It was the fall of 1993 when I flew out of Evansville Indiana into St Louis Missouri and met two other ladies that worked for the then AGENA Corporation. We flew from St Louis Missouri to Seattle Washington. The flight was long about 4 hours.

When we arrived in Seattle it was very late around 11 pm. We got in a cab from the SeaTac Airport and were on our way to a hotel close to the Bothell Washington offices of the then AGENA Corporation (know known as AMS Services).

One of the ladies (sorry but I can’t remember there names) had the cab driver stop at a place called “Starbucks”. I asked, “Why are we stopping here?” they said “to get a Latte”, for the rural Kentucky boy I again asked “What’s that?”

Well they showed me. I don’t think that I slept the rest of that trip. To start with I had a bad head cold and really couldn’t smell or taste anything—but I love that Latte.

While I was in Seattle for that trip I stayed over an extra day and ventured downtown Seattle to check out the city. One thing that was going on while I was in town is that there was a trade show going on for people in the Coffeehouse business. I had really never heard of such other than the coffee shop on the bottom floor of the Community Methodist Hospital in Henderson where my grandmother worked for many years on Friday nights.

So I ventured into this coffeehouse trade show in downtown Seattle. I learned about espresso, roasting coffee, what a barista was, and coffee flavorings—just about everything that was becoming the rage of the coffee business boom.

When I came back to Henderson I couldn’t wait to tell others about my findings. That same week Dave & Connie Walasky were preparing to open “Planters Coffeehouse” in downtown Henderson. I knew of the Walasky’s but did not know them well. From the first day they opened the doors of Planters till when they sold the business I was in there every morning purchasing my latte. Dave made my lattes for several years then he turned it over person whom too became another dear friend in life Donna Hatfield.

Well my love for coffee and especially the Venti Non-Fat Latte all began in Seattle some 15 years ago and this week I am back in Seattle.

Hats off to a great city that makes a great Latte! Thanks to Starbucks and the many great independent shops who too have made coffee and coffeehouses a great place for people to be and be seen just as they are!

The picture above is that of the very first Starbucks Coffeehouse across the street from Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle Washington.

Thanks Starbucks for many years of GREAT LATTES– and I look forward to many more and more trips back to Seattle to remind me how special they are!