Trabant Chai Lounge

Trabant uses Intelligentsia coffee. Intelligentsia coffee is direct trade and that seems to make all the difference. The nonfat iced latte they make contains virtually none of the sharp, bitter taste that causes most of us coffee drinkers to avoid nonfat milk, though we know it’s better for us. The iced mochas here are unrivalled, as well. I haven’t yet had more “pure” coffee drinks here, but I’m guessing they’d be outstanding, because the coffee is clearly top-notch.

Trabant’s interior reminds me of Bauhaus’. Lots of metal and glass. They have a couple of first-generation iMacs which are free for customers to use for Internet browsing, within reason. The staff are generally very friendly. I like how they ask if I’m “in the computer.”

I’ve discovered Trabant only recently, but it’s already one of my top five favorite coffee places in the city. And the coffee itself might well be the best in Seattle (though it’s from Chicago, not Seattle). I need to take some Intelligentsia home and put it through its paces to be sure.

The greatest. They even have vegan whipped cream! =)

Arguably the best coffee in the U-District, but also has an amazing chai selection that will titillate anyone’s taste buds (though maybe slightly offend traditionalists). I’ve got the best drinks from the morning baristas, one of whom was ranked #2 in all of Seattle in a recent contest.

The crowd is a mix of students, computer geeks (UW’s tech building is nearby), artists, and musicians, usually aged 18-30. The music is usually a combination of electronica, indie, and some obscure [to me] hip-hop.

There’s an open mic on Monday night where a lot of the performers know each other. Poetry is often ignored by the mostly college-age audience but music with alternative/indie/rock influences or a high amount of novelty is very much appreciated. Performers play on Friday and Saturday nights and many have monthly gigs.

I went here with my sister and it was good. I think they might have messed up one of our orders, but my drink was tasty.

Cool atmosphere, phenomenal lattes (not uncommon to get hearts or leaf patterns in your steamed milk), and free live music on Fridays and Saturdays. This is where we started playing live music regularly!