Asensio Coffee — Restaurant in Federal Way

My friend encouraged me to try Asensio Coffee after raving about their white coffee. We went in for a quick drink before a day of adventure.

It’s funny because I feel like most coffee shops try to stick to a modern aesthetic that appeals to millennials and Gen Z, but this coffee shop had maintained the vibe of the early 2000’s coffee shop. The cafe was busy (in a good way) and the majority of customers were Gen X and older, which has never stood out to me as much as it did here. I truly think it is because they have maintained the familiar cafe feeling of the turn of the century.

Something cool is that the cafe is definitely environmentally and healthy living positive. There were lots of items, prepackaged, and fresh foods for sale, and they boasted of being ethically sourced, organic, compostable, etc. I felt better about my health just being here. As much as I love my sweet, sugary coffees, I felt like I was making a healthy choice being here!

The staff were all very friendly and working quickly. The staff were all moving like a well oiled machine and serving drinks efficiently.

The coffee shop had chalkboard menus and had a rotating seasonal menu.

I ordered an iced white latte with strawberry and vanilla. It was made with real strawberry juice and was so light and sweet! Their white espresso paired with the strawberry tasted more akin to a naturally sweetened pink drink than a syrupy strawberry coffee.

They also sell their coffee beans, which I will definitely have...

I walked into Asensio for the first time today and placed an order. On my way out, I noticed a woman walk-in without a mask and place an order. She turned around, coughed into her hand, pulled out her card, and handed it to the mask-less cashier. I then watched that same person pick up a pen and sign her receipt. The cashier completed the transaction and then carried on as usual WITHOUT washing her hands or replacing the pen. No employees wear masks here.

Really disappointing that it appears Asensio Coffee is an anti-mask establishment that doesn't exercise covid protocols or take illness safety seriously. None of us want to wear a mask and be in this position, but it's places like Asensio that are keeping us here. I pride myself on supporting local businesses, but I draw the line when an establishment can't even exercise basic healthy and safety procedures pandemic or otherwise.

The latte I purchased was sour and flavorless so I can't even...

This place has super friendly folks and fair prices and lots of cute knick knacks for sale. It's extremely conveniently located for my commute back to Seattle, so I come here fairly often. My only minor nitpick is actually about the quality of their espresso: they pretty consistently pull rather bitter shots. I can't tell if it's a training issue or an issue with service on their machine or perhaps just the beans they use or the consistency of the grind, but it's always off. I asked them to pour their shots directly over ice which seems to help a little bit but I do wish this place could consistently deliver solid expresso. If you're reading this and work there: check for residuals on the group head and shower screen, Ensure the grind is not too fine, and don't over-tamp the coffee. If it tastes sour it's being overextracted the above...