The Boiler Room

I decided on this spot in support of their mission. I had a 12 ounce whole milk hazelnut latte. It was fantastic! Their equipment isn’t as fancy as chain coffee joints so be patient. There is interesting art on the walls and books galore. Pet friendly.

Amazing little spot with an amazing bunch of people making it happen. Had a great time sharing my music there hope to be back soon. Aaron Jones

Love this place! Being new to Port Townsend and needing Internet I came to the boiler room. Got a coffee and a bagel and my total was barely over 2 $. Then after an hour or so they gave me some free pasta salad and coleslaw that was donated left overs from a wedding the day before! What nice friendly people, volunteering their time. Will be going back soon!

Before I get to why I’m writing this please let me preface it with how great I think it is that a non-​profit coffee shop works in a town of this size.
Well here’s what brought me to Unilocal again. I value honest reviews and I often visit Unilocal to see how my experience played in vs. others experiences.
Boiler Room is a nice little Bohemian spot reminiscent of all the coffee shops that I loved when I started hitting the age of 16. I’m 40 now.
First off we got three drinks:
Soy Mocha, medium.
Almond Latte, 16oz. Med.
chai tea latte, 16oz.
$ 18.
Wtf?
I paid an extra dollar for soy so beware if you can’t drink milk, instead of an industry standard of .50 it’ll double up to a dollar. Meh. Whine whine whine. It’s fine.
We waited in a surreal state for almost twenty minutes for these drinks while the air was silent and a guy strummed half heartedly in an out of tune guitar. Upon receiving the drinks we all thanked each other and got on our way.
I’m pretty easy to please. I’ll often stop and grab gas station coffee without thinking twice about it. This coffee. Man, horrible. It was burnt and the mocha flavoring just sat at the bottom like mud. Same with the almond latte. The chai tea tasted like plain roiboos tea.
So what’s the issue?
You guys are community minded and props and hugs to you for that but you’re also a coffee shop. Bring on the coffee and just a little bit of service. I bartend. If I’d made three people wait more than 15 minutes for three simple drinks I would’ve given one of them away.
Today we went for coffee up the road. I wanted to support you but I didn’t want to risk waiting for so long, paying so much and disliking my drink. I paid less, was out in ten minutes and it all tasted better and it was still local and made by a single person.
Cheers Boiler Room for your concerns regarding the homeless and youth but step up the game that allows you to play that tune.
Whoever owns this spot needs to take some responsibility and better train the staff.

Comfortable, about the same size as any normal coffee place. Has delicious tea lattes, and amazing cookies. Prices are good and when I stop in I always make sure to pay for someone else’s tea (called suspended drinks).
It was hard for me to find at first, but once you recognize the B sign you’ll never miss it. Not a whole lot of parking, but that’s downtown for you.

Hot cocoa had that overly syrupy taste and should be called warm cocoa. Barista decided to wait an awkward 40 seconds before he realized I wasn’t going to leave and intended to order.
The shop was oozing with angst and the staff made me feel super unwelcome. This is coming from a 20 something with skinny jeans and a perfecta style leather jacket…
It’s funny to me that this shop had a sign in the window saying they intended to treat all people equally regardless of sex race or opinion. I guess that rule doesn’t apply to the staff.
If this place really is a charity, (Rather than an experiment socialism) than they should teach their staff be polite to customers even ones they don’t recognize.

Who has anything bad to say about The Boiler Room? It’s a blessing to the youth in this town, don’t know what we would do without it. They also have great coffee and treats for less than you’ll get anywhere else!

Bold coffee/​espresso, perks you right up. Much more so than mainstream coffee chains. This place has a very relaxed/​hangout vibe and is very enjoyable. Friendly faces in every direction.

This place is just plain awesome. Hip, young, and friendly staff. They really do have free soup on Sundays. It was super cold today and I had absolutely no money. The guy behind the counter actually seemed happy to give me free soup. The Boiler Room rocks!

We were looking for a late nite drink-​o to sip on…
… — «Oh, hey, waitaminnit,» I caught myself saying at a glance.
«Whoaa,» said my friend.
And then, on the door, *laaaaa*, homemade chai!
Despite the youth and culture concept here, it definitely ain’t my cuppa tea but I totally feel the other reviewers at the same time. The folks behind the counter were pretty cool. The dude asked my chai weak or strong/​regular (?) since they hinted it was somewhat spicy. It was great and fortunately not Morning-​Glory spicy, at all. It was good. The rest of the coffee shops in the area were perhaps closed at this hour, too.

Great americano, great concept, great cause!

How to count the many ways that the Boiler Room has affected my life. When I was just a young ‘un in middle school and high school, I was barred by my parents from visiting the BR because they viewed it as a sketchy, unsafe place. This was back in 1999, and as I’ve learned since, the BR is quite the opposite of sketchy and unsafe.
Fast forward to 6 years ago, I’m leaving Port Townsend for the midwest to finish up high school. My occasional, but very long, breaks from school were spent back in PT. I had nothing to do, and hardly any friends. I hadn’t found a way to express myself. One of my friends mentioned to me that he was volunteering at the Boiler Room and that I should start doing so with him. I didn’t know much about it, and my parents were instinctively against it, but let me go anyway. It paid tips, so what was the harm?
As soon as I stepped in to the new location of the BR (where it is right now on Water Street), I was blown away. The Boiler Room frequently has local youth art up in gallery form, for sale. The walls, the floor, the ceiling… everything is full of character. Words, pictures… people’s thoughts, stored… protected in time, on the foundation of the building. The tables are quirky and fun, and the couches extremely comfortable. Come in on a lazy summer day and you’ll hear the strumming of guitars and the harmony of voices that so precisely characterizes the indomitable and creative voice that has formed the backbone of youth culture in Port Townsend. Chess sets are available for those interested in a challenge, and there is always a good smell of coffee coming from the back.
Most important, however, is the people. Having been a barista myself and having met a great deal of other volunteer baristas, I can say that it is truly a joy to experience everyone at the Boiler Room.
Fast forward to yesterday, where I accompanied the same friend that got me into the BR the first time to one of the staff meetings. The meeting started out with a «favorite of 2011» and ended with «life issues» where each individual shared. It was evident that the BR is such a tight knit community of friends. It’s got a strong youth vibe, but older people are always welcome and encouraged. I walked in today after meeting a bunch of new people at the meeting last night, and was greeted by a barista named Noah. He has remembered my brief introduction from the night before and carried on a nice chat with me while I poured my coffee and paid. I pulled out a nice tip to place in the jar, since tips are the only payment the volunteer baristas get, and accidentally placed it in the donation jar to support a youth in the community who needed health care support for brain cancer. I indicated that I had meant it as a tip for the barista, but he forwent the payment and said that it was going to a better cause helping this youth. I’ve already been blown away multiple times by the generosity and genuine nature of the people I’ve met here, so I wasn’t surprised that he had done that, but I was still very impressed.
Do yourself a favor, and visit the BR often. The coffee is awesome, fair trade, roasted locally in Port Townsend, and it supports a fantastic cause that is keeping old and young, and even 20-​something professionals like myself, off the street, safe, warm, and happy. I can’t say enough how important the Boiler Room is and how much it has added to the community in Port Townsend.
If any of the baristas who were at the meeting last night (12/​26/​2011) are reading this, then this is what I wish I had said in my «life issues» report where I shyly passed:
«My life issue is that I’ve returned to the Boiler Room for the first time in a couple of years and am inspired by the perseverance of the people that run it. It sucks that I’m going back to Texas on Jan. 1^st where I can’t visit nearly every day for a hot cup of coffee and a good conversation, and where I can’t volunteer and help the BR grow in any way possible. If I could have my way and not be concerned about money, I would devote ²⁴⁄₇ of every week of my life to helping the BR grow. Thanks for all you guys do!»

I love the concept of this place. It’s a non-​profit coffee shop that supports the community and gives the youth a safe cool place to hang. The people who work there are volunteers and they have free soup on some days and even free jackets if there happens to be someone in need. No drugs, booze or smoking around there! :) I wish there was a place like this where I live.

This is probably the coolest coffee shop I have ever been in! The bagged sandwiches and soup are free but they sell Top Ramen and baked goods. The coffee is $ 1 for a cup but if you bring in your own mug you get a free refill. The coffee is not bad; mild acidity with a nice chocolate afternotes. Plus free wifi, I would suggest this shop for anyone in or passing through Port Townsend.

FREE SOUP EVERY SUNDAY
Face it.
Bill and Melinda can’t be everywhere all of the time.
I’m not even sure if the Gates Foundation knows about the Boiler Room, let alone have known anyone to spend any time in its cozy environs.
We’ll forgive the Gates family for not spending time hanging out to play chess with the teenagers or to help with the weekly «free soup» days.
Like I say, the Boiler Room, albeit a grand cause, is probably neither large enough nor important enough to have made it to their extensive list of charitable contributions.
But this review is for the rest of you… Melinda and Bill can join up too, if they like.
The Boiler Room *needs* your support. It needs you to pop by, have a cuppa joe, chat with the barista, and maybe even volunteer for an hour or two. It needs as a writers, chess players, artists or even minor league philanthropists.
It needs (and here I refer to a pamphlet by the same name)
«Boilermakers» who are willing to pledge small amounts of money to keep it operational. And that means… it needs YOU. And, as a perk, you’ll get a nice IRS deduction for your contribution… it has Non-​profit (501, c-​3) status.
The Boiler Room was founded in 1993 as a place for local youth to hang out and quickly became a bistro/​coffee shop for all
remains to this day as a place of optimism, artist endeavor, and entrepeneurial energy for the whole community. Drug-​free, alcohol-​free, stress-​free and cozy… its used by a wide variety of people as a gathering place, a sort of «water-​front living room» where young and old feel welcome.
I popped by this Saturday. A young man gestured to me to come on inside. Coffee was brewing,
Chess boards were set up, and several were being used even on this balmy Port Townsend day.
Signs advertised free upcoming groups. «Write Your Own Life Story» interested me the most.
Several job openings were posted… with the most interesting (IMHO) being that of café manager.
Kids came and went.
Reading materials were stacked near comfy couches. A free bike repair clinic was being offered.
The place was (to quote directly from a prior reviewer) very funky, very cool.
I loved it.
So, I’m giving you this suggestion.
Give yourself a bit of good karma.
If you get to PT, wander into the Boiler Room.
If you live in PT, consider volunteering.
But if you want to «drop a dime» and give yourself just a taste of that old warm, cozy «I’m such a good person «vibe, send a buck to:
The Boiler Room
PO Box 1659
Port Townsend, WA 98 368
*Scott Wilson of the Port Townsend Leader thanks you.
*Various churches in the area thank you.
*Local teenagers and parents thank you.
*And*
(you knew I’d get to this)
*I thank you.

It started out with an innocent question, «Do you know where the Boiler Room is?» We didn’t of course, as we were visiting Port Townsend for only for the second time. Next thing I know we are standing right in front of the place. Initially, when we met the man who asked the question on Water Street, I was thinking it was some kind of biker bar. No, its a coffee/​tea house on Water Street. Its very funky, very cool, serves great chai tea and mochas (and everything in between), and the volunteer staff are nothing short of awesome. The night we stumbled across the Boiler Room it was the first night of the Port Townsend Annual Country Blues Festival, and our guiding angel (man with the question) was looking for it, as there was going to be a fee concert featuring several of the blues performers from the festival. Just our luck, we walked in, ordered our teas, sat down, and fifteen minutes later Reverend Robert Jones and his wife took the stage (just the front part of the café). Wow, that’s all I can say.
Why did you need to read this story about my discovery of the Boiler Room? I have this feeling that this kind of place will almost always deliver an interesting experience, so you must check it out. We went back the next morning to get my daily mocha, and even though they were not open, the two guys getting the café ready, invited us in and made me a delicious mocha and told us the story of the Boiler Room. Its a non-​profit organization who’s mission is «to support the expression and activities of youth as part of our larger community in a healthy and productive way.» Basically, its geared towards providing a positive environment for the local youth to have a place to go to that’s safe, fun, and creatively inspiring. They host various traveling musicians, other performing artists, you name it, they will probably host it. All the staff who run the place are volunteers. I couldn’t get over how friendly everyone was and how they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Not exactly the experience when you go into a Starbucks or like kind of coffee shop. The Boiler Room is providing a place for youth, but believe me the crowd I saw was very diverse, and I was told that was typical. Don’t miss this experience if you find yourself in Port Townsend.

The Boiler Room is on Water Street, near the police station, on the bay side. It’s a volunteer-​run coffee house, and that’s the kind of place that’s exactly the heart and soul of the Port Townsend we love. It’s been open since 1993, which is amazing, honestly.
The coffee was great (Caffe Vita), prepared by friendly baristas who knew their craft (they’re volunteers, remember?), and it was cheap. The room is funky and friendly, decorated with a lot of art and atittude… and they have all kinds of events going on there all the time… poetry slams, music, a book signing last month by William Shatner (damn, how did we miss THAT?), card games, and so it looked like if you became a regular of the joint (and especially probably if you volunteered) you’d be able to talk them into hosting the community event for your passion. The schedule’s on the website (above) if you want to check it our before you go.
There’s bike parking, a water bowl for the doggies, and a little seating area out back near the bay for when the weather’s nice (it wasn’t). Normal hours seemed a bit restricted but hey, they’re just volunteers, and they are open later into the evenings when there’s an event happening.
If you visit PT for the day, hit Tyler’s for your first cuppa the day and then have your after-​lunch brew at this great place and check out what the kids are up to. It’s all good as far as I can see. :-)