Coffee is part of Seattle’s history and culture. You can find a plethora of local cafes and restaurants in Seattle offering a variety of coffee. Ever heard of Starbucks? If you have, you can thank Seattle for that. Even if you don’t drink coffee or have any interest in trying new coffee, you can still learn more about coffee’s relevance and presence in Seattle.

So when I visited Seattle back in November 2023, I knew I had to do a coffee tour. Especially since my name for my blog and social media channels is JoJo’s Cup of Mocha, you know I HAD to do a coffee tour! While I was searching for tours on GetYourGuide, I found a coffee culture tour in Capitol Hill which seemed very interesting and fun to me. With a click of a button and my payment successful, I was fully booked for the Seattle Coffee Culture Walking Tour.

What is the Coffee Culture Walking Tour?

But let’s back up for a minute and talk about what the Seattle Coffee Culture Walking Tour is. I know I mentioned that the tour is in Capitol Hill, however I didn’t mention why it’s in that area or its relevance to coffee. Also, what types of coffee does one try on a coffee culture walking tour anyways?

Well, I’m about to answer that and give you a brief description of what this tour is all about!

GetYourGuide’s description of their Seattle Coffee Culture Walking Tour says this: “get a true taste of Seattle’s coffee scene on a walking tour with a local guide and coffee samples. Explore the vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood where coffee culture and counterculture intersect”.

There you have it! A walking tour in a Seattle neighborhood, learning about that coffee scene and culture, tasting different styles of coffee (i.e. Americano, latte, iced coffee, etc.) from local cases and shops, and learning about Capitol Hill’s background. On this tour, you even visit a Starbucks and go more behind the scenes of the coffee roasting process.

Related Post: Seattle Underground Tour Review: Is it worth it?

How much does it cost?

At the time when I paid for my tour, which was in November of 2023, I paid $60. They were advertising the tour for $59 and some change, but after taxes and whatnot it came to around $60. Now, as of March 1st, 2024, the tour pick on GetYouGuide is $56.05. So, it’s advertising at a discounted price now.

However, like with any activity, it’s subject to change so the price can increase or decrease.

Why do a Coffee Culture Walking Tour?

Why would you want to do a tour like this? Especially if you’re not into coffee or don’t tend to drink it as much?

For starters, if you’re a coffee lover like myself, then you’ll appreciate the rich history of Seattle’s coffee culture, trying different types of coffee, and see what makes each one unique. Plus, if you’re a fan of walking and exploring a location, learning about culture, and appreciating information given by a local from the area, then you’ll definitely want to experience this tour. Capitol Hill is an amazing neighborhood for not only its coffee culture but how LGBTQ+ friendly it is, how diverse the people are, and how aware and connected everyone is. It’s just an overall great way to build your knowledge and try great coffee!

On the other hand, if you’re not into coffee, walking, or learning about an area’s culture, then I’d ask you to reconsider and give this tour a try. Why? Because it’s a chance for you to get out of your comfort zone, try something new, and to broaden your perspective. You get to learn more about a neighborhood’s culture and diversity, and how it’s contributed to coffee culture. Not to mention, it can be anxiety inducing but fun at the end of the day to try out new tours.

Rough Itinerary

Here’s the deal with this tour. You meet up with your tour guide by the Jimi Hendrix statue in Capitol Hill. From there, you:

• Walk to the Bobby Morris Playfield
• Walk to Elliott Bay Book Company to try an Americano
• Walk to Wunderground Coffee to try a Latte
• Walk to the original Starbucks (not exactly the original but close enough) to see the roasting process
• Walk to Ghost Note Coffee to try an Iced Coffee

In between each location, the tour guide made several stops at different shops and cafes and discussed their relevance not only to the coffee culture of Seattle but to Capitol Hill as well.

Related Post: 4 Day Solo Trip Itinerary to Seattle, Washington

Trying different types of coffee

On the tour, you venture to 3 different local shops and cafes to try 3 different types of coffee. You get to try an: Americano, Latte, and Iced Coffee. However, each type of coffee has a slight twist to it or uses certain types of coffee beans to produce it.

Americano

The first place you visit on this tour is Elliott Bay Book Company. It’s a cool local book store with a variety of genres and books on display. However, this tour takes you to the back of the book store to try an Americano.

I learned some history and how the Americano came to be. While I tried this Americano, my tour guide went over all the flavors and coffee notes you can taste in coffee. Now, I’m not an Americano person and I don’t particularly like this style of coffee. It’s a bit too much for me.

However, with this particular Americano, I did taste a bit of a floral flavor to it. Pretty interesting, huh? I wasn’t expecting to taste anything floral in an Americano but the people out here in Seattle know what they’re doing. It was a lovely surprise tasting that note in there. But overall, this wasn’t my favorite. I’m just not an Americano type of girl.

Latte

The Latte you get to try at Wunderground Coffee has mushrooms in it! This establishment uses mushrooms like lion’s mane, chaga, cordyceps, and reishi, which offer a variety of different health benefits. So, not only are you drinking a latte to get your dose of caffeine but you’re also consuming mushrooms that can help with anxiety, stress, gut health, anti-aging, memory, and better sleep, just to name a few.

The awesome part is that you can’t really taste any of the mushrooms. They’re finely ground up an mixed into the latte, alongside other ingredients as well. I’m not a latte type of coffee drinker, so trying a latte like this was very interesting to me. I like mushrooms but it’s not a food I’d like to taste in my coffee. But thankfully, you can’t taste it. So you get to consume a variety of different mushrooms with so many health benefits. Needless to say, I did enjoy tasting this latte and if this establishment was near me, I’d venture there to get another latte!

Iced Coffee

Another example of unique coffee flavors was the Lush Life iced coffee I tried at Ghost Note Coffee. The iced coffee you try here has espresso and almond milk, nothing out of the ordinary there really. But the two ingredients they add to the coffee give it a natural sweetness and fragrance.

Here, they add orange blossom honey and grapefruit aromatics to their iced coffee. Did you ever think you’d drink coffee with grapefruit and orange blossom honey in it? Neither did I! It was interesting to hear the ingredients, even better when I got to taste it! I wasn’t expecting it to be really good!

Now, I may be a bit biased, as I LOVE iced coffees and prefer them to traditional hot coffee drinks. However, if I add any flavoring to my iced coffees, it’s usually mocha or I just don’t add any flavoring at all. I’ve never truly tried any type of coffee with natural ingredients that add a nice but subtle sweetness to it. Needless to say, this coffee was delightful to try and was honestly my favorite out of the three I tried.

But I’ll let you be the judge of which coffee is the best…to you and your preferred taste(s).

The culture of Capitol Hill

I know by now you’ve seen how this coffee culture tour is in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and how it has a lot of cultural significance. However, I’ve yet to say why or how Capitol Hill is so significant to the coffee culture and overall diversity and history of Seattle.

For starters, Capitol Hill isn’t short on its fair share of good food, drinks, and vibes. It’s a very unique area in Seattle where culture, diversity, and different communities like the LGBTQ+ community come together to give a very vibrant and blended feel. Not only is it a hub for food, drinks, entertainment, and a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community, it has a lot to offer in terms of coffee. Let me tell you, there’s a ton of smaller shops and cafes which office unique twists to their coffee.

Just like the neighborhood itself, the coffee culture in Capitol Hill is a thriving hub which offers a wide variety of flavors, ingredients, and special concoctions which you don’t really see elsewhere. Ever since the late 1800’s people have been roasting coffee beans and experimenting with added ingredients and techniques, which can then produce different variations and tastes of coffee. The coffee here, along with the ingredients added to it, get more unique, strange, yet delicious with each passing decade.

But that’s what makes it so special and worth the time and effort to take this tour! No where else will you take a tour and learn about a rich and color history like Seattle’s own Capitol Hill and coffee culture.

Is it worth it? Do I recommend it?

The big question: do I recommend this tour? And my answer is…YES! I highly recommend this tour to anyone. Whether you’re looking to explore a new Seattle neighborhood, try some unique coffee, learn about coffee culture, the culture of Capitol Hill, or just want to try something new, this is a really awesome tour to take! It’s informative, you get to try coffees that are different, all the while walking, exploring, and learning about Capitol Hill and the coffee culture scene.

Check out the tour I went on through GetYourGuide here!