Trabant Coffee has two locations in Seattle. One is the University District, the other is on the edge of Pioneer Square. They use 49th Parallel’s Epic for their espresso blend. 49th Parallel is an extremely popular roaster in Vancouver. I believe Trabant is the only Seattle location that uses them.
I love the Epic Espresso Blend and think 49th Parallel describes the Epic Blend perfectly with one sentence:
Incredibly creamy and very sweet with a lingering syrupy finish.
If the people from the Juan Valdez Cafe are reading this post, I want you to take a look at the two espressos below. The first one is from Trabant Coffee. Notice the reddish copper color. Also note that the shot was not over-poured. The second photo is from the Juan Valdez Cafe. The Trabant espresso was delicious. The Juan Valdez Cafe espresso was vile. There is a clear lesson to be learned from the Trabant example.
Yummy espresso from Trabant Coffee.
Yucky espresso from Juan Valdez Cafe.
Sources:
Trabant Coffee and Chai – Official site.
49th Parallel – Coffee list.
Ominous Signs: Juan Valdez Cafe, Seattle – Juan Valdez Cafe review.
They don’t even look similar!