Dutch Brothers

24 May 2016

Drive Thru Dutch Style-

Written for Freshcup.com

Have you ever purchased a coffee from a drive thru with strobe lights, loud and fun music and exceptionally cheerful baristas? If your answer to this question is no, then quite possibly you have never been to Dutch Brothers of Lacey. Dutch Brothers Coffee was started by two brothers, Dane and Travis Boersma, in Grants Pass, Oregon. Their family owned a local dairy. Due to financial difficulty, they were forced to close the doors and shut their dairy down. Dane and Travis met a hippy style lady who introduced them to coffee. They loved it so much that they began making coffee and selling it to friends from their farm. It went over so well with people that in 1992, they bought a push cart and began selling coffees around town. Because they knew the importance of milk, they purchased their milk from another local dairy farm. Due to its success, they opened an actual espresso stand. There are now over 250 stands in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and California. (dutchbro.com)

For me, coffee is some serious business. I start my day with an espresso that I make at home, an iced quad shot Kahlua latte. I love a coffee that has a rich, bold flavor, without being bitter. I have perfected my drink. When visiting a coffee stand, I have some high standards. I want my coffee to always be iced, have a strong, bold and rich coffee flavor with just a little bit of sweetness and no bitterness, be reasonably priced, be served quickly and with good customer service, and be from a coffee place that is clean and has good values.

Picture this, I drive up to get a coffee from Dutch Bothers in Lacey. The line is horribly long on both sides. I am in a hurry and debating leaving. As I put my car in reverse, I am warmly greeted by a barista who would like to take my order and seems very excited to do so. I give her my order, a 20 ounce iced caramel macchiato with 4 shots. She assures...