Anchorage’s vibrant coffee culture

COFFEE CULTURE, ANCHORAGE STYLE

BY MARA SEVERIN

Even the hardiest Alaskans need a coping mechanism or two to help us through the long winter: supplements, blackout curtains, mood lamps. You name it, we’ve probably tried it. And, sure, long walks and Vitamin D are great, but have you tried co ee? One thing many Alaskans rely on is year-round co ee-therapy.

A hot, frothy cappuccino, sipped in a cozy café, can be the perfect cure for the low-winter-sun blues. But ca einated pick-me-ups are no less valuable in summer when Alaskans are burning the candle at both ends. A er all, if the sun never goes down, is it ever really bedtime?

Which is why Alaska’s co ee roasters are household names to the locals. ere’s Kaladi Brothers, which grew from a lone espresso cart in 1984 to a burgeoning business with 14 stores around the state (and one in Seattle). ere is SteamDot Co ee Co., whose Midtown café features a “slow bar,” where your co ee is ground and brewed fresh to order (600 E Northern Light Blvd.). And then there’s Black Cup Co ee — they serve a full menu of espresso drinks but their motto, as their name implies, is: “extraordinary co ee best served black.” (341 E Benson Blvd.) Undecided? Head over to Sip Co ee Lounge (510 W Tudor Rd. Ste 7) where you can order a co ee ight featuring both Kaladi Brothers and Black Cup brews.

It’s a friendly battle of the beans. Everyone has their favorite, but each of these co ee purveyors enjoys a well-earned popularity.

But co ee can be as much about café culture as it is about beans. A good co ee house is part community center, part extended o ce, part mental day spa and part art gallery. It’s a great way to learn about someplace new. And in downtown Anchorage, café culture is thriving.

Kaladi Brothers Café at the Performing Arts Center (621 W. Sixth Ave.) in downtown is a bustling space and a convenient spot to grab a cup of stamina while in the midst of souvenir shopping or if you’re on the way to see a show. Another cozy spot is Moose A’La Mode (360 K St.), featuring Homer’s K Bay organic co ee served alongside some of the most delicious cupcakes in town with inventive avors like s’mores and blueberry lemonade. Another spot that specializes in sweet treats and brew is Gelatte (500 W. Sixth Ave) where, as the name suggests, you can warm up with a specialty drink or cool down with housemade ice cream. Or you can thread both needles and order an a ogato, if you want a grown-up sip that pleases your inner child. Another local favorite is Dark Horse Co ee (646 F St.), a cozy, slightly out-of-the-way spot with a reputation for great co ee drinks (which they source from Heritage Co ee in Juneau) and avocado toast. Bonus points for their inviting little porch, where you can sit and sip on sunny days.

If you require a hearty meal alongside your Americano, Kaladi Brothers co ee is served up at the friendly Snow City Café (1034 W. Fourth Ave.). A favorite with locals, this funky, vibrant spot features rotating local art, an impressive variety of eggs Benedict and expertly cra ed espresso drinks. I’m particularly partial to their use of tall, sleeved pint glasses to serve large-sized lattes and mochas. Hot drinks taste better served this way. I don’t know why.

Originale serves a variety of traditional specialty Italian co ee drinks. And if you can resist their incredible sandwiches stu ed with imported Italian salumi, then I bow to your superior will power (400 D St.).

For a unique co ee house experience with bohemian vibe, check out Uncle Leroy’s co ee, a local business that began its roasting in a 1968 bus. e origin story is scrappy but it’s known for serving beautifully re ned drinks in a fun, hip atmosphere (701 W 36th Ave #18 in Midtown). Or hit up AK Alchemist (103 E. Fourth Ave.), which describes itself as the perfect mix of “Alaskan culture, urban city swank, and steam punk artistry” all wrapped up into one co ee house.

On the other end of the ambiance spectrum is Kobuk Co ee Co. (corner of Fi h Avenue and E Street). By Town Square, in the historic Kimball Building (1915), this charming little gi shop retains some of its original xtures and ooring. In a store packed full of unnecessary necessities (old-timey candy, scented candles and teacups), you’ll be hard-pressed to make it to the co ee room without doing some impromptu browsing (and, if you’re like me, buying). Kobuk o ers a whole range of espresso drinks and a wide variety of teas but, whichever you choose, make sure you get house-made doughnuts to keep it company. What kind of doughnuts, you ask? Like everything else in the store: old-fashioned.

Husband-and-wife owners George Gee and Deborah Seaton have been running Side Street Espresso (412 G St.) for 25 years and it has evolved from a café into a neighborhood institution. In contrast to the gleaming xtures of trendier, newer cafés in town, Side Street Espresso is like a living scrapbook commemorating 2 1/2 decades of the Anchorage community. e cozy space is lled with curios, a Buddhist shrine, a lending library, a rack of local postcards, board games and layers of notices about local events. Espresso drinks are expertly made, and George treats everyone like an old friend. But my favorite thing about Side Street Espresso is the art.

George has been creating an original piece of art on white “specials” board almost every day for 20 years. Inspired by his morning thoughts on his walk to work, Monday’s board might announce a Toasted Marshmallow Mocha atop a portrait of Maria Callas. Or Atticus Finch might share space with the price-point for a cherry- avored latte. George used to erase these daily (with a Zen-like attitude that I cannot fathom) but local public outcry inspired him to begin to preserve them. ey’ve now been assembled into a book of collected works called “Flutters from Side Street.”

It’s a reminder that a cup of co ee can invigorate, but a café can inspire.

PHOTO BY LOREN HOLMES