QED Coffee Now Has A Storefront in Mount Baker

After three years of selling its beans wholesale, micro-roaster QED Coffee just opened a brick and mortar in Mount Baker's old Repast Bakery space at 1418 31^st Ave South this Sunday. (Repast has relocated down the street.)

Owner Matt Greenfield and business partner Jason Venhuizen offer lattes, mochas, teas, a fresh ginger chai, brewed coffee, and more at the new 13-seat storefront, and hope to add beer and wine around summertime and potentially pour-over coffees. The shop also stocks the same bagged QED beans it sells online: single-origins, blends, and decaf options. On the food front, find pastries from Macrina and NuFlours (gluten-free), cookies from Skydottir (vegan, gluten-free), Blazen bagels, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches from Molly's.

Greenfield launched QED as a side venture three years back, while working as a barista and bartender in Seattle. He'd learned about the business while working for coffee roasters during college (he was a math major at Evergreen), and eventually invested in his own equipment. Today he sources the QED's coffees from two main Seattle-based importers—Mercanta and Atlas—and leans toward Central and South American flavor profiles, which he describes as "more nutty, caramel, warm cocoa" tastes.

The name QED is a math reference: quod erat demonstrandum in Latin. According to Greenfield, it's a technical notation at the end of math proofs indicating their completion: "I set out to show you something and here it is," he explains.

And what does this have to do with coffee?

"There's a lot of specialty coffee going around that's interesting but not super approachable. We want to have coffees that are interesting but also delicious." In comparison to some craft coffees that have flavors that are too far out, Greenfield says, "We want you to be able to come in here seven days a week and know it will be what you want."

QED is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Learn more on the shop's Facebook page.