One of owner Ashley Day’s requirements for opening Day Made Kaffe Bar was that her café have west-facing windows so her customers could enjoy affogatos in the sun. We recently spoke with her to learn more about why the affogato is so important for her Seattle coffee bar.
Tell us a bit about your current soft serve affogato offerings and how you decided on the espresso and ice cream flavor pairings.
There are few things that I love more than ice cream in the sunshine, and whenever I was searching for a place to build out Day Made, I had two deal breakers: “Must be small enough to work with a small staff, and must have west-facing windows and space for outdoor seating so my customers can have affogatos in the sun.”
Just like my coffee menu, the ice cream menu is very simple. We have one “flavor” which isn’t much of a flavor; rather, a refreshingly sweet milk soft serve to act as a canvas for the perfectly extracted espresso, sprinkling of fine coffee grounds, and olive oil to rest on. The espresso is fruity and balanced. The idea of dusting espresso grounds was one I picked up from Coffee Collective while working in Copenhagen. They make espresso soft-serve ice cream with espresso grounds on top, and the textural contrast provides a great contrast to the soft ice cream. The addition of olive oil was at first not going to be on the affogato but rather just on the plain ice cream, but after trying it altogether, the herbal/savory from the salt/oil, the textural and dry aromatics from the espresso grounds, the fruity elements from the espresso shot, and the clean sweetness of the ice cream, we knew this would be a hit. And it really is! It has garnered some recognition in town, and I couldn’t be happier with that result! Mostly because it stays true to the brand, which highlights fruity coffees from around the world. I do not offer flavored drinks and Day Made, but I feel the affogato is a great vessel to highlight the coffee with a fun, sweet treat.
I also added a matcha version with some cardamom-rose dust on top. It is floral, sweet, and nutty, and a big hit too!
Lastly, we have “The Palate Cleanser,” a sweet milk soft serve topped with olive oil and a sprinkling of flaky salt. It’s perfectly simple; a salty, sweet umami treat.
Did you always plan on serving affogatos at Day Made?
Yes! It was always a part of the plan. Mostly because I wanted to offer a treat item without it being an over-the-top, garnished, flavored iced drink like most cafes offer. I really wanted people to be able to taste the coffee, and I think the affogato is the perfect way to do that.
When you were planning on affogatos, did you consider hard-pack ice cream, or did you always know you were going to use soft serve?
When planning my menu, workflow, and efficiency were highly important because I wanted to run the shop solo (a story that lasted only 6 months, since demand was way higher than I could handle as one person). So hard pack ice cream was never in question. It required too much effort and time, whereas a soft serve machine could quickly produce 100 soft serves an hour if I needed it to.
How do you like to eat your affogatos—right away, so the espresso and ice cream stay separate, or let it melt together?
Considering the softness of the soft serve, my affogatos are best enjoyed right away. I like to fill my spoon with a little espresso, then pull up from the bottom of the swirl to get the perfect bite.
What equipment do you use for your soft serve, and what advice would you have for anyone considering adding soft serve affogatos to their café?
I use the Spaceman 6210 unit, which offers a surprisingly small footprint, which was important to me given my limited space. I also really enjoy the texture this specific machine can deliver: quite dense while still being airy, soft serve.
My number one advice to anyone considering this is, “Do you really want to put in the work and the extra labor that comes with having a soft serve machine?” It takes a lot of cleaning to maintain the machines for food safety, and although it is quite straightforward and easy to learn, it does take a decent chunk of time every week. Spaceman is super helpful and provides a lot of videos and customer support, so it’s just a matter of setting aside time to teach yourself and your staff how to properly maintain the machines. As long as you are willing to do that, I say go for it!
Do you see the affogato program at Day Made ever changing, or do you think it’s important to stick with the classics?
I am a big believer in letting the coffee shine, so our espresso rotates regularly, adding a different energy to the affogato each time. I also think people assume customers want innovation, different pop-ups, and new flavors constantly, but I actually think we are all very habitual and just want consistency. I want to be that constant for people. Simple offerings that show just how tasty coffee can be! So I don’t really see the affogato menu ever changing.
Day Made Kaffe Bar is located in Seattle. Visit their official website and follow them on Instagram for more information.
