Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Historic Roasterie of Vashon

It's an early blog and I feel like going to The Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie.  It is not going to happen today because I am back home in Goodyear, Arizona.  Oh well... I did take some photos when I was in Washington a couple of weeks ago and let me tell you, I can make it last longer.

I wish Buckeye or Goodyear had a place like this that roasted their own coffee, sold tea of course and organic vegetables.  I mean this place even sold Chia seeds in bulk.  I bought some of course for my granola that I religiously make and eat.  

It is nice that I have this photo to just stare at instead of standing in their store and just standing there like a doof ball.  I love places like this.  I haven't read the history yet on their website but this place is old enough for me to love, peeled paint and all.  The blue siding on the back wall I am just noticing now that I am back home. I think the products look really appetizing against it.  The ancient wood floors are wonderful to walk on.  In some places the floor is so wavy I could do an olly off of them with my skateboard.  Too bad I suck at skateboarding.

Look how they posted cardboard graphics from produce boxes on the wood doors. Genius.  The owners of this place took great care to bring in natural wood display cabinets.  I really appreciate it how they didn't muck it up over time by putting fake walnut siding all over the place like some historical establishments that I know here in Arizona.  There is it. 

The main colors in the Roasterie seem to be naturals like the wood floor below, red (obviously taken from the original roaster which is coming up) and subtle accents of turquoise which thrills me to no end. This color combination sends me over the edge.

The owner, Peter, is a 4th generation coffee roaster.  Peter is a local to Vashon Island and spends time traveling to Quatemala to check on his coffee beans. I mean I am assuming.  My mom, Jeffrey and I visited this place about 4 times while staying on Vashon Island.  Each time I visited, I felt at home. 

This roaster below is still in use today.  They roast the beans by hand as opposed to a machine.  When beans are roasted by machine there are places along the track that can get mucked up.   It is like anything else you know what I am saying? 

This is where roasted sampling of the beans occurs. The red roaster is down to the left of that wood railing.   The roaster is like the heart to mainstreet Vashon.  The tomato red color of the roaster is repeated over and over along the streets of Vashon.  That could be another blog.

I don't know what this machine does but I love it.

Jeffrey is buying his cup of Guatemalen Heirloom Coffee.  Can you see the group sitting in the background? Those guys are the locals that have been hanging out at TVICR for the last 30 years.  Look further and you can see their personal coffee mugs hanging on the wall. Each mug is white and has chrome letters that spell out a name.  When Walt is done with his coffee he gives it a rinse and hangs it back on the wall for when he comes back in a couple hours.

No chia seeds were harmed in this post.