Valhalla Coffee Co.

A. J. Anderson opened Valhalla in 2004 and still runs it, which in a city where most coffee businesses are under a decade old makes this the long game. He is a Tacoma native who worked at Starbucks and then apprenticed under a master roaster before starting his own. Two decades on, the roasting still happens on the Sixth Avenue property, in a separate building behind the retail space, rather than at a plant across town.

The lineup is fixed rather than rotating, and that is the philosophy rather than a limitation. The Viking Blend is the house workhorse, 60 percent Sumatra against 40 percent French roast, medium dark and low in acidity. Alongside it sit the Valkyrie Blend, an espresso blend and a straight French roast, with decaf versions of three of them. The single origins are a small standing set: Ethiopian Harrar, which Anderson has called his own favorite for its blueberry and chocolate, plus an organic Ethiopian Sidamo and a Sumatra Mandheling. The Norse names come from his Norwegian and Swedish family.

What that means at the counter is a classic espresso program rather than a board of flavored drinks. An Americano is the standard order, cold brew is on, and beans go home by the pound, up to six pounds an order from the shop's own store. Seating is limited and the room is quiet, so this is a stop and a bean run more than a place to set up for the afternoon.

Hours are 7am to 5pm every day of the week, confirmed on the shop's own contact page, which means the 7pm close that older coverage still carries is out of date. Sixth Avenue is one of the city's main independent business strips and parking is whatever the street gives you. Tacoma Java Co pours further east on the same street and has its own entry here, so the two make a short walk.