SKOG Haus Coffee & Tea — Restaurant in Lake Forest Park

I like a good coffee shop. There is something pleasing about sitting at a little table sipping coffee, writing Google reviews and watching people. I also like a good coffee drive through. You can get your coffee, have a brief chat with the barista and get on with your day. Skög Haus is somewhere between these two. It is set up in a little camper trailer in the parking lot of Local 104. You have to get out of your car and walk up to make your order. Then you have to figure out how to pronounce the name of whatever coffee strikes your fancy. The internet says, skög (Forrest) is Norwegian and pronounced something like “Skahg”. Given the language, it is no surprise that the two women running the booth are tall blondes. I looked over the board and ordered a drink with Mexican chocolate and chilis. The older woman rang me up and added my coffee to the tracker that will give me a free drink when I order enough of them. The younger woman introduced herself and chatted for a bit until the next customer came up. They take their time making the drinks, so you get a chance to meet the other people milling around while they wait for their orders to be prepared. The people are friendly and don’t seem to be too put out by the wait. I was enjoying the company when my drink was ready. I took a test sip and was pleased with the unusual flavor - chocolate and cinnamon with just enough heat to be noticed. I thanked the women and hopped into my car. Be sure to put your coffee in the cup holder when you leave. The road is busy and there is a blind corner hiding fast moving cars that you can’t see and they can’t see you until the last minute. Once I made it out of the parking lot, I settled in and...

One thing I love about SKOG Haus is their tea offerings are just as thoughtfully crafted and delicious as their coffee offerings. Tea is not an afterthought like at most places, where they plop a tea bag in hot water and send you on your way. SKOG Haus uses Metolius loose tea, which is weighed out for optimal flavor and steeped at the proper temperature for the proper amount of time. When paired with steamed milk/alt milk for a tea latte, the flavor balance is just right. Highly recommend: Black & Gold Tea Latte (strong black tea, steamed milk, sweetened with a little honey and cardamom simple syrup = divine) and the London Fog (I order it with rose simple syrup in lieu of vanilla or lavender = also divine). The four-minute wait for your tea latte is worth every second.

The cherry on top? Heather and Dave, as well as the rest of the crew, are the loveliest people who care to make your visit and experience the very best. This heartfelt small business is priceless in...

Tried their signature mocha today and the drink is absolutely amazing. The pastry was great too, definitely fresh and yummy.

The rest of the place...needs work. It was a busy time on Saturday at 11am, I had to wait for my single drink 18 minutes! The line behind me was getting even longer. The shop itself had a bunch of families with screaming and running babies.

Since it was so busy the barista overfilled the drink a bit, so the whole cup was covered in coffee. When I kindly asked to wipe it with something, they offered to put a sleeve on it or remake the drink. Remaking it is unnecessary, but I don't understand why the cup could not have been just wiped with a towel. They were friendly, but it seemed like they did not think of a simpler solution. ¯(ツ)/¯

I will come back for drinks, but will make sure to be here at a less busy time and...