(rice milk mimics woodgrain)It has been a bad week for coffee. By extension, this means I have also had a rotten week. It’s very difficult to get excited about reviewing a coffee when something is clearly off about the roast. It is likewise exceptionally disheartening to seek solace “to go” from a favorite coffee shop on a never-ending day, only to discover halfway down the block that the espresso shot was badly burned. But most of all, when suffering from general malaise and an inability to find satisfactory flavor in any cup of coffee, even from the places you normally love, it is upsetting to think that, perhaps, something is actually wrong with you. It is therefore with great relief that I find myself sitting on a chartreuse bench in White Center today, blissfully involved with a chocolate Americano that tastes exactly right. I have to confess that White Center is not a neighborhood I ever think of visiting. But, based on a recommendation posted to the comments of a previous blog, here, at the Dubsea Coffee shop, I sit. Dubsea is an odd site. It has all the architectural innovation of an airport food-court, but some of the most agreeable art I’ve seen at a coffee shop in a while. It boasts a maximum occupancy of 49 people, but is uncommonly spacious. It keeps its pastries on floor level, within a counter-height pastry case. The walls are white, and the ceiling is painted. It is late-afternoon dead, with only one other customer in here, but the cement floors and high ceilings mean that two voices fill the entire store with the buzz of their conversation. Dubsea Coffee in White CenterEmbedded in the Greenbridge Community in a way that makes it almost indistinguishable from the residences and community center, Dubsea is one of the few open stores in any of the designated retail spaces. The whole arrangement is extremely new, and it remains to be seen whether or not all its potential will take. As it stands, unless you live in Greenbridge, there isn’t much reason to visit Greenbridge. And that’s unfortunate, because Dubsea Coffee is actually quite good. Grant you, I did order chocolate in my Americano. But it is still the first decent Americano found all week. And I’m not just saying that because they serve Stumptown; I’m saying it because it’s true. One cup of coffee and a truly personable barista’s conversation have restored my hope for the weeks ahead. If you get the chance to swing by White Center (not hard to do on your way back from the airport, as I discovered today), you should stop by Dubsea for coffee. There is nothing nearby making the area a good destination. But perhaps if people start going to Dubsea, it will be worth a retail shop owner’s time to open something next door… and perhaps that something will make Greenbridge a happenin’ destination… and then, of course, we all get a reason to visit Dubsea. It’s a win-win.