Posted Mon Oct 22, 2007, 3:02pm Subject: Coming through Portland, OR/Washington State
Hey Folks -
We'll be coming through Portland, OR on Tuesday, Nov. 6th and back through on Monday, Nov 12-13th (heading up to the tri-cities in Washington inbetween) and would love any recommendations and/or get a chance to witness any pros in action. Of course I've been doing my homework and have a list of the obvious must visit places, but would love any tips as far as somewhere I might not have found online or particular times to catch the best baristas.... We're in the process of opening a coffeeshop in New Orleans, LA and while we love coffee, are very much at the start of our learning curve and therefore excited it just so happens we'll be going through one of the top coffee towns in the country soon! And if anyone knows of any decent coffee places between or around the tri-cities area in Washington, I'd love suggestions for those...
This will give you a layout of the best places to go. For Portland, Albina Press would be my first recommendation. Regional Champion Billy Wilson spends time behind the counter. I had an outstanding mocha Saturday at Coffeehouse Northwest, and had a great conversation with the barista You might visit the websites of these places- many of them use Stumptown, and if you want a different variety of roasters, you could plan accordingly. Ristretto roasters does a great job with their own roasted blend. Make sure you mention you are from out of town and specifically looked up these places- they appreciate that. For Stumptown's own coffeehouses, I like the ones on Division or Belmont, but the one at the Ace Hotel downtown may be a good bet. I haven't been there yet. If you are traveling up the Columbia River Gorge on I-84, stop at Dog River Coffee in Hood River, 60 miles east of Portland. They use Stumptown. As far as the Tri-Cities, I travel thru there frequently, and am unaware of any top notch places.
Posted Tue Oct 23, 2007, 1:31pm Subject: Re: Coming through Portland, OR/Washington State
Cool, thanks. Yes - I've discovered the espresso map and it's great. Albina and Stumptown (hope to attend one of the public cuppings) are definitely on the list and we'll be sure to let them know we're visiting from out of town and came by specifically. Thanks for the info on Dog River Coffee... too bad there's nowhere decent in the tri-cities area, but if my hand burr grinder arrives in time we'll make do with a variety of fresh roasted beans from portland and the aeropress.
mitchellb Senior Member Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 599 Location: Houston, TX Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Astra Pro, SAMA Lever Grinder: Mazzer Major Vac Pot: Cory DKG-S Drip: Bodum French Press Roaster: HGDB
Posted Wed Oct 24, 2007, 1:50pm Subject: Re: Coming through Portland, OR/Washington State
portland coffee house on sw broadway or burnside is a good one to check out too. not touted heavily like stumptown (which i was going to recommend but you said you're checking it out already), but these people have pride and take care to make a great cup of coffee.
portland, you will find, is like waking up on christmas morning for a coffeegeek. i just walk through that city and smile.
Posted Wed Oct 24, 2007, 2:13pm Subject: Re: Coming through Portland, OR/Washington State
Thanks, I'll add Portland coffee house to the list... and yes, it does sound like Portland will be like xmas... we're headed to Washington to visit relatives, but it's looking like the real benefit of the trip will be getting to poke around the Portland coffee scene!
Posted Wed Oct 24, 2007, 2:35pm Subject: Re: Coming through Portland, OR/Washington State
Indeed... while I'll still got a lot of practicing to do as far as pulling shots (ok, actually I'm still waiting to start practicing... will hopefully have the machine plumbed in today and my grinder just arrived two days ago), I've been doing a ton of online research and intend to make sure we never skip steps in the process. While we've got lots to learn about coffee and espresso, we're aiming for as high a level of drink quality as we can achieve! Thankfully we've got a great tutor in our guy from the local roastery (NOLA Coffee) - tho he's in the roasting side of the business now, he's been pulling shots for years and is willing to walk us through every step of the process (and they roast some great coffee as well).
Believe me, I'll be watching the baristas very closely in Portland and will be thrilled if we hit anywhere during a downtime and catch a barista or two willing to impart a little advice ;) Just have to make sure I'm not so jacked up on espresso that I can't pay close attention!
I leave Nov 6 for Portland on biz, and then on to Seattle through the following week. I pre-registered and have heard that it's a very good show. You can do on-site registration.........or is part of the purpose of your trip to visit the show?
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