120,000 votes cast in poll for reader favorite Tri-Cities local coffee shop
Last week we asked readers to tell us your favorite locally owned Tri-Cities coffee shop.
The response was overwhelming. Friends and family came out of the woodwork to support cafes and coffee houses throughout the area. We selected about a dozen locally owned shops, saving the chains and franchise locations for a later poll.
In just a week, nearly 120,000 votes were cast. It wasn’t a scientific poll. There is no prize, beyond bragging rights, but coffee enthusiasts showed they were ride or die for their favorite place to grab a cup of joe.
We learned that there are a lot of places to get coffee in the Tri-Cities, and people have a deep commitment to their choice. There wasn’t a single choice on our list that got fewer than 300 votes. We even received about 150 write-ins.
Some of the notable write-in votes included Shade Cafe in Richland, Ground Support Coffee, a food truck based in Pasco, Ethos Bakery and Cafe in Richland and Mocha Express with two locations in Kennewick.
The top vote-getter of the poll surprised many people, including the owners of the cafe.
Raan Coffee
Raan Coffee pulled in more than 56,000 votes to take the top spot. Not bad for a shop that’s only been open a month, at 9425 Sandifur Parkway, Suite 105, in Pasco.
“I saw that today and thought, oh my gosh that’s crazy,” owner Ryan Garza told the Herald. “My wife posted on Instagram, and I was kind of keeping up with it the first couple days, and then I saw it today and was like wow. It’s been incredible, we’ve been open a month (Friday).”
Garza guessed the support was a combination of his networks, between the coffee shop, their church and his school family.
Garza is a special education teacher at Pasco School District, and his wife Ruth was a school counselor before the couple moved to the Tri-Cities.
“Honestly, I’m just humbled. I’m overwhelmed,” Garza said. “It’s my first storefront, and I’m overwhelmed with the support.”
Raan is a mission-focused business, centering on what they call the 3Cs — Christ, Community and Coffee.
Garza said they work hard to ensure the atmosphere at the shop is welcoming and relaxing.
“Everything we do is to help foster that environment,” Garza said. “I would say, it’s more than just the coffee, we are centered on the community. We live in this neighborhood, and built this place for people to come together after a difficult two years.”
Garza said they also use ethically sourced coffee from the Olympia Roasting Company.
Novel Coffee and Tea
With more than 25,700 votes, Novel Coffee and Tea clinched second place.
Novel began inside the Richland Public Library in 2019, according to their website. In late 2020, owners Lonnie and Oscar Suarez opened a standalone location, also in Richland, at 710 George Washington Way. The design of the shop features a book wall and other reminders of where they started.
In addition to coffee, they also offer fan-favorite Boba tea. Novel also has a selection of records for customers to listen to, or they can bring their own.
Burlesque Brew
Burlesque Brew came in third with nearly 21,500 votes.
This Burlesque themed drive-thru coffee shop, at 3320 Metaline Ave., offers a much different coffee shop experience. Baristas are often dressed in bikinis or burlesque-themed outfits.
The coffee shop was founded in 2007 as Heaven on the Go, and soon became the “bikini barista” type coffee shop it is today. Their themed drink offerings include The Cabaret, Island Girl and the Monroe.
Full results
Rounding out the top five are Caterpillar Cafe, with 1,712 votes, and Rockabilly Roasting with 1,332 votes. Traveler Espresso also received more than 1,000 votes.
While the poll results are by no means comprehensive, they do offer insight toward just how passionate Tri-Citians are about their coffee.
Check out the full results below, and be sure to check back Thursday for our March Madness sports bar poll.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 4:46 PM.
