kontextmaschine:

Something interesting I’ve noticed is that at this point the famed Pacific Northwest coffee culture is really two distinct cultures - the sit-down coffeehouses and the drive-thru “shacks”

It’s not exactly a class divide or a red tribe/blue tribe thing, tho it probably comes from how one customer base is bobos posting up outside the workplace at 3PM and one is Git-R-Done types driving on dispatch or commuting

The sit-downs have recently trended from overstuffed estate sale couches to that retro-austere look and hire post-hipster baristas to set a tone; the shacks are utilitarian but universally seem to hire flirty, attractive young women to the point of specialized topless or bikini sites

The sit-downs increasingly focus on terroir with tasting notes for specific strains of bean and elaborate preparatory methods to bring the inherent flavors out; the shacks have syrups and sugar and more artificial flavorings than a vape shop

It’s not even an avant-garde/normie thing, more like distinct avant-gardes. The coffeehouses will have vegan baristas and lemongrass shot add-ons, but the shacks will have CrossFit girls serving drinks for a ketogenic diet

I suppose the overlooked third coffee culture is people with K-cup machines in their office