We made a new friend at Tacoma’s farmer’s market, Valhalla Coffee. This is Sam trying to educate us on the finer points of the Valhalla blends. He did his job, because we really wanted to visit this independent roaster.

It would seem the thing to do… to drink coffee, at a coffee house, in or around Seattle. How pedestrian. But not really, it’s Tacoma’s only independent roaster who roasts five days out of the week on location at 6th and Proctor. You walk into coffee saturated air, it’s intoxicating. Store decor is minimal, but you only need somewhere to sit to enjoy the freshest cup of coffee. And, their prices are comparable to the big corporate store that started it all. When we were there in the mid-afternoon, the store was peaceful with a few customers checking up on their e-mail and reading the paper.

Store owner, AJ, was on hand that day to chat and brew some Valkyrie Blend: Ethiopian, Sumatra and French Roast. The French press was perfect and piping hot.

We asked AJ for some coffee to bring home… and he blended it right there on the spot. Could it get any fresher than that? There’s no pre-packaging, no pre-blending, no foolin’ around here. This guy runs a top-notch coffee spot that, well, serves a great cup o’ joe without all the merchandise distractions.

Bringing Coffee Home

If you’re into coffee, a 1/2 pound of Valkyrie Blend instead of a lavender sachet in your suitcase does wonders. My suitcase (and clothes in it) smelled so good when I opened it… *reminiscing and inhaling deeply now*. Somehow, I think that this novelty has probably worn off for baristas and employees at Starbucks. Speaking of Starbucks, when we got home, I said to my husband, we need to have Coffee Friend over for a tasting. I’ve known Coffee Friend for 25 years, and certainly he’s one of my best friends since before high school. He has a great palate and a knack for verbalizing it, and he works for the big corporate coffee shop. We don’t hold that against him. As for the unimaginative moniker, he’s okay with it. I asked.

The last time we had a coffee tasting with Coffee Friend, we had some really bad jitters and my husband, oy, he felt all buzzy-headed for a few hours. We took precautions this time: only one brew, not three. We opened the bag of Valhalla Valkyrie to smell the sweet, dark roasted beans, and got the French Press out. Personally, I loved the symphony of fruity and spicy flavors.

From my notes, here’s what Coffee Friend had to say: The Ethiopian component was delicate, but hard to taste with the dark, strong flavor of the Espresso French Roast. At the first sip, when it’s piping hot, you can taste the fruit. It also has a bright floral acidity. Then comes the earthiness and spice from the Sumatra. As it cools down, you get the maltiness. Overall, the blend has very nice layers of flavor.

Here’s what my husband said: “I just know I like it.”

Thanks, AJ and Valhalla Coffee crew! My brother-in-law got us some more of your awesome roasts! Can’t wait to brew a cup!