Caffeine Crawl Portland 2015 ~ Part 2

~ Caffeine Crawl Portland recap, continued ~ 

Portland Roasting Coffee hosted a kickoff breakfast for Caffeine Crawlers in collaboration with Earnest Eats, and it was just what we needed to fuel another day of caffeination. A tour of the roasting works followed, and as one of Portland's biggest wholesale roasters, they provided an impressive experience! 
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Costa Rica La Angostura Chemex brews filled cups at Caffe Vita, & we soaked up the nostalgic space and delicious aromas. 

Case Study Coffee Roasters turned our groups into a tasting panel with Kalita wave brews of a washed vs. natrual process Ethiopian coffee, and we learned the history & philosophy of the company and their three charming locations as we sipped. 
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Coava Coffee welcomed us to the awe-inspiring space they share with several other local businesses, and served Chemex brews of 2 different direct trade coffees - a Kenya and a natural El Salvador. 

'Tasting the origin, not the roast' was the focus from Sterling Roasters at Coffeehouse Northwest - we sipped Fetco brewed Kenya and discussed the most consistent brew method options. 

Extracto Coffee pulled all the stops - as we sipped single origin Ethiopian espresso, Chris shared stories from the mostly woman-ran farm on which it was grown. We switched to shots of Sumatra before ending on a high note with a wet processed Ethiopian cold brew collaboration saison from Royale Brewing. 
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Nossa Familia Coffee served steaming cups of buttery, chocolatey, Chemex brewed Guatemalan to accompany a great discussion on the benefits of direct trade. 
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A variety of caffeinated goodness awaited us at The Red E Cafe - Keith and Mindy served cold pressed cascara, coffee soda (a delightful concoction of cold brew, vanilla and soda water) , and introduced us to Qishr - the shell of the coffee fruit, dried and ground into powder, mixed with ginger and cinnamon and brewed in a french press. Such a great experience! 

Steampunk brews of house-roasted Ethiopian and Nicaraguan awaited at Ristretto Roasters, and Andy was more than happy to answer questions. 

The vibes at Steven Smith Teamaker are always calm and inviting - the perfect ambiance in which to sip tea. 3 hot tea samples included White Petal, Brahman (an English breakfast style tea) and a pu-erh, and we enjoyed sampling their newest menu addition - a cold rooibus and honey bush tea steeped with strawberries, lightly sweetened and carbonated, served on tap. 

Great views and insight into importing awaited at Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers - great to have multiple participants from different points in the coffee growing/sourcing/roasting/brewing chain to provide a varied perspective on the coffee journey! 
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Upper Left Roasters welcomed us with great vibes, Ethiopian Kalita brews & apple cinnamon toast. So good! 
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Water Avenue Coffee took us 'behind the scenes' to the American Barista and Coffee School for a gorgeous lineup of espresso machine eye candy & an excercise in processing method tasting differentiation. 
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Coffee Fest Portland ended the weekend delightfully - we chatted with our friends at Prana Chai and Barista Magazine, made a lot of great new acquaintances, & enjoyed one more macchiato from the show floor (thanks Portland Roasting!). 

Be sure to check out last week's Top Ten Tuesday for the scoop on all the things we drank that weren't coffee - thanks for a great time, Portland! 

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