Oregon Coffee Roasters Part 1

When you think of coffee the thought of Seattle Washington usually comes to mind. However, Portland Oregon is known as the Coffee Roaster Capital of the United States with over eighty coffee roasters. With all that choice, it’s difficult to know just who the best coffee roasters in Portland really are. In this blog series I'm going to post about the different Coffee Roasters and what I like and don't like and I'm going to order the same coffee at each location which is a quad-shot drip coffee.

There is a huge difference between store bought coffee and buying from a coffee roaster or online delivery. When you buy a coffee at a roaster the coffee is roasted recently and under two weeks old. Once it hits the two week mark it is taken off the shelf and then sent to the local grocery stores for sale. When you also buy coffee online it will have been roasted within two weeks and each bag should be marked with a roasting date. When you buy store bought coffee it isn't as fresh and the coffee notes tend to diminish. If you do buy coffee from a store always and I'll repeat this always buy whole bean and grind it yourself because it will taste more fresh than previously ground coffee.

DO NOT store your coffee in the freezer or refrigerator. Condensation will quickly accumulate on your frozen coffee as soon as you open the airtight storage container. This moisture causes humidity (an enemy of coffee) and gives rise to potential bacteria growth and can compromise the intended coffee flavor.

When you grind your coffee the ground beans should all be a consistent color. If you notice some of the grounds beans are lighter in color this means the coffee bean has dried out and can also compromise the intended coffee flavor. This is also true when some of the ground coffee tends to stick to the outside of the grinder.

My first stop was the big kid on the block and is Stumptown Coffee Roasters. I've bought their coffee from the local grocery store and now it was time to try it fresh.

The chain's flagship cafe and roastery opened in 1999. Three other cafes, a roastery and a tasting annex have since opened in Portland, as well as locations in New York, and Los Angeles. Stumptown is owned by Peet's Coffee which in turn is owned by JAB Holding Company. The company was an early innovator with cold brew coffee in nitro cans and have continued to develop other cold brew product innovations

Stumptown says it has searched the world for the best coffee out there. That coffee grows in mountainous regions of the tropics—farms perched at high elevations with warm days, cool nights, and distinct rainy and dry seasons. Microclimates, soil composition, coffee cultivars, and post-harvest processing methods can each contribute distinct dimensions to the cup.

Their coffee team spends about half the year in producing countries, meeting directly with the producer partners on their farms, at their mills, and in their cupping labs. They have a wide selection of single origin and blended coffees.

I had high hopes for Stumptown Coffee but I was a very disappointed. I just wanted a cup of coffee and was told they don't sell drip coffee at their cafes. How can a coffee roaster not offer a cup of coffee. I had to get an Americano which is not my first choice. There are a lot of better independent roasters who are more innovative & have higher quality coffee than Stumptown so I'm not a fan.

Never Lab Coffee Roasters started in 2016 and the cafe is tiny with barely room for a dozen guests, this cafe specializes in roasting its own beans and creating special flavored lattes. Rather than basic vanilla or caramel frothy concoctions, Never Coffee Lab serves amazing creations like the Oregon witch has hops, Jacobsen sea salt, and dulce de leche, and the Midnight Oil, with sweet fennel seeds, star anise, and black licorice. I loved the coffee here and will definitely be back. If you do come here it is tiny and the line is long. I got my usual cup of coffee and I also wanted to try something different so I ordered the Oregon and this is the BOMB!!!

Never Lab Coffee has a selection of single origin and blended coffees for sale. They can be found at 4243 SE Belmont St UNIT 200, Portland Oregon

Seven Virtues Coffee Roasters was started in 2007 buy a husband (Steve Virtue) and wife. There is no religious affiliation what so ever! With their focus on creating an inviting space, they named their business Seven Virtues. The seven virtues they chose are compassion, humility, forgiveness, kindness, honesty, patience and gratitude. The hope is that one person will embrace a virtue while in their space and help them move forward with their day life in a positive way!

Seven Virtues does not do blended coffee and everything they sell is single origin. They can be found at 2737 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland Oregon. I love their coffee and the energy of the cafe. Give them a try and tell them Crazydsadventures sent you.

Cà Phê Roasters was founded the summer of 2020 as a way to bring Vietnamese grown coffee beans into a market that lacks representation from Southeast Asia. A team of two that is spearheaded by Kim Dam and supported by Alex Tang. They specialize in coffee beans that are grown in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and they roast them in Portland.

Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer and the largest robusta bean producer in the world however the origin itself is not as represented as other countries when it comes to specialty coffee. Robusta beans have 2 times more caffeine content, 60% less sugar along with 60% less fats than arabica beans.

Cà Phê Roasters has a selection of single origin and blended coffees and is located at 2601 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland. I Love the coffee here also and if you want to try a stronger coffee give them a try.

Bison Coffeehouse (Roasters) opened in 2014 and is the only Native-owned coffeehouse, serving the Portland community. Loretta Guzman conceived a community space that represented her ancestry and provided opportunity to showcase native-sourced products. She slowly raised the funds over several years through the tribal art of beading, a craft Loretta had learned as a young girl. She said, “I just paid for it as I had the money and It took me two years,” she says. Working on apparel projects, large and small, she was finally able to launch her vision in November 2014, rehabbing a 1926 building her father, Gary Guzman, had used as a storage facility for his acclaimed custom motorcycle shop next door.

The shop's namesake (Bison) looms on the south wall: a massive mounted bison head stares down upon you as you enter Bison Coffeehouse. In the years previous to opening the shop, Loretta was battling stage 4b cancer and received a message one night in the way of a dream; "I dreamt of the bison,” she said. “He kept trying to get closer and closer to me, until he was in my face. I was told by my stepfather that the bison was my grandfather. He had been praying to my grandparents in the spirit world that I would get better. ” Eventually, Loretta made a dramatic and unprecedented recovery. The bison is symbol of resilience to the Shoshone-Bannock tribe, and has deep personal meaning to Loretta's healing path. "The bison was our people’s survival, our livelihood,” says Guzman. “I want this place to represent myself and my people—past and present."

All of the coffees they offer are blended and come from Native Coffee Traders, Star Village Coffee, Spirit Mountain Coffee, and Bison Bannock. They are located at 3941 NE Cully Blvd Portland, I also liked the coffee here and if you in the neighborhood give them a try!!

Lone Pine Coffee Roaster is located in Bend Oregon. Lone Pine Coffee Roasters has been in Bend since 2009, building a devoted and enthusiastic following. They are quality-driven and determined to roast and serve the best coffee; while providing a above and beyond cafe experience. Their emphasis on superior service sets them apart. They believe they have the best customers in Bend and enjoy putting in the hard work to make them happy whenever they visit.

Lone Pine has both single origin and blended coffee and are located at 910 NW Harriman Street Suite 150 Bend Oregon. I really enjoyed this coffee roastery. Both the coffee and the atmosphere. The staff made me feel very welcomed like I was a regular. The coffee was a great morning welcome before I started my day of hiking.

Junction Coffee Roastery and Social Club is located in Redmond Oregon. Junction is located in the historic Patrick Building. Part of the fiber of Redmond proper in 1940.

The Patrick building was Redmond's original hospital. Junction is committed to keeping it simple. They source the best products they can put their hands on and serve them up without ego to their Central Oregon community. As a Social Club, Junction is also a gathering place. Somewhere to meet an old friend, or someone new. A place for a sip, a bite, and a shared story. They promote community by celebrating the individuality of the region and sharing their passion for quality products and genuine interaction.

Junction is located at 708 Southwest Deschutes Ave, Redmond, Oregon and serves both single origin and blended coffee. The roastery is enormous and one of the biggest I've been to so far. They do hold parties here if you are so inclined and the coffee is pretty good. They also have a great selection of bakery products.

This is part one of my coffee roaster series and my plan is to try and do as many coffee roasteries I can. I love coffee so this gives me a great chance to try different roasters.

I also want to mention the difference between arabica and robusta coffee beans.

Flavor profile– The difference in taste between robusta coffee and arabica coffee is stark. When you taste two specialty varieties of each, you’ll most likely notice that the robusta coffee has a deep, bold flavor with nutty and chocolatey undertones whereas the arabica will likely be bright and citrusy with notes of fruit.

Caffeine content– Robusta coffee naturally has almost twice the caffeine than arabica coffee. When brewed, this is important to remember as you will only need half the amount of coffee you would normally consume if drinking 100% robusta. The added benefit to this level of caffeine is that the robusta coffee plant is naturally more pest resistant as caffeine acts as a chemical defense, which also allows farmers to use less or no pesticides in their growing practices.

Fats & sugars– Robusta coffee beans similarly have 60% less sugars and fats (lipids) than arabica coffee. While this does not make for significant differences in things like resulting blood sugar levels or calorie content, it does impact the flavor profile of each coffee bean. With less fats and sugars, robusta coffee is bold and strong in flavor whereas arabica coffee tends to be milder and sweeter.

Antioxidants– Coffee contains a compound called chlorogenic acid among other antioxidants. Just like caffeine, robusta coffee also has more chlorogenic acid than arabica coffee. Some studies suggest that consuming coffee is beneficial for these reasons, which has led some to believe that robusta coffee could potentially be a healthier choice when it comes to coffee variety.

Growing conditions– Arabica coffee is a finicky plant. It can generally only grow above elevations of 3,000 feet and in subtropical climates. Additionally, many arabica coffees are grown in the shade. Robusta, however, can grow at a variety of elevations and climates, both subtropical and tropical. Robusta coffee can also thrive in the sun.

Overall, robusta coffee is the hardier plant and can thrive in a variety of conditions. While arabica has historically been the dominant coffee species consumed globally, this may change in the face of climate change and given each coffee bean’s respective growing conditions.

Cultivation– Robusta and arabica coffee beans have to be harvested differently. Robusta coffee grows in uniform clusters that ripen simultaneously on the branch. Arabica coffee grows in uneven clusters that ripen at various times. For farmers and producers, this makes robusta the easier and more cost-effective variety of coffee to grow because robusta coffee can be harvested all at once by pulling the entire branch or by using a machine. However, for arabica coffee, farmers need to hand pick each cherry since they ripen at different times and doing so all at once would result in wasted, unripen coffee cherries unfit for processing and consumption.

Shape– If you look at arabica and robusta coffee beans, you will notice that they are different in size and shape. Arabica coffee beans are more ovular and long while robusta coffee beans are stouter and circular in shape. Additionally, the split line running down the middle of arabica beans tends to be curved whereas the split in robusta coffee beans appears a bit straighter!

Ultimately, there are more differences between arabica and robusta coffee that did not even make it to this list. These are just the main differences! When it comes to which is better or worse, I believe that there is no absolute right or wrong here. Both species of coffee have their unique properties and I love them both. For those who enjoy bold and strong coffee, robusta coffee might be the one. For those who enjoy bright and fruity coffee, arabica coffee may be the best bet.

In Part two I will talk about the difference between blended and single origin coffee.