Bluebeard Coffee Roasters

Bluebeard opened in April 2011 and named its own style rather than borrowing one. The 253rd wave, after Tacoma's area code, is its shorthand for a medium roast that sits deliberately between commodity coffee and the ultra light end of third wave: as the company puts it, deep enough to develop sweetness and light enough to leave the subtleties intact. That position is why the cup here tastes of chocolate and caramel rather than the bright fruit acidity a lot of specialty roasters chase.

The Narrows is the house espresso blend. Behind it runs a standing set of single origins that turns over with the harvest, recent examples including an Idido Washing Station Ethiopian with strawberry, watermelon and lemon blossom, and a Miller Vasquez pink bourbon from Colombia that leans passionfruit. The nitro cold brew has been poured here since 2014 and has been canned since 2022, which earned the company a Sprudge writeup in 2024 and put it on shelves at independent grocers around Tacoma.

Here is the thing most listings still get wrong. This shop no longer roasts. Founder Kevin McGlocklin spent roughly six years planning a proper production space and opened it in July 2025 at 5428 South Tacoma Way, in a 1928 building that spent most of the last century as Kelly's Furniture Co. A larger Probat there took output from about 30 pounds an hour to between 35 and 45. All production moved with it, and Sixth Avenue became a cafe only. The roastery has its own entry here and is worth the separate trip.

What is left on this corner is the room, and it is the reason for 1,170 reviews. The company describes it as open, airy and welcoming, and the window side seats at Sixth and State have long been the better people watching perch on the strip. Hours are 7am to 5pm seven days a week, confirmed on the company's own site. The roastery keeps shorter and different hours, so check which address you are aiming at.