Seven Coffee Roasters Blog

I think an artist is simply anyone who creates anything by their own volition.  I have always created things, whether by building little fairy houses as a kid outside, working with clay in high school, or using my camera. I think that means I am an artist, though I never really thought about it or defined myself as one until right now answering this question!

When the bag is first opened and you take an exploratory whiff, it might feel as if the archetypal grandmother has opened a cookie factory and you are standing on the production floor—all the ingredients come together in a perfect aroma—particularly the vanilla, cinnamon, and coconut—perhaps more decadent than should be allowed of a super-food. 

How do you explain your artistic style? What mediums/ tools do you work with?

I am a collage artist, using magazine photos almost exclusively. Because anyone can do it, no matter their art skills, I consider collage “the people’s art.” Had I not found and used these images, they would likely have been recycled or thrown away; beauty and meaning are resurrected from trash.

Beyond its base characteristics, one of Bad Santa’s strongest virtues (pause for chuckle) is its drinkability. Sixty-five IBUs is respectable but not tongue-numbing, so a reveler is allowed to enjoy the character of the beer’s hops—consisting of multiple hop species but specifically Fuggle, a traditional hop originating in England—and dark malts without losing their sense of taste altogether. 

As their names suggest, lemon lavender shortbread is a classic-style shortbread dough with lavender flowers and lemon zest, chocolate raspberry is a deeply rich chocolate dough with chocolate chunks and dried raspberries, and Kitchen Sink is also a chocolate dough replete with hazelnuts, tart cherries, toasted coconut, oatmeal, and chocolate chips—everything but the kitchen sink! 

And Full Tilt doesn’t draw the line at imaginative ice cream flavors and toppings. Full Tilt carries a full complement of eclectic sodas for ice cream floats, and—wait for it—for those parlor patrons of age, Full Tilt offers Tipsy Treats, floats made with your choice of beer, cider, or wine! Full Tilt also makes milkshakes and offers cold brew coffee to add a little zip to any float or shake.

Honest Biscuits was founded by Art Stone who was first introduced to the art of making biscuits by his grandmother. And since those lessons in the kitchen in North Carolina, Stone has brought his love of biscuits to Seattle, putting a premium on the freshest local ingredients and fresh new ideas for an old country favorite.

For example, perhaps try a toasted tomato pesto cheese croissant and a house special, the Flora Forager—cardamom and rose syrups and seltzer on ice. The croissant entices with a pizza-like aroma and follows through as buttery and flaky with the right amount of tang and herbaceousness from the tomato, pesto, and cheese. And the Flora Forager is just sweet enough to bring you back to those early summer days of selling lemonade for a nickel with the sophistication in flavor to help you realize how much, with the right marketing strategy, you could sell that lemonade for now. 

I’m always on the hunt for new and undiscovered printing plates. If I have some ink and canvas and find a sweet chunk of metal in the street, I usually try to make a print. I’ve converted my Subaru Forester into a “print mobile” equipped with paint mixers and a drying rack which has become my studio.

Whether it’s the prospect of drinking in the open air on Rooftop Brewing Company’s spacious patio or the promise of delicious local food from a truck or the community represented through all of Rooftop Brewing’s collaborations with other local small businesses or simply the desire for a fresh, well-crafted beer, Rooftop Brewing Company is certainly deserving of a stop on your next Seattle brew tour or, dare it be suggested, a regular weekly stop for a relaxing evening up on the roof.

A running tagline found on Biscuit Bitch Seatle's website reads, “Trailer Park to Table.” And this may be one of the best descriptions for what has become an iconic local Seattle chain. Biscuit Bitch puts on no airs, other than the tantalizing aromas they waft onto the Seattle streets, and you know exactly what you're getting as soon as you walk in the door. If ever you find yourself suffering from any city-borne inhibitions, one visit to Biscuit Bitch and a healthy helping of down-home goodness will wash them away, and you’ll leave with a full heart and a smile on your face.