Origin 23

Sadly, Origin 23 closed this last month.

origin 23 is pretty fab! great location and parking, free wifi, totally yum muffins and other various goodies and the coffee is fair trade and USDA certified organic! how can you not love that? I frequent origin for the free wifi, as i am without internet. the place is cozy with a nice firplace and comfy couches. the art and music are always right up my ally and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. keep up the good work!

Clean, staff is friendly and laid back. the atmosphere is great and unlike many coffee shops these days, they have ample plug-​ins for the laptop. The coffee is excellent.

Cozy with a fire, great coffee, gelato, and consistently great service. I seem to get the evil-​eye from other customers when I bring my two-​year-​old even though he’s mostly quiet and well behaved, but the baristas are nice and welcoming to him so I won’t knock off any stars. I suspect the hipsters from the local college just don’t want kids cramping their style.

I don’t really like coffee but since I spend 5 days a week here (curly haired kid at the bar) I can safely say that you’ll love the staff, if nothing else. The hot chocolate is good, although some of the baristas are going to try and talk you into getting a Mexican hot chocolate and frankly, I don’t like my chocolate spicy. The food is delicious as well, most of which comes from Carina Bakery, and while slightly overpriced, is very convenient. Go for the atmosphere, stay for the coffee that everyone else assures me is great.
**Free internet is available, and on occasion, you may find a nice old man playing the piano.
**Comfy Seating is available as well, and very rarely is the shop so packed that you feel inconvenienced. They also have chess boards, scrabble, and other games to help occupy your time.
***Apparently it’s Corina… =D

3.5 stars.
Good coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and gelato! (There are other food and drink items too.) Comfortable seating, a fireplace, and conveniently located on the corner of 6^th & Union (right by where I used to live, my college, and Farrelli’s Pizza). I preferred walking here (when it wasn’t too cold out) rather than driving (there’s street parking, a lot, and underground parking — but usually only the underground parking is available and it can be a hassle to park, walk up the stairs, and walk around to the other side of the building where Origins is located). There’s free wi-​fi (always appreciated) and usually plenty of seating. Service ranges from just okay to a-​okay!

What a sad excuse for a coffee shop. We met friends there at 9 am the other day and they were out of breakfast items already. The latte I ordered was overly sweetened and just did not taste very good. The two gals working were not very friendly or motivated which gave the shop an odd feel. One plus is the size of the shop and the amount of seating available. Being that it was empty, finding a comfortable seat was not an issue. I can honestly say I won’t be back.

I’d like to say 3.5 stars.
It’s easy to find and has comfortable couches and own free parking. Lots of UPS students (I suppose). Their fair-​trade organic coffee sort of depends on barista — sometimes good, rich and nicely strong, other times… OK. Red espresso rocks — it’s basically rooibos tea and does not contain caffeine. But it’s satisfying even for me who usually doesn’t like herb tea. They have gelato too. Since it’s in my neighborhood, when it was very hot and I’m trying not to keep a big bucket of ice cream in my freezer, I go there.
It’s a good place to hang out!

Maybe I got the amateur barista but my latte was 90% milk. There was nowhere near the correct amount of espresso in my drink. Also, there parfait’s are just yogurt and granola — tastes okay but not worth the 4 $. The location is good but parking is a kind of a hassle (bike racks out front though). Plenty of space in time. Also, my friend enjoyed her veggie sandwich. I like that they use organic fair-​trade coffee but they need to actually USE it.
Overall, if you want strong good coffee this isn’t the place for it.

Origin 23 is one of my favorite coffee shops in Tacoma for many reasons, but probably one of the biggest catalysts to my visiting here is the ambiance and space.
They use organic, fair trade coffee that tastes amazing. I’ve had drip, Americanos, almond and soy lattes, and the dark chocolate mocha and I’ve loved them all. I have yet to try the pastries but am happy that Corina bakery provides them. Also: beer? I love the idea of combining a coffee shop + bar in such a cozy space. It’s kind of genius actually. The gelato is perfection on a hot summer’s day when you’re roaming around 6^th Ave. and need respite from the sun. The baristas are all sweet as pie, and consistently create gorgeous and impressive coffee creations. Numi’s tea also gets a thumbs up. Free wifi and large tables makes this place excellent for reading, studying, alone, with a friend or a group. I love the wooden tables, décor and fireplace and games. Parking is convenient with the lot and their prices really can’t be beat for the quality of product you receive.
They’re also open later than some nearby shops, which is why I can sometimes frequent Origin 23 when I need my fix after-​hours.

My favorite hangout in Tacoma. Bright and welcoming, cozy, and there’s free wifi. The staff consistently work hard to make you feel welcome. A reasonable selection of pastries, and a great selection of gelato, or should I say gelati?
If only they had more outlets for my laptop.

Good lattes, gelato, and local beer. And delicious pastries. This place is ballin. I find myself spending more and more time here and I love it. They pull a mean soy latte, something that is harder to do than it sounds. I love to come by after my last class of the week and get a tasty beer and blueberry muffin. Weird I know, but I love that I can do it! Nice atmosphere, plenty of seating, and though sorely lacking in outlets, the free wifi is very reliable and fast. One of my favorite places to recover from a hangover and just hang out all afternoon.

My first time here was actually a first date, but it went great! The coffee is all of the fair-​trade. organic fair that you would typically expect in the Seattle cafes, but this place is tucked away in a corner in Tacoma, out of all places. No worries — the atmosphere is clean and you can easily tuck yourself away in a corner and read a book or surf the net.
The coffee? Excellent, robust flavors and not a hint of bitterness. The prices? More than reasonable. Parking is also convenient.
Origin 23 has my vote!

4.5
Gelato, fair trade coffee, numi tea, free wifi, warm atmosphere and great service, nuff said.

Dan found this place for us after he moved down to Tacoma. Always in search of a new and great coffee shop I was eager to go in. He, Steph and I all checked it out and it was really great. Good coffee, a nice atmosphere, not overly populated but a nice crowd. The staff was really relaxed and friendly and we stayed for over an hour to play Candy Land and chat.
I stop by every time I go to Tacoma.

This is currently my favorite coffee shop in Tacoma. The people behind the counter are nice and the atmosphere’s good — conducive to work, reading, conversation or just general slacking off (not that I’d know). Everything coffee related has been top-​notch. They’ve got a decent selection of tea, from my newly tea-​drinking perspective…
My only complaint is that outlets are somewhat scarce and that makes it slightly less laptop-​friendly, despite the free wifi.

I love Origin 23 — this coffee shop is as good as it gets. Matter of fact — it’s my coffee shop of choice. Their coffee is organic and fair-​trade and the roast is perfect. I’ve never had a bad cup of coffee from them — sometimes their a little on the strong side (but I’m not complaining). This is the only place I’ll ever order a vanilla latte — the syrup they use is organic and isn’t cloyingly sweet.
The shop is very comfortable and attractive. There’s a fire place to keep it cozy in the fall and winter (and probably still in use as I write this due to our extended winter like weather). While I’ve never been able to get a table close to it in the shop, there’s outside seating and I’ve scored a table close to the fireplace outside — which is nice for thos cool and dry autumn mornings.

After a pre-​show dinner at the wood-​fire pizza place next door, my boyfriend and I stopped in to grab some coffee on our way to the show. Oh, man, am I glad we did!
Seriously, the best mocha I’ve had outside of Dilettante’s in Capitol Hill.
Apparently, their coffee is organic, shade-​grown, sustainably-​farmed, fair-​trade. I mean, it seems to be everything but self-​actualized and magical.
The space inside the store was nice — and much larger than I expected. Comfortable chairs, some tables and enough space between seating arrangements to have a private conversation. The bathroom, though, is shared with the rest of the businesses in the building and leaves somethings to be desire (cleanliness for one).
Great coffee, nice place, go to the bathroom at home!

This is one of my favorite places because it’s not trying to _​be_​anything other than a good, comfortable coffee shop. I sometimes get the sense that many of Tacoma’s coffee shops are trying really hard to fit a certain image. At this place, it feels like everybody comes as they are and has a good time without trying so hard.
The coffee is excellent, and they have some beer and wine, as well as some desserts and pastries and gelato.
Also, they have Scrabble. Therefore, they win.

One of my favorite coffee places to go to, it has great atmosphere and a lovely selection of coffees and teas, as well as a few tasty salads and desserts. Has firefighter themed things on the walls, as well as an actual functional fireplace which is nice to sit by on the many rainy Tacoma days. The seating area is large, with big tables and comfortable chairs and couches, making it a perfect place to go with a friend and catch up. Also a good place to zone out and get some work done, although it can get a little on the noisey side if a lot of people are around. The staff is super friendly and having coffee here is a good experience all around.