Coffee Meets Кофе

Tamping. Steaming. Pouring. Bitter aromas swirl about the coffee bar. They are intoxicating to this Seattleite far away from her snobbish coffee culture. So elitist that she imagined Russia incapable of true espresso appreciation. In the same way that our American streets are littered with sugary ventis of Starbucks and Tullys, Saint Petersburg also has her over-priced and over-populated "Coffee House" and "Shokoladnitsa".

But to explain the discovery of such a gem...

It all started with a shower curtain, as do most good adventures. Natalie and I set off to find "Окей," a sort of Russian Target, where we would be able to find many of our apartment necessities. Guided by my terrible sense of direction, it was soon clear that we were a bit lost. Naturally, I suggested we wander down a somewhat bleak alley. In my experience, most supermarket chains choose store locations at the end of dark and discreet alleyways. The narrow walkway, no more than a glorified sheet of ice, became a maze winding between the backs of shops with an occasional bar and unappetizing shashlik restaurant. I finally suggested we turn around after finding ourselves at a dead end surrounded by trash piles. There was certainly no "Окей" here. And no shower curtain.

Perhaps it was intuition, perhaps it was a sixth sense, but something drew me towards a brightly lit window near one of those potent trash piles. La Marzocco? Polished to perfection? And not just one, but three pristine espresso machines started back at me through the window. The shop's clean white walls were filled with tasteful canvases displaying coffee varieties and their origins. Heaven. This had to be coffee heaven.

Confused as to what this glorious place might be, I urged Natalie to ring the bell. For some reason, a tall and striking Russian decided to let us in. He asked us what we might need. A jumble of Russian swirled around in my head "lost...окей...coffee...seattle...what?" So instead I blurted out, "Do you speak English?" Of course. Of course there was an English gentleman there who explained we were in a local Russian coffee roastery and barista training location, and would we like a free sample, and Окей is just a few blocks up in the Галерия.

Hello. I love you.

So we've been enjoying the surprise of locally roasted Russian coffee in our newly purchased french press. But as much as home brewed coffee is wonderful, everyone needs a good americano, a hipster barista and an eclectic setting to inspire both creativity and study. So, with a little research, we found Lebedev Cafe and Studio. Where the coffee of our English gentleman is brewed, where the barista has dreads, and where the light fixtures are cheese graters. Where I sit now, writing, not certain whether I'm in Russia or Seattle.

Moral: Follow your intuition (even if it is down a dark alley (if something bad results from this advice I take no responsibility)) and know that good coffee can always be found.