We all occasionally need coffee that's strong enough wake the dead, but this place takes that notion to new heights...or depths.
Burial Grounds, a coffee shop in downtown Olympia is the anti-Starbucks. They sell goth art, burn incense, and caffeinate the faithful under the accepting gaze of Patron Saint Morticia Adams. But don't let this place scare you:
"Everybody's really friendly and it's super cozy," says a regular.
Instead of White Mocha Frapps -- you'll find drinks like these:
"Rasputin Rising, Brenda's Brains, Rigor Mortis, Living Death," owner Mara Curry recites her unique menu.
And one drink, in particular, that's very popular. Before barista Jacqui Martin crafts one for us, she asks this:
"How good is your censoring?"
The drink is called the F*@k This S#*t. And it's not outrageous in name only: Martin grinds lavender flowers into the coffee, which helps with relaxation.
"It still stays nice and dry, really bittersweet, and it has all of these really calming elements," explains Martin.
Martin deftly draws a skull in the foam, and the final product is a coffee creation with a nasty name, that's terribly tasty.
Life imitates art here: the name Burial Grounds is inspired by a comic called Wet Moon, that had goth characters that hung out in "really punny places," Curry explains. And the owner has no problem being labeled as Olympia's goth coffee shop.
"That's completely accurate, I can totally roll with that," Curry smiles. She also admits that the diabolical decor on her drinks attracts fans, but there's another popular drink that truly sums up the ethos of this place -- a Cafe Sospeso -- Italian for 'suspended coffee'.
It's any drink bought anonymously and paid forward to someone who can't afford one.
"Especially during the winter on those cold days, sometimes that can really make or break your day, attitude wise, emotional wise. And it helps." says Curry.
This shop is moving to a nearby, bigger location soon: And the Burial Grounds crew can't wait for more people to discover their strange brew.
"We like seeing new faces, we like making new friends, we like making good coffee," Curry says.
Burial Grounds Coffee
211 5th Ave SE
Olympia, Washington 98501
