Asensio Coffee

Cousins Jeff Aasen and Amy Siltanen first talked about opening a coffee shop together in the late 1980s and finally did it in August 2013, at 33610 21st Avenue Southwest in Federal Way's Twin Lakes neighborhood, just south of 336th Street. Their own About page puts the point plainly: not a chain, not a franchise. More than a decade on, it is still the one shop.

The beans are organic and come from Poverty Bay Coffee, the local micro roaster behind the Poverty Bay Cafe on South 322nd Place in Federal Way, which Asensio's site calls a local roaster, not a national brand. The Honey Bee Latte, espresso with organic honey and cardamom, is the most popular drink on the menu. The list also runs a Dreamsicle with white chocolate and Holy Kakow orange syrup, a Coconut Cream Iced Americano, a Sakura Cherry Matcha and a Purple Haze blueberry pea flower lemonade iced tea, with drip coffee and cold brew for anyone keeping it simple. Teas are organic loose leaf from Rishi, and almond, coconut and soy milk are on offer.

Breakfast is made hot to order, per the shop's own breakfast menu: bagel sandwiches such as sausage, egg and pepper jack on a jalapeno bagel, English muffin sandwiches, four breakfast burritos including a vegetarian one, and avocado toast on Alki Bakery Harvest nine grain bread. Photos on the Google listing show a slate tile floor, a curved wood bar lined with stools, a fireplace flanked by leather chairs, and a wall of bagged beans for sale, with patio tables under red umbrellas out front.

Hours are 6am to 3pm on weekdays, 7am to 3pm Saturday and 8am to 3pm Sunday, so plan on mornings. Mobile orders run through the joe app. The shop says plainly that it is not a dedicated gluten free kitchen, so anyone with a serious allergy should ask at the counter.