Naomi Joe – Tacoma’s Coffee Par Excellence

Plus, check out “How Did This Get Made?” and “Blank Check with Griffin & David.”

Espresso served with tonic water for that extra highfalutin touch.

Tacoma, much like Spokane, is one of those cities that have gotten an unfairly bad rap. It may have its issues, but then, what city doesn’t? Take the good with the bad, and you’ll find that Tacoma has a lot going for it. The coffee scene, for example, and particularly Naomi Joe.

Located inside 7 Seas Brewing’s food hall, the coffee bar is, for the lack of a better term, technology-forward. The internet-connected espresso machines measure everything from temperatures to valve automation, resulting in precision-brewed shots. Automation means very little without good beans, of course, and judging by the quality of my espresso – brewed with the clean, fruity Cherry Blossom – both are well above par here.

The beans are also charmingly different from the norm, down to the roast classifications. Naomi Joe doesn’t codify beans from dark to light – instead, there’s a clean-to-funky scale. (Mind you, I think it’s fair to say that most of their beans are lightly roasted.)

We picked up a bag of the Brazilian Fermentado during our visit, and yeah, once you’ve gone yeast-fermented, it is hard to go back. The Fermentado is classified as closer to funky, though having used the beans for a bog-standard brew, I’d say it’s even funkier than that. It packs a solid punch, with strong natural notes of berries and caramel. Remember those old “Bitter Beer Face“ Keystone Light commercials?

That might as well be renamed to “Fermented Coffee Face,” which is a good thing, lest there be any doubt. If you’ve had fermented legumes, you will have a general idea of what to expect. (I’ve also seen it dubbed “coffee kombucha.”)

7 Seas’ food hall is a large, comfortable space, too, with dining options and a large bar. A spot with something for everyone.

Find Naomi Joe inside 7 Seas’ anonymous former warehouse building on 2101 Jefferson Ave – there will likely be a sign outside. Their website is naomijoecoffee.com. And as far as other Tacoma coffee roasters go, both Bluebeard and Valhalla are worth the visit.

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One of my go-to comedy podcasts is How Did This Get Made? Originally centered around bad movies, the show has transitioned to cover more bizarre films. Any movie fan – or anyone who just enjoys comedy – should check it out.

Last Sunday, we attended a How Did This Get Made? recording at a packed Paramount where the topic was the absolutely bonkers Surf II: The End of the Trilogy. In one of the evening’s more quasi-surreal moments, an audience member who worked on Den of Thieves 2 gifted co-host Paul Scheer Gerard Butler’s shirt from the film.

Great podcast and great live shows – give How Did This Get Made? a listen if you like to laugh and watch weird movies.

While I’m at it, my other go-to podcast: Blank Check with Griffin & David. It, too, falls in the film-meets-comedy category but specifically centers around directors’ filmographies. It also has a lot of crossover with How Did This Get Made as far as guests go. (HDTGM co-hosts Paul Scheer and Jason Mantzoukas have guested multiple times.)

At the time of writing they’re going through the first half of Steven Spielberg’s career, and before that they covered David Lynch’s work. Edutainment, really: Education and entertainment.

A Sampling

Famously, throves of the Digest’s readers are Ray Wise fans, so for a small taste of Blank Check, give this anecdote about Griffin spilling red wine over the man a listen.

Finally, there’s a Blank Check Substack newsletter, too, so check it out.