As I mentioned in my travel reflections, it is not enough to treat my visit to Seattle's Slate Coffee Roasters as just another thing I did during my trip to the West Coast in August. The place definitely deserves its own dedicated post.
I personally know espresso aficionados who are obsessed with Slate, and I can totally understand why: Even if you are a jaded connoisseur, you will have a novel, unforgettable experience here. From the very beginning, Slate's founders conceptualized their business out of three exceptional building blocks: niche high-quality raw materials, superior preparation techniques, and singular finished products.
Conceived and founded by Chelsea Walker in a partnership with her brother and mother, Slate was born two years ago, in November 2011. It started its life in an Airstream trailer strategically positioned in Seattle's Capitol Hill. Now, transplanted to one of Seattle's northwestern neighborhoods, Ballard, the establishment continues to cultivate the same aesthetics of grace and elegance that inspired the founders to start the business in the first place. It applies to everything: the offerings, the methods, the decor, the ambiance, the hospitality, even the service sets.
What fascinates me the most is that this young woman did exactly what I advocate all young people to do. She found something that she (a) feels the most passionately about; (b) has talent for; and (c) knows well how to do, both technically and commercially. She utilized her reputation as an innovative espresso barista to solicit valuable advice from local coffee-business celebrities and went full force after her entrepreneurial dream, attacking the odds on all fronts: Her business model includes the wholesale of Slate's roasts to other coffee boutiques (so far 9 locations in Washington, California, Massachusetts, and Illinois), the online store selling the current selection of beans as well as a few signature coffee implements, a coffee subscription, and, of course, the bar itself, where you can experience the magic firsthand and then leave with a bag of the fresh roast you've just tasted.
Everything in Slate Coffee Roasters is unique. The uncluttered decor complements the minimalist menu very well: There are no lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, frappes, and such other potions here. The only espresso-based drinks you can get are, well, espresso - either neat or cut with milk, in various proportions. The rest are hot or cold-brewed coffees - usually from no more than 3 or 4 sources. The coffee bean is treated here as a tropical fruit that it actually is. So, just like good wine makers, Slate folks pursue rich bouquets and go after small-batch sources that harvest the most flavorful products: a 1500-farmers estate in Kenya, a specific lot on a Panama estate populated exclusively by Gesha trees, an Ethiopian co-op, etc.
The single-source beans are roasted in house twice a month in 15-kilo lots. Slate abandoned the tradition of the deeply roasted espressos and goes light on the heat for the sake of preserving the flavors. In order to provide the bar's customers with an unadulterated experience, no sugar or any other sweeteners are offered. They use non-homogenized local-farm milk here - so sweet and real, you feel happy for the cows that gave it away, and the desire to taste it on its own motivates some people (me!) to order the full Espresso Deconstructed set twice in a row. If you do like something solid to complement your espresso or coffee, you should try the hand-dipped in chocolate... no, not conventionally dried orange peels, but syrup-soaked fresh orange slices. It only makes sense that these exquisite offerings are served in a bar (rather than the common coffee house) setting, with espresso presented in designer stemware. Other straight coffees are brewed to perfection in a variety of methods expertly matched to specific beans.
Of course, when judged by the field's elite, this, for a lack of better words, artistic and somewhat rebellious approach to the provisioning of coffee-based beverages, elicits high recognition and praise: Many a West Coast barista know of Slate; the wonderful Brandon Paul Weaver, who's been at Slate from the start, won the 2013 North West Regional Brewers Cup; and Slate's team captured the title of America's Best Coffee House 2013 in Seattle, which, considering the city's history with the drink, is a feat, especially for such a young establishment.
It goes without saying that all these elements set Slate apart from the rest of Seattle's coffee scene and theoretically should've given them a tremendous competitive advantage. Yet, the company struggles commercially. And it is my strong opinion that it has a lot to do with its geographical location - not just the remote Ballard specifically, but Seattle altogether. Of course, the bar has its own devotees, who come in all the time (some are even willing to fly cross-country just to feel the magical brews on their lips), but, generally speaking, there are simply not enough people to generate a steady stream of clientele to the counter. There is no question in my mind that the good people of Slate would be so much better off in a place famous for its unyielding hyperactivity.
Yes, New York City is the most competitive place on this planet. And yes, it is especially true for the majority of food establishments - according to Business Insider, 80% of restaurants here close in their first year of operation. It makes total sense to me: you've got to do something extraordinary to survive here as yet another deli, a French or Italian restaurant, a Japanese sushi bar, or a Chinese take-out. That said, the field of designer espresso is pretty barren. Well, we maybe have about 20 highly rated specialized places - a ridiculously small number for NYC! Yet, people with really discriminating tastes still complain that it is impossible to get a good espresso in New York.
The top places in competitions and recognition by connoisseurs are great, but at the end of the day, for a consumer-dependent establishment it's all about the statistics of public exposure: the more people pass a place, the higher the number of those who will enter. And only then can you start wowing them with your miracles, hopefully achieving a sufficient level of the customer retention: In order to succeed a small coffee-bar business needs a steady 10-people line during the morning, lunch, and coffee-break rushes. Alternatively, this particular business can position itself as an exclusive Art House of Espresso with people coming in specifically for the Slate's religious experience and willing to pay exorbitant prices for it. Neither possibility, unfortunately, is going to present itself in Ballard.
To illustrate how the statistical probabilities are impacted by geographical locations, let me use an analogy from my recent music experience: Royal Canoe, a great small band from Winnipeg, Manitoba (don't jump to Wikipedia - they are not there) primarily performs at alternative festivals and small peripheral venues with, let's say, 50-300 people capacity. What is the probability that someone who sees them at The Garrison in Toronto (capacity 270) will go out of their way to attend their concert in Brooklyn? I'd say, close to zero. But on 09/14 they opened for Alt-J at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom (GA Floor capacity 3400, plus galleries) and I know of at least 5 people (two independent groups), who went to Canada specifically to see them play again. And there might have been more. And even if only 10% of the live audience buys t-shirts and CDs, it translates to 27 music lovers in Toronto, but at least 400 in NYC.
Numbers - they don't lie. So, is it surprising that at this moment Slate has only 28 reviews on Yelp, while Lucid Cafe (even though a very nice place, but no award winner or espresso breath-taker) located 4 blocks from Grand Central has 93?
What I hope for is that Slate's current operations will create enough momentum to ignite in owners the desire to solidify their success and branch out to the busiest spot in the world, the city that never sleeps and, therefore, is in a dire need of Chelsea Walker's heavenly concoctions. Plus, we have the highest concentration of people who adore the high-end, luxurious, elite products and services. So, see you in New York?!