Palouse Coffee Club
At a glance
- Roasts inTacoma, WA
- Founded2011
- Founded byKevin McGlocklin
- CafesTacoma
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Bluebeard Coffee Roasters is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Washington: an independent roaster based in Tacoma, founded in 2011. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Bluebeard opened in April 2011 and jokingly calls itself a 253rd wave coffee company, a nod to Tacoma's area code. The name comes from the founder's childhood family cat. The founder guesses the cat was named after the Kurt Vonnegut novel, since his father taught English. Its house style is a balanced roast: developed enough for chocolate and caramel sweetness, but light enough to keep the finer notes of high scoring specialty coffees.
It roasts on a classic 12 kilo Probat drum roaster and says it pays at the top of the market for coffees from Latin America, Indonesia and East Africa. Bluebeard publishes an annual green coffee and employment transparency report showing what it pays farmers and its own staff, with reports posted for 2024 and 2025. It has supported relief work including rebuilding after Hurricane Eta in Honduras.
Besides its original cafe at 6th and State, it now runs a second space on South Tacoma Way: a rebuilt 100 year old furniture showroom that now holds the roastery, a cafe and the company offices.
What they roast
Roast levels run balanced (medium). House blends include El Capitan (everyday drip, Chiapas, Mexico) and The Narrows Espresso Blend. Single origins on the list when we checked: Idido, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, Mandomashe AA, Tanzania, Miller Vasquez Pink Bourbon, Huila, Colombia, Buesaco Sareni, Narino, Colombia and Magdalena Camaja Calo, Guatemala. The Narrows Espresso Blend. EA decaf from Cumbres de Narino, Colombia (ethyl acetate process). Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
The South Tacoma Way roastery has a cafe open Tuesday to Sunday mornings and a shorter Monday morning; the original 6th Ave cafe is open daily.
- 6th Ave: 2201 6th Ave, Tacoma
- Bluebeard STW Roastery and Cafe: 5428 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma
Address
5428 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA 98409
Roastery, cafe and headquarters.
Why buying from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters matters here
Describes its crew as a group of Tacomans and roasts in Tacoma. Its first cafe sits at the corner of 6th and State in Tacoma, which it calls the City of Destiny. The roastery reuses a 100 year old furniture showroom on a historic stretch of South Tacoma Way known for food, drink and music.
Every bag bought from a Tacoma roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Washington, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Bluebeard Coffee Roasters is part of the club.
Are you Bluebeard Coffee Roasters? Email roasters@palousecoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Washington roasters
- Broadcast Coffee, Seattle
- Camber Coffee, Bellingham
- Zoka Coffee, Bellingham