Coffee Thoughts - Our 100th Blog

I have finally been spending more of my time thinking about coffee, and after some absence, I am remembering the things which made me geek out by those little beans and why I love the Courier who delivers them. After a very long hiatus, I consumed my first Stumptown espresso at the newly opened Albina press on upper Hawthorne. It was delicious – although it took the barista at least ten minutes to produce a shot worth serving. The flavor, almost malt-like, took me back several years to when I first started to pull shots and I must admit, it tasted so much like I remembered.

Year in and year out I drank that espresso, pulling it every which way you could think to pull it. But in the end, although magnificent, it was still the same espresso, day in and day out, year after year.

Working with a small company who roasts very small batches of ever changing beans taught me even more than what I learned from pulling that same blend again and again. I now have the luxury of trying single origins through our Synessos; I have the luxury of trying different blends at different temperatures; and I have the luxury of working hands on with the man roasting those beans, giving him my feedback and learning what different beans, from different regions, taste like when pulled as espresso.

Currently we are running a mixture of Yemen Matari and Rwanda Kinunu. And as the owner of a very small business, I am inviting you as customers of something small and genuinely Portland to partake in this process with us and give us your thoughts and feedback as well. And as Stumptown makes it’s way to San Francisco and Seattle and eventually to other US markets, you will have every chance to drink what is one of the best espressos you ever will taste. And as that happens, geek out with us once in a while and learn a little bit about how the upstarts operate and how enjoyable some variety can bring to your life.

Love Portland – Love Coffee.