Palouse Coffee Club
Quick answer: where coffee and music meet in Seattle
The clearest meeting point is Seattle Center, where Caffe Vita runs the cafe in KEXP's Gathering Space, next to the radio station's on-air studio and a record store. Vita's first wholesale customer, back in 1995, was Easy Street Records in West Seattle. Up north, Bellingham's Camber Coffee has made special release coffees with Death Cab for Cutie, a band that formed in Bellingham. Several other roasters we list name their blends for radio, jazz and the city's music rooms.
Caffe Vita and KEXP
KEXP is a non-commercial station on 90.3 FM. Wikipedia traces it to 1972, when it started as KCMU, the student-run station of the University of Washington, and credits it as the first station to air grunge bands such as Nirvana and Soundgarden in the late 1980s. The station moved its studios to Seattle Center in December 2015, and the Gathering Space, the public room where visitors can watch performances, opened in April 2016.
Caffe Vita runs the cafe there. It also sells a KEXP Blend, one of the blends on its current list. The connection goes back further than the cafe: Vita has sponsored Seattle events such as the Capitol Hill Block Party, and in 2009 it organized GIVE Seattle, a compilation album for local food banks and arts groups. Wikipedia lists Ben Gibbard and Fleet Foxes among the artists on its 36 tracks.
A record store as the first customer
Caffe Vita was founded in 1995 in Queen Anne, and its first wholesale account that year was Easy Street Records. Wikipedia describes Easy Street as an independent record store that opened in West Seattle in 1988, later added a cafe and bar serving coffee and food, and often hosts live in-store performances.
Camber, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service
Wikipedia says Death Cab for Cutie formed in Bellingham in 1997, while Ben Gibbard was studying at Western Washington University. Two albums from 2003 matter here: Death Cab's Transatlanticism, released October 7, 2003 on the Seattle label Barsuk, and The Postal Service's only album, Give Up, released February 19, 2003 on Sub Pop, the Seattle label founded in 1986.
Camber, founded in Bellingham in 2015 by three licensed Q graders, has made special release coffees with Death Cab for Cutie. In 2023 it also made one with The Postal Service, marking the 20th anniversaries of both albums. Camber runs a yearly Artist Series with visual artists as well, and its flagship cafe is on West Holly Street in downtown Bellingham.
Blends named for radio and jazz
| Roaster | The music connection | Blend names |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcast Coffee | Named for founder Barry Faught's father, Bill Bailey, a radio DJ in Boise, and his love of radio | Request Line, Breaker One 9, Crossfade, Nightcall; Chill Wave cold brew |
| Victrola Coffee Roasters | Named for the 1920s home phonograph; the company leans into a Jazz Age feel, from vintage jazz to its cafe buildings | Big Band, Paramount, Empire, Triborough Espresso |
| Fulcrum Coffee Roasters | Blend names that nod to Seattle places | Jazz Alley Nights, Pike Street, Broadway |
| Caffe Vita | The KEXP cafe and a first account at a record store | KEXP Blend |
Broadcast opened its first cafe at Yesler Way and 20th Avenue in the Central District in 2008 and still pours there. Victrola started in 2000 as a cafe on 15th Avenue on Capitol Hill, where it began roasting in a back room in 2003.
A coffee and music walk
- Start at Seattle Center with a coffee at the Caffe Vita cafe in the KEXP Gathering Space.
- Head up to Capitol Hill. Caffe Vita's flagship on East Pike Street is its roastery, where you can watch the vintage Probat roasters, and Victrola's Pike Street cafe also houses a roastery.
- Finish in the Central District at Broadcast's Yesler cafe.
- With a free day, drive the 90 miles north to Camber's flagship in Bellingham, the town where Death Cab for Cutie started.
Our guide to Seattle roaster cafes has the addresses, and the Washington coffee history covers the city's espresso carts and chains.
Seattle coffee and music: questions
What coffee does KEXP serve?
The cafe in KEXP's Gathering Space at Seattle Center is run by Caffe Vita, which also sells a KEXP Blend.
Did Death Cab for Cutie make a coffee?
Yes. Bellingham roaster Camber Coffee has made special release coffees with the band, and in 2023 one with The Postal Service, for the 20th anniversaries of Transatlanticism and Give Up.
Why is Broadcast Coffee called Broadcast?
Founder Barry Faught named it for his father, Bill Bailey, a radio DJ in Boise, and his love of radio. Its blends carry radio names such as Request Line and Crossfade.
Coffee with a story
A listing does not mean a roaster is part of the club. Each roaster we list has a story, and the bag is the easiest way into it. Palouse Coffee Club sends a 12 oz bag from a different independent Washington roaster each box, every 2 or 4 weeks, in the roaster's own bag with a packing slip about the roaster. $16.99 a bag; first bag free, you pay $7.99 shipping. Skip or cancel anytime. Build your box or browse the Seattle roasters.
Sources
- Wikipedia, KEXP (90.3 FM, non-commercial; KCMU in 1972; first to air grunge bands; Seattle Center studios from December 2015; Gathering Space from April 2016)
- Wikipedia, Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Company (founded 1995 in Queen Anne; Capitol Hill Block Party; GIVE Seattle, 36 tracks, Ben Gibbard and Fleet Foxes)
- Wikipedia, Easy Street Records (independent record store, West Seattle, 1988; cafe and bar; in-store performances)
- Wikipedia, Death Cab for Cutie (formed in Bellingham in 1997; Gibbard at Western Washington University)
- Wikipedia, Transatlanticism (October 7, 2003, Barsuk Records) and Wikipedia, Give Up (February 19, 2003, Sub Pop)
- Wikipedia, Sub Pop (Seattle label founded in 1986)
- Caffe Vita's KEXP cafe, KEXP Blend and first wholesale customer; Camber's band and Artist Series coffees; Broadcast's name and blends; Victrola's name, blends and early years; Fulcrum's blend names: the roasters' own pages as recorded on our roaster profiles, checked 2026-09-27.
- Bellingham's distance from Seattle: Wikipedia, Bellingham, Washington (90 miles)
By Joe McRose, Palouse Coffee Club. Updated . Music history from Wikipedia's KEXP, Easy Street Records, Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism, Give Up and Sub Pop articles; roaster facts from the roasters' own pages as recorded in our roaster data.