé d'Arte fit the bill. "We are excited to offer cus- tomers more choices for dining and retail at Sea-Tac Airport, to build a platform for local chefs and shop owners who celebrate the Pacific Northwest, and to rec- ognize equity and sustainability practices that passengers can feel good about supporting," said Port of Seattle Commissioner Courtney Gregoire last year, when announc- ing the names of the new conces- sionaires. Espresso drinks, pastries, sand- wiches and snacks are served in a brightly lit café that blends white subway tiles with reclaimed wood cabinets. A large coastal landscape painted by local artist Cheryl Zahniser anchors the space. It took only a few weeks for the café to welcome its first celebrity cus- tomer, actress Jessica Alba, who stopped by on March 2, presum- ably between flights. If you're not traveling by air anytime soon, you can still enjoy a distinctive café experience at La Marzocco Café on the Seattle Center campus. La Marzocco, which opened in 2016, serves as a stage for monthly rotating coffees and coffee service that are de- signed and curated by leading cof- fee voices from around the world. In a unique partnership, the Taking Seattle's coffee culture to new heights SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY Coffee chats are a popular feature at La Marzocco Cafe, which also sponsors panel discussions, musical guests and a roaster-in-residence program (La Marzocco) Sharing the space with KEXP radio and a record shop, La Marzocco Cafe ser- ves carefully curated coffees from around the world in a stylish setting (La Marzocco) THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano

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