will – Fresh Pot

New Trish Grantham Sandwich Board!

will — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:42:31 +0000

We have been very lucky to have our sandwich boards made by Trish Grantham for many years now. We have quite a collection in the sign graveyard. Vin dropped by a new one today at Hawthorne. This is possibly my favorite yet.

March Madness Challenge! Fresh Pot Brackopolypse!

will — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:52:42 +0000

It’s time for our annual Fresh Pot March Madness Bracket Challenge, otherwise known as Brackopolypse! If you’re interested in participating go here and sign up. The password is VINCI.

We follow simple rules: fill out your picks for the winner of each game; the person with the most correct predictions wins. There is an entry fee of $10 which is collected at the Mississippi cafe.

Brackopolypse Now!

We Have Taken The South!

will — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:13:46 +0000

With the addition of the third Fresh Pot cafe–herein referred to as FP3–we have now have full representation in both southern quadrants of the city. FP1, also known as Hawthorne, took hold of the southeastern quadrant nearly 14 years ago. From there the Fresh Pot made inroads into North Portland–the horn of NE Portland’s head–and established FP2, or Mississippi in 2002. It took almost 15 years to take the south, so it might take another 15 to get the northern quadrants.

In the meantime, we’re downtown! Come say hello and help us plot world domination!

Barista Stream!

will — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:43:23 +0000

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard recently, “I want to go the the 2009 United States Barista Championship, I want to watch, but I just can’t make it to the convention center. If only there were some way to stream the competition and watch at home.” Fret not friends. The future is now: stream me!

However, if you are able to attend in person I would highly recommend it. Not only is it exciting to see the competition in person, but the convention center is also host to the 53rd Annual Portland Roadster Show as well as the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention. This all makes for a strange and enjoyable mix of convention goers (it’s probably a dream come true for this guy). Personally, I’m pretty intrigued by the roadster show mostly because the poster seems to suggest that Wolfman Jack, the famed DJ, will be there. I could see him attending these kinds of conventions save for complicating factor of him being dead for thirteen years.
Our boy Alex–A1–Pond is going on sometime around eleven tomorrow. Come join me in cheering Alex on followed by some Wolfman Jack zombie hunting.

Celebr-A1-tion!

will — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:13:46 +0000

We had a little party for Alex at Mississippi on Sunday to celebrate his big win. This wasn’t just time for Alex to bask in the lime light though, he was put to work. He toiled away on the bar making his signature drink for everyone to taste. It’s quite delicious! I heard someone came into the shop the other day looking to order the drink, thinking that it’s now on the menu. If I thought people would be willing to drop ten or so dollars for a four ounce coffee drink it might just be on there.

Northwest Regional Barista Champion: Alex Pond of the Fresh Pot!

will — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:07:22 +0000

We are very proud to announce that our own Alex Pond–A1 to us–has taken first place at the Northwest Regional Barista Competition in Tacoma, WA. He came out on top of strong competition from Kevin of the Albina Press and Robbie of Zoka Coffee in Seattle. Alex is on the far right of the photo and though he is the smallest, you will notice that his trophy is the biggest.

It was starting to look like the competition might not even take place after all the flooding. For a day or so there the only way to get into Seattle was by plane. Tacoma actually declared a state of emergency. Because of the shut down of I-5 Alex had to make a ridiculous trek all the way to Yakima just to circle back to the only open mountain pass at the time. But, he finally made it and once he did he kicked ass.
Next up is the US Barista Competition March 5-8 here in Portland. Alex will be up against the best from all around the country. Our boy ain’t just regional, he’s going national!
Congratulations Alex!
Stay tuned for a complete rundown of the competition from Michael Brooks who was in Tacoma.