It’s all in the attitude — and the beans

WASILLA — The best coffee houses in the Valley agree a good espresso has one key ingredient: attitude.

“A good drink depends on the barista’s attitude,” said Ben Harrell, co-owner of Mocha Moose with his wife Rena. “There’s an attitude of making that drink great and making it consistent every time.”

This attitude comes through at Mocha Moose, as it was once again voted best coffee and espresso of the Valley by the readers of the Frontiersman.

Mocha Moose began in 1993, the same year Walmart moved to town. At that time, Harrell was working on the North Slope, but his wife was running a country store. Her prices could not compare with the cheap imports, so they decided to shut down.

With not many coffee shops in town yet, they saw an opening in the market.

They first opened the drive-thru stand selling coffee from beans made by other roasters. In 2000, as their customer base grew and the price of beans rose, Harrell started to roast their own coffee out of their new store in the Frontier Mall.

This is now the headquarters of Mocha Moose. It provides all the beans for the store, the drive-thru and four or five other coffee shops around the Valley, Harrell said. They use beans from eight countries sold as single variety packs or one of five different blends.

Mocha Moose’s signature drink is called a mooseiccino. It’s a homemade mix blended with ice, with or without espresso.

“The mooseiccino accounts for 50 percent or our sales even in the winter,” said Harrell. “We go through a lot of ice.”

A good espresso has three components, said Harrell. It starts with a good bean. Then, Mocha Moose baristas have a secret way of finishing the drink. Lastly, consistency is always the goal.

Much of this depends on the barista, he said. He is the first to admit his success is in large part due to his staff, many of whom have worked for Mocha Moose for five or six years.

“There is an art to making espresso,” Harrell said. “This attitude has to be carried down through the management to the barista.”

This passion is certainly shared by Andrea Frost, the manager of Vagabond Blues. The cafe in Palmer tied for second in the reader’s poll of best coffee in the Valley.

Asked what her secret is, Frost responded “putting love into every cup.”

Vagabond Blues has been open for 15 years, five under the current owners, Frost said. They use Kaladi Brothers coffee beans, and make all their soups, salads, breads, sandwiches and sweets on-site from scratch. Their specials change daily, and they buy local and organic ingredients whenever possible.

True to their musical name, Vagabond Blues occasionally hosts free live shows and concerts through Whistling Swan Productions.

“We have a strong sense of community,” said Frost. “People see it as a good gathering place, and what better place to do it than over a good cup of coffee.”

If people don’t have time to gather, yet they still want that great cup of coffee, the other second-place winner is the Bullwinkles drive-thru stand on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

Co-owner Jill King perfected a blend using three brands of beans, said barista Rachael Geary.

Their signature drink is called a Bullwink, a mix of white chocolate and caramel flavors with espresso added to suit.

Geary agrees attitude is the key to consistency, and consistency is the key to a successful coffee shop.

“And people just like to see us,” she added, “because we’re always pretty happy.”