Best of the ‘Burg: Coffee Shops
story by Megan Foster, photos by Lindsie Avalos, and design by Lizeth Valdez
The aroma of the beans fills your nose as you open the canister. The whir of the machine kicks on with a flip of a switch. You carefully put two scoops of coffee into place and brush off the excess. With a turn of the dial, the steady stream of caramel colored espresso drips into your cup. You take a sip, “Ahh.” You’re ready to start the day.
This may be a regular routine for many. Joe, java or just regular old coffee, whatever you may know it as, it’s the nation's favorite way to wake up. Drip, latte, cold brew and more, whatever your poison, everyone needs a jolt every now and again.
Ellensburg, Washington has its own history with coffee. Some of the town's local coffee shops date back to the 1990s; some with a longer, deeper history of their own.
Winegar’s
For nearly 30 years, the Winegar family operated a small dairy farm in Ellensburg. However, “when the dairy market crashed, they sold the dairy farm and then… they started doing coffee and ice cream,” says Mikayla Stoffel, a barista at Winegar’s.
Truman and Phoebe Winegar founded the Winegar Dairy in 1956, and then the Winegar’s Dairy Drive-in in 1960, according to the Winegar’s website. The family's business continued to expand, update and remodel.
Throughout the years, their children began to become more involved and eventually take over; Gary, their eldest son, and his wife Martha became heavily involved. “In 1992, Gary and Margo’s eldest, Richelle Winegar (now Winegar-Higdon), told her dad that after graduating from Central Washington University, she wanted to stay in Ellensburg,” according to the website. “Grandpa Truman and Papa Gary had voiced the desire to make ice cream and Richelle needed a job, so Richelle suggested that she come start that part of the business.”
Winegar’s has a wide variety of coffee options, but Stoffel says customers “typically just like white chocolate mochas [or regular] mochas.” The shop uses Caffé D’arte coffee beans, which are from a Seattle based roastery. You can purchase these beans in store for personal use.
Without hesitation Stoffel explains that their most popular drink is the Extreme Bull, which is their version of a flavored Red Bull. “Honestly, a lot of people get blue raspberry [and] green apple,” Stoffel says. “Not quite sure why, [but] it’s really popular.”
Stoffel explains that while their caffeinated beverages are most popular, they also have a wide range for those who don’t drink caffeine. They offer hot chocolate, spiced cider, Italian soda, flavored teas and steamers, which Stoffel describes as steamed milk and flavoring; a coffee without the coffee.
While they have plenty of popular items amongst their customers, they are notoriously known for their hand cranked ice cream. “Everyone just knows that Winegar’s has the best ice cream,” Stoffel says. If you’re having a hard time making up your mind, opt for a Winegar’s Espresso Shake, your choice of ice cream, blended with a shot of espresso to create a caffeinated milkshake.
Aside from ice cream, Winegar’s has a range of food choices to appease customers' needs. Options include hash browns, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, egg bowls, cookies, flavored breads, personal pizzas and more.
“We also have a bakery,” Stoffel says. “It's the Winegar’s bakery and it's actually in the owner's backyard.”
Winegar’s has a long history in Ellensburg, and therefore a long history with their customers. Stoffel regards the shop as friendly, loyal and personable; she explains that the employees make an effort to get to know their customers and show that they care.
Video created by Lindsie Avalos.
D&M
D&M Coffee has been in Ellensburg since the 1990s. “So, our owners are Mark and Donna,” Annabelle Prather, a barista for D&M, explains. “They met actually at Central, and they were both art majors.”
The owners worked their way through school here in Ellensburg, “Mark in restaurants and Donna as a hairstylist,” according to the D&M website. Eventually, the couple found their way into the coffee business.
“I don't know why they decided to go into coffee, but they basically had this RV that they converted into a little mobile coffee shop,” Prather says. Since then, the pair has opened three separate locations in Ellensburg.
While they sport many options, both Prather and the Assistant Manager of D&M, Taylor Serl, concur that the shop is most known for the Claussen. The Claussen is an Americano with caramel and cream.
If you’re not the coffee fanatic, D&M also offers Red Bull, Lotus, tea and more to appease your caffeine needs. Prather suggests a peach green tea for less caffeine or a peach lavender Red Bull for an extra jolt.
“We get our beans from California,” Michael Grimshaw, the D&M delivery driver, explains. While the coffee beans themselves are outsourced, D&M takes over from there. “We do all of our own roasting and grinding,” Grimshaw says. You can purchase coffee beans in their stores to make D&M coffee at home.
Alongside coffee, D&M has a plethora of options for visitors. D&M operates a bakery within their warehouse to supply their coffee shops with treats “all freshly made every day by our bakers,” Prather says. At their locations you can find black bottom muffins, paninis, scones, cookies, breadsticks, quiche and pasta salad.
D&M offers different atmospheres at their various locations, but Prather says they aim for a homey and eclectic feel. “Today there's a lot of newer cafes and coffee shops that are very modernized,” Prather says. “I think that Mark and Donna have really put effort and emphasis on not doing a modernization.”
The coffee shop has enamored a loyal following over the years, “We've had people who've been here since beginning and have never strayed,” Prather says. “Those people really make the business what it is.”
Udderly Espresso
Udderly Espresso found a home in Ellensburg, Washington in the 1990s. Manager of the shop Keira Grech explains that Jodi Olson, the Udderly Espresso owner, opened their first location in 1995 and called it The Espresso Barn.
Since then they have moved around, but they now have three different locations right here in Ellensburg. According to Grech, The Udder Place was born in 2008, and in 2019 Raris & Lyle’s Udderly Espresso Downtown joined the scene.
In terms of coffee, Grech says “I probably make more iced white chocolate americanos with cream than anything else.” However, at the Udderly Espresso shops, flavored Red Bulls are said to be quite popular as well. According to Grech, cranberry, white peach and cantaloupe is a popular flavor right now.
Udderly Espresso uses coffee beans roasted by Pioneer Coffee in Cle Elum, Washington. According to Grech, “The end product is a high-quality, but also very versatile espresso that can be combined with any number of flavors and still tastes amazing.”
In the Udderly Espresso shops you can find one pound bags of their signature coffee beans for sale. While these bags are typically pre ground and fit for drip coffee, Grech says they’re happy to take special orders as well.
If caffeine isn’t for you, the Udderly Espresso shops have other options. “Right now I’m on a big Italian soda kick,” Grech says in reference to non-caffeinated beverages. “I would try an Italian soda with peach and strawberry puree topped with strawberry cold foam. [It’s] so delicious.”
Grech says if there was one thing the shop was known for, it would have to be their house made caramel sauce. “If we ever run out and have to use store bought, we will let every regular know and genuinely feel so guilty because there is no comparison,” Grech says. “Fortunately that’s a pretty rare occurrence but we do have to make gallons a week to keep up.”
If you’re in the mood for more than coffee, Udderly Espresso has options. They offer “homemade breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos, homemade sweet breads, and a variety of cookies, scones and other goodies,” Grech says. “Our downtown cafe also offers some lunch menu items, like salads to go and croissant sandwiches.”
The Udderly Espresso chain has a heartfelt history and homey charm. “We really put a lot of time and effort into decorating and displaying the merchandise so the cafe gives a bright [and] homey, farmhouse aesthetic,” Grech says.
Each shop will offer a different vibe, but their service is straight forward. “We owe a huge portion of our success to the people who work for us,” Grech says. “Our baristas are some of the nicest and most genuine people you will meet and they build relationships with customers that you don’t get everywhere.”
Map to the Caffeine
Winegars:
Locations:
111 E University Way, Ellensburg WA 98926
1013 E University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Hours:
111: 6-9 daily
1013: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends
D&M:
Locations:
Downtown: 325 North Pearl St. Ellensburg, WA 98926
Drive Thru: 204 South Water St. Ellensburg, WA 98926
Canyon: 1709, #2 Canyon Road Ellensburg, WA 98926
Hours:
Downtown: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Drive Thru: 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends
Canyon: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Udderly Espresso:
Locations:
Udderly Espresso Downtown (Raris & Lyle’s): 423 N Main St. Ellensburg, WA 98926
Udderly Espresso Stand: 608 E Mountain View Ave, Ellensburg WA 98926
Udder Place: 1503 US-97, Ellensburg WA 98926
Hours:
Udderly Espresso Downtown (Raris & Lyle’s): 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday
Udderly Espresso Stand: 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Udder Place: 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
