Slate Coffee Bar

I recently moved back to Seattle after being gone for several years. Last time I got coffee at this address, it was still owned by Trabant, which was my jam back in my UW days. I’d never been to Slate, but the reviews were positive so I decided to give it a try. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
On the plus side: my espresso tasted pretty good. The roaster clearly knows their stuff and the barista’s technique was industry-​standard.
On the minus side: Slate Coffee is the Mos Eisley Spaceport of hipster douchery. My barista’s proficiency in the art of condescension brings to mind the mastery level of Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and Babe Ruth. When I walked in, there were no menus on the wall, but there were a couple of cards on the counter.
«Espresso.» «Espresso + Milk. (4, 6, or 8 oz)» «Deconstructed Espresso + Milk.» Drip coffee «upon availability.» I’m really glad I drink straight espresso rather than being plebeian scum that likes flavored lattes, because otherwise the service here might actually have made me cry.
I asked the barista whether the «Espresso Plus Milk» was more similar to a traditional cappuccino, or a latte. This should be a simple question — any barista worth their salt will interpret this as «Is this espresso plus milk, or espresso plus milk plus foam?» If I seemed confused, maybe he could have elaborated or asked for clarification a little bit. What I got was a long-​winded lecture on how they don’t *use* Italian terminology such as «Latte» or «Cappuccino» or «Macchiato» or «Cortado» because they don’t «Mean Anything.» I was informed like a third grader about how the literal Italian translation of «Cappuccino» doesn’t include the word «foam,» and they didn’t want to encourage to their customers that it’s «okay to order a 20 ounce cappuccino.» I tried to get a word in edgewise to no avail. Eventually I interrupted him and asked whether by SCAA standards their «Proprietary frothing technique» would be considered a cappuccino.
He said, «It would be more like a latte then.» Why couldn’t you just say that in the first place?
Once the school bell finally rang and I was dismissed, I was served my doppio with a side of seltzer. This in itself is the best part of my experience, but what really blew my mind was that my espresso was served not in a demitasse, but in a whiskey snifter. My first thought was, «I guess that’s kind of cool, in an overpriced-​used-​vinyl kind of way.» What didn’t occur to me until I was in the process of drinking it is that a whisky snifter is not the most productive way to serve a pungent, 200-​degree liquid. Hot water on thin glass is a problem in and of itself, but the curvature of the glass made delicate sipping of the coffee kind of difficult. They work great for whiskey, because whiskey is a completely different texture than espresso and also isn’t usually served piping-​hot.
All in all, this location of Slate Coffee is a shining example of what nobody likes seeing happen to Pioneer Square. Form over function. Presentation over efficiency. Most importantly, it’s about staff that wants you to feel like it’s your privilege to give them your money, not their privilege to serve you amazing coffee. Four stars for the coffee, 1 star for the customer experience, and a rounding-​down penalty because the place seems to be designed by the patron saint of elitism and man-​buns.

The coffee, espresso, and cold brew are usually pretty solid in terms of flavor, variety, and preparation. The prices are reasonable compared to other coffee spots in town.
The thing that keeps me from coming here more is the sizes they serve. If you want small amounts of tasty coffee, this is the place for you. It must be company policy to fill the cup up only ¾ full for drip coffee (even after they’ve asked if you want room for milk). The iced coffee is more of a rip off because they shake it which leaves you with ¹⁄₃ cup of foam in an already smaller than normal cup. I’m guessing you’re getting roughly 6 oz of iced coffee. I’ve found Elm Coffee Roasters (2 blocks away) also has great coffees but seems to be a better value with friendlier staff.

I always visit Slate when in Seattle. Their deconstructed latte is a must for coffee lovers and enthusiasts!

Good, solid coffee. A bit underwhelming but good. I got the 6oz espresso and milk. Flavor didn’t blow me away, but it was well made, smooth, and tasty. Atmosphere was great. I’ll definitely give them another try.

Slate in Ballard is one of my favorite places to get coffee; the service is wonderful and pleasant and the lattes I get are always so creamy and delicious.

I’m really happy Slate decided to open up a downtown location — now with room to sit! Menu is the same as the Ballard location except they don’t do the tasting flight, which I don’t miss.
Sample size: Pour over coffee, espresso, deconstructed espresso, 4oz, 6oz
Pros:
1. Espresso is great! I encourage trying the deconstructed espresso because it’s really getting two drinks for $ 5. You can combine the individual espresso and milk if you want and give it to your friend. If you do, try the milk on its own first… wow! The espresso has some acidity but it’s well balanced and smooth. Not sour.
2. Coffee is solid, not amazing. It was served hot and had some good flavors.
3. Space! I walked in and was floored by how much room there is. It’s like they want to encourage people to sit and chat or something.
Cons:
1. Hand brewed coffee is solid, not amazing. Compared to a place like Roy Street the flavors are muted.
2. Lack of accessories for your coffee — I don’t use them much but it would be nice to have the option to put honey, cinnamon, etc. in my drink if I feel like it. Also, I shouldn’t have to go up to the barista and ask for a glass of water. Is having a pitcher of water and some cups on the counter too much to ask?
I have seen a lot of reviews for the Pioneer Square location mention rude and/​or snotty service. Maybe I’m just lucky because I have had the same gentleman each time I go in (usually afternoon/​evening) and he is extremely friendly, professional, and willing to talk your ear off about coffee (in a good way!). He even sings on occasion!
If you want really good coffee GO HERE.

Good coffee.
Bad service.
Very much looking forward to getting Slate coffee this morning, checked online to make sure they’d be open, and lo-​and-​behold 15 minutes after they are schedule to be open (06:45) the lights are off and doors closed. Thanks for being S-​late this morning!

Just great coffee no fluff. Really understands how to get the unique flavors from the beans

Top notch coffee from their fancy drip coffee machine. Roasts are always spot on, with lots of unique flavor that changes day-​to-​day as they change the beans.
Haven’t tried the espresso drinks.
If you are a coffee snob you will probably like this coffee. If you are not, the light roasts might taste weird to you.

I recently heard about Slate and had it on my radar. I sometimes get a quality coffee on my day off and it is usually Starbucks Clover coffee. However this was a birthday itch I wanted to scratch and having heard rumors of a coffee flight I was craving an experience. Being a tea lover and being fairly knowledgeable about wine I am very much a coffee novice.
I walked in and immediately felt like I was in a sparse art gallery about to help sweep the floors and install something artsy. Minimal and white walls with very little vending and I don’t remember seeing any chalkboards or pictures of coffee pickers and such. Chelsey, the girl behind the counter greeted me. I told her I was here because I had heard of the tasting experiences they provide. She told me she could provide such a request and let me know it would require an hour of my time and informed me of the cost. Game on! I felt like I was about to audition for a role or something. Suspense, even. I was asked to sit where I felt comfortable.
I will not go into all the tasting notes, glassware and geography but I will instead ask you to try this out if you are OPEN MINDED and PATIENT enough to LEARN and respect their time and availability. This has changed the way I view the coffee bean or I should say– fruit! I tasted nuances and seed flavors and the coffee became a living beginning and a satisfying end.
I can say that Chelsey took some time out of her duties to help me find a pleasure I thought I had already discovered. What I liked is that she also corrected and refined my cerebral comments and accentuated my tasting instincts. Never snobby and never afraid to offer her opinion. A taster and a teacher. Don’t be afraid to listen and don’t feel inferior would be my advice to you. The price was nominal for the experience and I left a generous tip for Chelsey. I will certainly be going back again and often.
Thank you Chelsey and Slate!

Ever since moving to Seattle from the Midwest about a year ago Slate has become my go to coffee shop.
At first it took me by surprise the different experience of ordering from them (Minimalist menu/​options, longer brew times, longer conversations with the Barista, and vivid descriptions of their options/​process)
It was a completely different coffee experience, that I’ll be honest was uncomfortable with at first. Then I tasted their coffee and that uncomfortableness flew out the window. I was in love.
As I’ve become a regular goer of slate, I’ve gotten to know some of the Baristas a little more and they work to remember people. I take friends to them for the experience and baristas.
Coming from the mid west where coffee is either Starbucks or crappy mom and pop shops, it’s daunting at first diving into the world of artisan coffee. The baristas though at Slate love the chance to share their love of coffee and the craft in preparing it. They do it in a way that isn’t belittling or makes you feel dumb but in a way that starts a conversation. Their goal is purely to share the experience of amazing quality coffee in forms that help you enjoy it at its best. Hence the biggest size is 8oz for espresso and milk, no cream, etc. etc. They aren’t in this market to cater to those who drink grande frappes or breves etc. but to help share with those who are drinking coffee how they can taste all the natural flavor notes in a coffee bean.
I love that they opened locations in the u district and pioneer square because now I have a location I can go and enjoy Slate while also using the space to get more work done and can use it as more of my third place than before.
If you had a bad experience your first time, I’d encourage you to go with an open mind, try it Slates way and enjoy it. Highly recommend trying to full flight, it’s an experience that highlights the best of Slate (though it takes about an hour or so, it’s not a quick experience and it’s not meant to be) If any of your service was bad, I can assure you it was a fluke, and had to do more with being a new shop. Bad customer service is not a part of slates values, they love providing amazing service.
Love it and will keep going back always.

$ 8.14 (not including a tip) for an 8oz regular mocha… Let me repeat myself… EIGHT DOLLARS AND FOURTEEN CENTS FOR AN 8OZ MOCHA. What a joke. Talk about gentrification.

I feel at this point it is very important to get us all on the same page in regards to a word used from time to time about Slate coffee and so I will include the following from
…
Pretentious:
Adjective–
1. Characterized by assumption of dignity or importance, especially when exaggerated or undeserved
2. Making an exaggerated outward show
My issues with this word used in conjunction with this junction is simply its misuse. I will tell you on the onset that I have developed a friendship with a good portion of the baristas that work at Slate and therefore come to the conversation with some bias. I did, however, only come to have these friendships, as with most things I have worth having, over time. Conversations that may have started over a cup of coffee and the merits found in one roast or another have matured like the cooling of a fresh pour over of kilenso to reveal the deeper flavors of life.
If Slate is to be condemned for assuming dignity or importance in anything I would have to say that slate as a whole starts with finding dignity and importance in the people who are guests at Slate, which can never be exaggerated, even while it may be undeserved. It is true that Slate has an outward show that is unique in the coffee world, presenting espresso in whiskey-​tasting glassware and adding milk to that espresso placing it in simple stemware to allow the guest to experience not simply the flavor, but the appearance of the coffee.
Slate seeks to exaggerate the importance of the farmers and families who work day and night on a difficult crop to provide coffee that we consume in droves. From the green buying of all their different beans — to the last sip out of that wine glass Slate seeks to honor the soil of every region, the fruit it produces, and the seeds from which we get that sweet dose of caffeine. They roast their coffee, not to impart their ideas of what «bold roast» should taste like, but instead ask what does the bean need to come fully alive for their guest.
They exaggerate the milk from a small farm organic dairy farm in Washington because when steamed it is like a melted ice cream. Rose (a slate barista) once told me «It’s fun to watch someone taste milk that good for the first time.»
It is true that if you visit Slate it will take a bit longer and the outward show may seem to be exaggerated if you are, as of this reading, unaware of the inward depth from which they approach their craft. If you have a chance to visit Slate think of it as more of a wine menu, where you select from a list of coffees from around the world presented in such a way that you may more fully appreciate the time and effort that has been extended for your pleasure.
Slate is 200gram vinyl in a Spotify generation. While it takes time and effort to fully immerse yourself in the experience, the richness and depth of quality is worth pushing pause on the digital availability even for just a few minutes. As with any one-​off sample there may be a song on the album that doesn’t work for you, but if you take the time to hear that song in context of the whole story, you may find yourself with a few new favorite songs and maybe a few new friends.
While there are many words that may be used to define Slate, may I offer this one in place of pretentious…
Artisanal:
Adjective–
Pertaining to or noting a high quality or distinctive product made in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods

For those of you who think this place is «too pretentious», please remember that you’re coming here to enjoy coffee, and they make some of the best damn coffee in town. I’ve also only had extremely pleasant experiences with the entire staff, and think they are an absolute delight. Yes, they make a deconstructed latte which might seem ridiculous to people, but guess what?! You don’t have to order it. If you want an amazing cup of coffee and aren’t thrown off by the fact that you won’t get Starbucks-​like speed, this is the place to go.
If you need your coffee NOW, there are approximately 75 Starbucks nearby ready to push their automated machine and get you your caffeine fix (albeit a shit ton less tasty) ASAP.

Just had the worst pretentious coffee experience. My friend always tells me he loves the ballard Slate. It’s fancy coffee, yes, but they don’t belittle you for not knowing how to order it or anything. They are always friendly. Apparently the pioneer Sq location didn’t get that memo. My experience today:
I just wanted a 16oz americano.
«We don’t have that size, i can make you an 8oz.» Okay… I see you have 12oz cups, can I get that size? (looks at me like I just ate his first born son) «ummmmm, (sigh, and hangs head) I GUESS SO.» Sheesh! I was really excited to try your coffee, but stop pushing that pretentious attitude and making me feel like an idiot for trying to order a simple americano. I love coffee not attitude.
2 stars for the coffee actually tasting good (yes, even in a 12oz cup, SHOCKING). No faults there. Just serve it up with less attitude please.

I am rating this solely on their coffee because I feel like it and it’s a coffee shop.
I had an amazing cup of Ethiopian coffee. It was brewed with care and I just asked for whatever the man behind the counter recommended. I did not add milk. I did not want amazing service. I just wanted an amazing cup of coffee while I made a new friend and hung with an slightly older than new friend. I believe I was given the cup that said man behind the counter was originally making for himself. If I lived in the area I would spend more time here and getting to know the stories of others who frequent it.
Highly Recommend.

Are you looking for a ‘pump’ of anything to be added? Do you want whip? If you answered yes to either of these, Slate is not for you.
Coffee from Slate is an origin story. It’s about as pure and un-​mucked up as you can get. They focus on roasting the best possible beans, using the highest quality milk, and serving it all in a welcoming and laid back space.
Their original location between Fremont/​Ballard does table service which, is a refreshing change to the wait in line, huddle around the counter, anxiously tap your foot while you wait, mentality that big coffee has gotten us wired to think is normal and enjoyable.
I can’t quite tell if the second location is also doing table service. I hope they are, and hope they stay true to amazing experience they’ve built.
If you are looking for a quick cup to go or bucket-​sized beverage, don’t be surprised if this isn’t the spot for you.
There is a reason their first location was ranked one of the best coffee shops in US. If you appreciate quality coffee, I encourage you to stop in and stay a moment.

Out of all the coffee/​espresso bars I visited in Seattle (there was a lot I visited) this one bar far is the worst. I was told that this location had just opened so we wanted to try it out. Here’s my experience:
1. We walked in and there was a line. So I went to the front only to grab a menu because there was none on the walls or anywhere else. They had an interesting minimal menu. I went to return it to the front, got a horrible glance from the cashier, she immediately grabbed from my hand before it touched the counter & stacked it right in front of her so no one could reach it. Wow, so far not off to a great start. I was shocked how ridiculously rude that was. I wasn’t acknowledged & I was only trying to prepare my order so I’m not holding up the line.
2. When it was my turn to order I had literally two questions. Each question answered like I was an idiot and then suddenly I was ignored & the next customer was being helped! Um. hello! I wasn’t even done! Again RIDICULOUS. Sure, I don’t live in Seattle but don’t treat me with that kind of disrespect. I was polite & excited to try a new business.
So, that’s all I needed to simply walk out & not give them my business. Do these people think they’re coffee royalty or something? To describe this location: rude with an extra shot of snooty. Why on earth do they think that treat people like scum is good for business? Is their coffee good? I didn’t get a chance because I was ignored & pushed aside. Not cool. I went down the block to the Starbucks nearby & was treat with GREAT customer service & they had way more options then this place. I’m glad I walked out because places like these don’t deserve my business.