Posted on March 5, 2007 - by deCadmus

Where in the World…

Welcome to Portland, Oregon… home of the Portland Trail Blazers, the Portland Rose Festival, and more fine coffee establishments than you can shake a stick at (presuming you’re the stick-shaking sort.) Sadly, at 9:30 of an evening it seems that the only one that’s open is — wait for it — Starbucks!

I’m desperately hoping that someone will correct me on that, and assure me that there’s a little bit of coffee nirvana just around the corner. It’s not that the folks there aren’t friendly (they are) or cheerful (they’re that, too… very much so) but doggone it, when I ask for a medium house blend I don’t want to be corrected into Fauxtalian (it’s a grande!) and I don’t want an Italian-roast blend slyly substituted when the house blend carafe proves to be empty. (sigh)

With practice maybe I can be as optimistic as this guy, who’s been trying to hail a cab in the very same spot since last I was here… and that was five four years ago to the month. Meanwhile, I’ll be here all week. So if there’s a Portland coffee place that I simply mustn’t miss, do let me know. On the agenda so far: a meeting with Duane Sorenson and the fine folks at Stumptown, a trip to coffee college with Matt Milletto, and some of the finer aspects of espresso with Billy Wilson at The Albina Press. Should be fun!