LYNNWOOD — At Seattle Coffee Gear, a coffee geek’s paradise, you can have your espresso and drink it, too.
Victor Gehlen, president and founder of the company, is helping people find the answer to making excellent coffee at home.
“There’s no wrong way to make coffee you love,” Gehlen said.
But when it comes to diluted and bitter coffee water, “it can be so much better than that,” he said.
In November, Seattle Coffee Gear opened The Wall, a new feature at its flagship location in Alderwood mall.
It’s a multi-roaster concept designed to address the foundation of good coffee: good beans.
Offering more than 30 specialty roasts ready to sample via pour-over or espresso brew method, Gehlen said the goal is to help people make coffee they love at home.
The business started nearly 10 years ago.
Gehlen, who had a latte-a-day habit, was frustrated at the lack of options for home kitchens.
“I’d buy at least one coffee a day, and that’s a lot of money,” he said.
He recalls his failed efforts to find decent at-home gear. He picked out a $300 machine, the most expensive on the shelf at a department store, hoping for the best only to have his dreams of full-bodied espresso crema shot down.
“I said, ‘This is going to work,’ but I made one shot and I could never get another good one,” he said.
After an endless and disappointing search, Gehlen saw an opportunity. He left his corporate job and opened his own business, aiming to give people tools and knowledge to make better coffee.
What started in his Lynnwood garage in 2006 has blossomed into the nation’s second-leading independent online espresso machine dealer and retail locations in Lynnwood, Bellevue and Portland, Ore.
The first store opened in 2007 in Alderwood Mall. Gehlen had purchased a set of machines to get “hands-on experience” when the company’s vice president, Gail Williams, came on board. With enough product to show customers, a store made sense. As the industry grows into more of an experience-based business much like wineries and craft breweries, Seattle Coffee Gear could be headed to other markets including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, Gehlen said.
“People’s tastes have matured, especially in Seattle,” Gehlen said.
For $7,000, you can go home with the La Marzocco GS/3 Espresso Machine, featuring dual stainless steel boilers, powerful steaming action, and more gizmos than any caffeine-fiend could wish for.
It may sound pricey, but people already spend a lot on their coffee fix, Gehlen said.
A 12-ounce vanilla latte costs about $4. One every workday over a year adds up to about $1,000 not including tips, gas, parking and other expenses.
But Gehlen knows not everyone’s budget is the same and a good cup of coffee isn’t about how much you spend on it.
The Chemex classic glass and wood pour-over vessel runs about $40 and is one of the staff picks for coffee gear.
Brendan Field, a marketing communications specialist with the company, said he considers a good burr coffee bean grinder the most important asset to a good cup of coffee. The starting price is about $30 and goes into the thousands.
His favorite coffee is a pour-over weighed and brewed to perfection.
“I like the process of it,” he said.
Kaylie Kipe, marketing director for the company, said the company even offers in-person classes and online videos to teach people how to pull the perfect shot or pour exquisite latte art.
Whether shoppers are looking for a simple dripper or the Rolls Royce of espresso machines, the staff prides itself on ensuring people spend their money wisely and end up with a cup of coffee they’ll crave every morning.
“At the end of the day, they should enjoy their cup of coffee,” Gehlen said.
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