Splash and Dash - Stopping For Coffee In The 2018 BMW 640 GT

Splash and Dash

Stopping for Coffee in the 2018 BMW 640 GT

Story and Photography | Dan Heyman

I’m going say it right off the top: I’m not a coffee guy. I have very good friends and family members who swear by the stuff, but I just never really got it. If I need caffeine, it’s Coke Zero for me.

My not liking coffee, however, doesn’t preclude me from respecting what Starbucks has done over the years. I’m not a golf fan, but I love what Tiger Woods was doing in his prime because we all like witnessing greatness, whether the subject matter is to our personal tastes or not.

Greatness, indeed; since 1977, Starbucks has blossomed from a little startup on Pike Place in Seattle, Washington, to being one of the largest foodservice chains in North America and the world, with almost 30,000 locations.

It was with that in mind that I set out from Vancouver, British Columbia and 280 kilometres or so south down I-5 to see where it all began, and to see how far it’s come over the years.

My steed? The BMW 640 Gran Turismo (“GT”), the latest addition to the 6 Series line-up. Essentially, the GT takes the trunk found in the other Sixers and swaps it for a hatch, making it easy to load a stroller and bags for three. We also had a rear-facing child seat, and thanks to a surprisingly roomy second row, fittng it was no problem.

The drive to the cradle of coffee in Seattle is fairly uneventful at first, taking you through BC’s southwestern farmland through the surprisingly serene and well-manicured Peace Arch border crossing into Blaine, Washington. After that, it’s a cruise through the edge of the Cascade mountain range until you arrive on the outskirts of Seattle. If you want a pleasing diversion on the way down, however, check out friendly La Conner on the banks of the Swinomish Channel. Come for the old fishing boats still moored there, stay for the art galleries and antique shops.

After that, it’s pretty much a straight shot to Seattle, although there are a few bends as you wind through the foothills that gave me the chance to test the handling chops of the Bimmer.

Overall, it’s good; direct steering, well-controlled body movements, as well as optional rear-wheel steering, give what is a pretty large car a little extra agility while keeping the occupants comfortable. All essential qualities when it comes to continent-crossing.

The 640 GT does, however, suffer from a somewhat numb front end, which I’ve seen on quite a few Bimmers lately. You get the sense that there’s a giant air bubble just behind the dash, between you and the front axle. You know that when you turn the wheel the call will react quickly, but it feels a little disconnected while doing so.

The powertrain, however, is a delight. The 640’s 3.0L turbo-6 makes 335 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. It’s V8- smooth in its operation, without any of the peakiness you’d expect from a turbocharged engine.

BMW has been making fantastic straight-sixes for years, and even when turbocharged, the ‘plant in the 640 GT ticks all the right boxes.

The ride is wonderfully neutral on all but the boldest road imperfections and truly makes covering vast highway kilometres (or miles) a breeze.

There were many times during my drive that I just sat back in those great chocolate brown seats and let the GT whisk us along, its slippery shape killing wind noise and those great dampers keeping me and my wife comfortable, my 11-month old in dreamland. This is top trumps cruising, this is, and kudos to BMW for delivering such a complete package in that vein.

Pike Place in Seattle’s waterfront market by the same name may not hold quite the cachet as does Fisherman’s Wharf down in San Francisco, but it nevertheless does a bang-up job of anchoring the old and blending it with the new. While trawlers and trains have now been replaced by cruise ships and Ubers, you don’t have to go far to be transported into another era. Post Alley, for example, looks like it really hasn’t been touched in years; case-inpoint the Gum Wall, which is covered in layers of gum so thick you’d swear they’re from the Silent Era. The ground below you there is all cobbled, and the signage for the various dive bars-cum-tourist attractions makes you feel like you’re walking through a movie set yourself.

While 1977 is a long time after the Pike Market area began its gentrification, walking into the first Starbucks at 1912 Pike Place is surreal in its quaintness. Get there early, though; it’s busy all the time, especially when a cruise ship dumps out, and they do so quite regularly making for a solid 30-60 minute wait.

You’re greeted with a logo that’s a little less PG than today and just one long counter on the right sittng perpendicular to where your drink’s being crafted. The left-hand wall is packed with memorabilia; mugs with “first Starbucks” inscriptions, t-shirts, brown aprons (no green here) and so on.

You’ll also find a blend called “Pike Place”; it’s available here, and only here—no other Starbucks gets it. Not the one down your block, not at world HQ ten minutes south of S’bucks #1; nowhere but here, and it’s yours for US$10.95.

Coffee guy or no, I ordered a drink and took it all in— for about five minutes. You see, hallowed coffee ground or not, this is a small spot and you kind of get the feel for it after about five minutes. It’s worth the visit, if not necessarily the wait.

Indeed, if you’re in Seattle and looking for the full- Starbucks experience, there are better options. The monolithic HQ building is worth a visit; there’s a fullyserviced Starbucks location as you enter, and it stands as part of the brand’s “Reserve” line, meaning a bigger space, employees in white instead of green and the availability of certain blends from all over the world—Kenya, Brazil, Nicaragua—for a limited amount of time. They also serve baked goods developed in Italy’s famous Princi bakery, a partnership which will result in a Turin Starbucks Reserve location soon, the first in Europe.

It’s worth a look, but it is off the beaten track a little and it’s not the Starbucks to see in Seattle. That honour goes to the Roastery, located in the Capitol Hill area east of downtown. It’s one of two such locations in the world— the other’s in Shanghai—and it’s like a Starbucks Reserve on PEDs.

This is mecca not only for Starbucks people, but coffee people in general because this is where it all starts; the beans come in raw and green to the delivery bay and go through the roasting process straight to your cup.

There are four different service locations here—one for cold brews only, one for your traditional S’bucks fare, one fully-serviced bar and one food counter stocked with Princi recipes running the gamut from pizza (try the smoked salmon) to lasagna and baked goods. Interspersed among all this are numerous memorabilia stands and lots of seating, including quieter banquetstyle rooms off the main floor. Try a nitrogen-frozen coffee float, or a flight—yes, a microbrewery-style flight!—of three different S’bucks Reserve blends.

The dining/drinking area forms a horseshoe around the production facility; you can see the beans go from the silos, to the micro-roaster, to the small batch roaster, the

copper casks, to more silos, and on to the scooping bar, their last stop. Between two roasters, up to 125 lb of beans are roasted per hour; if you’re wondering what’s currently being roasted, take a look at the true-to-life classic train station-style arrival/departures sign above. Rumour has it that it’s so genuine, they have to fly in European specialists to service it.

It serves as a bit of a crown to the whole operation, that sign. It has to be genuine because that’s the only way it would fit the surroundings. Coffee person or no, it’s quite satisfying to know that what you’re drinking hasn’t had to travel that far to get to your mug. Starbucks #1 is kitschy cool, but it’s the Roastery that’s the real story.

Speaking of travelling far—the 640 GT was made for it, and it does it well. It’s roomy, it’s airy, it looks the part and most of all, while you’re happy to have arrived, the prospect of heading out again is as easy to swallow as a steaming hot Burundian Ngozi blend.