Well, I’ve had no time since I’ve been back to really crack on writing about my much needed trip back home… so here is the result of a few sporadic recollections of my trip since then. I’m going to update this page with links in time, but I wanted to hit the “publish” button, since I have no clue when I’ll be able to sit down to it again.
First off, apparently to Scranton / Wilkes Barre Airport Security, I look like enough of a miscreant to warrant calling out and getting a thorough patting down before being allowed into the terminal. Note to real miscreants, if you want to smuggle anything, you need to dress like an off duty cop.
Well, I guess the pace was set ki
nda early. When I was on layover in Detroit, I discovered a rather nice drinking establishment. Being that I had well over an hour until my flight and an innate anxiety of flying (good excuse, right?), I proceeded to order a drink and people watch to pass the time.
One big beer in, and a rather talkative chap from North Carolina took a seat next to me and struck up a conversation. Turns out, this guy too was headed to Portland on business, on the same flight as me. He worked for a company that built these washing machines for pharmaceutical companies. This solution his company developed basically cleaned out all traces of chemicals from the work-area or something like that. To be honest, I wasn’t that interested and trying not to think about where those trace pharmaceuticals ended up after they were cleaned out (water tables, rivers, etc), but he was a nice enough guy.
Eventually, the conversation turned to his time spent as a motorcycle racer.. Turns out, this guy was hard-core! He was talking about outrunning police officers, racing in the desert, crashing while going 150+ mph.. easy to listen to now lol.
But alas, the beer was gone and the flight was leaving.. Portland Bound!
(Of Note: The Detroit Terminal has this long underground tunnel all lit up and psychedelic. They were playing The Beatles haha.. It felt so bizarre walking down into it.. almost like I was dreaming.)
One of the crappiest things about flying out (and back) was the lack of entertainment. No movies, no music, no food.. word to the wise, spend the extra $20.00 and fly American.
I landed in Portland around 11 pst, which translates to 2am my time. My brother picked me up and we drove straight to one of his favorite local dive-bars. They had four or five high quality local micro-brews on tap, but the strangest thing about Pacific North-Westerners is, in the abundance of good beer, they all drink Pabst,
We chatted it up for quite a bit, and consumed a good amount of PBR. Having not spentmore than two hours with him in the past 8 years or so, it was very easy to connect and get right down. He’s definitely The Homie!
Called it a night at 5 my time… I slept until 8 and got rid of the jet-lag just like that.
I woke up at 8 that morning and met my sister-in-law Jamie. Jamie and Jesse have to be some of the coolest people I know… She works as a massage therapist, practices Yoga, is in school full time to become a Nurse (clocking a 4.0 gpa) and as as chance may have it, has family roots in Bethlehem PA. Go figure.
She and Jesse have been Vegan for about the past decade. They are very mindful of where they choos
e to put their money. They choose to shop at local co-ops, to purchase locally grown, GMO free Organic Food and eat for Health. (One thing that I need to point out is, in Portland, YOU HAVE CHOICES. You can walk into any local Supermarket and decide to keep your money local, buy Organic and Animal Free products on every shelf.) I forgot how progressive Portland truly is.
That morning, after Jesse and I dropped Jamie off for class, Jesse took me to one of his favorite coffee haunts.. Fresh Pot. North Portland was GHETTO last time I avoided going there, and now it’s populated with 20 and 30-somethings, cafes and hip bars.. you see, When all the property value of SE started to climb and get overrun with Californians, the middle class local kids were pushed out of their neighborhoods, and those not trying to leave the city moved into the rougher parts of the city.. cheaper rent and just a bus ride away from everything. Needless to say, when the artsy geek kids moved in, the gangs started to move out… and up went the trendy cafes and bars.. but Fresh Pot was the first of its kind in North PDX.
Fresh Pot is in an old RexalDrugstore.. if you’ve ever seen the movie”Feast of Love” with Morgan Freeman, this is the cafe it was filmed in. They kept the original soda-jerk bar and RX mosaic on the floor.. the overall vibe was reclaimed, restored and renewed… keeping in mind that they stuck with the original Pharmacy feel, it was very warm and
inviting. They were rocking a La Marzocco Linea and a few Mazzer grinders.. and as with seemingly most locations in the PacNW, they pull Stumptown.
This was my first “Stumptown” experience outside my NEPA kitchen.. and needless to say, I was excited. I ordered a ristretto and a small cap. The ristretto was Stumptowns HairBender, and I must say, it was a tasty shot.
The Batista dumped the first few pulls in the sink until he felt he pulled a shot drink-worthy, but still warned that being that it was still early in the day, the shot may not be dialed in yet.. but at first sip I was blasted with floral notes and a sweet chocolate bottom end.
I’m a huge fan of the classic cappuccino. 2 ounces of milk and maybe a 1.5 ounce double of espresso… and the sweetness of the milk brought those chocolate notes right out of the cup.
For my first Portland Coffee experience in 10 years, this was one to remember. I took a picture of the bar on my camera phone since I left my good camera at Jesse’s house.. but found this one on the Yelp website… I feel it says more than mine lol.
Well, it was getting on to noon and we both were getting kida hungry. One thing that Portland has that NOBODY in Scranton/Wilkes Barre has are the real Mission Style Burritos. An over sized tortilla STUFFED with grass fed organic 
beef (for me), cheese, guac, beans and sour cream rolled artfully and served on a bed of lettuce… all for UNDER 5 DOLLARS! And I destroyed this thing.. you just dont know how good they really are unless you know.
After lunch we took a trip up to Stumptown’s original location on SE Division St. As fate may have it, Jesse and I grew up about 4 blocks down the road. Stumptown was one of the first places to roast their coffee on site, and to this day they keep their shop roaster in the house.
Now, I’ve heard of the ”Stumptown Ego” before, but I had no clue a barista could excrete such arrogance with that amount of blind faith lol. It’s all good though.
Stumptown was started by a guy named Duane Sorenson in 1999.. andhe knows how to do this. He’s established many rewarding direct trade relationships with many coffee producers throughout the world andoften pays the farmer more than 4 times the amount he’s required to. Stumptown rewards sustainability anda superior product with a superior
price. Doing the good works.
On top of his stand-out business practices, Stumptowntakes care of their employees with full health benefits and a great compensation plan. I’ll tell you this much, if I was getting paid a livable wage making coffee, I’d still be working in a cafe pulling shots of espresso, I would be.
The shot of HairBender was outstanding.. I could definitely tell the difference between Fresh Pot and Stumptown Division, but to tell you which one I preferedmore, I’d have to say, they bothshine. I also ordered a cup of their house coffee, which was a press of their Holler Mountain Blend. It was a rich, full bodied coffee I wish I had an unlimited supply of.
As we were finishing up our coffee, the Super Dude behind the bar offered Jesse and I a sample of Chemexed Guatemala.. it was from the Finca Semillero farm, and they had just got in.. apparently the farm they purchase the coffee from only produces ten 100 pound bags per year, so it was pretty cool to sample it.
I didnt write down the notes I picked out, but I remember it being very clean and light in body .. keep in mind that I just battered my mouth with a shot, a cap and a french press of very heavy beverages, so if it tastes light to me might mean that I should have asked for some water to rinse my palate before taking the peace-offering.
All together, my trip to Stumptown was … Real.
Being that we were already in our old stopinggrounds, we drove around the neighborhood for a while. When our parents bought our house, SE 50th and Hawathorne was kinda scummy. The houses were run down, t
here were closed-down storefronts abound, little culture, plenty of drug dealing and the people who lived right by you never said ‘hi’ when you passed by (sound familiar Nanticoke?). By the time I moved out east, the HawathorneDistrict had been gentrified beyondrecognition. All the storefronts were rented out by upscale food establishments, trendy bars, hip coffee shops, music shops, tattoo studios, hippie stores, etc. etc. There were no more run down houses, commerce was in full swing and the property value had run away into an uncharted high.. and everyone who was moving in was …. gasp … NICE. When my parents sold the house, they sold for 4 or 5 times (maybe more) what they paid.
Well, it’s been 10 years since I’ve been on Hawathorne, and it was bizzare. I have all these rich memories of skateboarding down the sidewalk.. the houses and buildings forever etched in my cerebral … but now there are entire blocks that have been demolished andnow stand three story tall Condo Buildings.. and my mind wasntquite able to wrap around the seemingly square cog that needed to fit in the circular space of my mind.
Eventually, we found ourselves back into the NorthEast area, and made our way home for the evening.
The next morning, we walked throug
h the neighborhood to a newer shop called Extracto. The people behind the counter were super nice and the vibe of the place was awesome. They do their own roasting and keep their Vintage (Probat?) Roaster. They pulled an excellentshot of their 11 bean blend, which some may say is a bit overkill to have that involved of an espresso blend, but it was tasty and very complex. Fruity, bright anddeep. She made me a very tasty cap as well. I think the most lasting element of my visit was the cafes notable hospitality… and their sweet looking La Marzocco G5.
As Jesse and I were walking home, he was telling me about his buddy Billy Wilson (NW Barista Champ), and his shop Baristathat opened up in the Pearl District. Jesse used to trade shoes for coffee, but hadn’t been downtown much since he stopped working with Adidas.
Ironically, while we were walking, some people drove up and asked if we knew where the new Barista was.. Jesse said Downtown, and they informed us that Billy had just opened up a new spot right there somewhere. This was news to us, as we hadn’t a clue where.
When we got home, a little google-fu uncovered the location, and we made it a goal to swing through tomorrow, since we had a dinner to go to on the Columbia River.
Dinner was awesome.. good beer, a great (meat) burger… and an awesome view.
The next day we headed to Barista. This was the third day they were serving coffee, and hadnt even officially “opened” yet, but I can say is, WOW. This spot was intense. Full M
ahogony wainscoting on the walls, a leather bar, news
papers rolled up and hanging from the walls, reclaimed reading lamps, subway style pew seating, and the worlds greatest coffees to boot.
I’m not joking. Barista carries Intelligentsia, Counter Culture, Ritual, Verve, Coava, Barefoot and (Standard) Stumptown. When we visited, they had a Sidama Full Natural in the grinder, which was all plum and bass. Very heavy, thick and syrupy. They also had the Black Cat in the grinder, plus Stumptown’s Hair Bender. The Black Cat disappearedinthe cap, which was surprising since it’s such a staple blend. Another shot of Hairbender down as well.
The next morning we drove to Central Oregon to visit Mom and Dad. I left my camera at home (of course), so I only had my Blackberry to capture photos with. The drive out was great. We had to go over Mt. Hood to get there. I used to go up to Hood every weekend to snowboard, so it was cool to go through Government Camp and see the sights.
We met Mom and Dad in LaPine and then we sojourned to the High Desert Museu
m, which was great! Tons of Wild-West history, and it was soooo nice to see the Mom and Pops again.
We visited a few Roasters in Bend, Back Porch and Lone Pine. Back Porch was cool, since they had big sacks of Green Coffee laying out in the middle of the store, and everything was very accessible. I ordered a cup of drip and a shot. I cannot, for the life of me remember the shot he pulled for me, but it was all Earl Grey Tea andRaspberry. Excellent pull, and they were all very kind. The Sumatra they had for Drip was old, flat and gross. I actually poured it out as I couldnt stomach it. But everything else about the shop was spot on, including the mixture of 2nd and 3rd waive barista styles (ie: Syrup and Milk drinks for the Charbucks Fans AND amazing pulls).
Next we hit Lone Pine, and this spot was sweet! Another on-site roaster, and a PID’d Two Group Paddle La Marzocco (droooool). Their mission is spot on with my idea of what the Specialty Industry should be. Great coffee, sustainability, freshness and progress! They made me a few great drinks and talked coffee for quite some time while my family sat at a table with a glazed look over their eyes.
After our time at Lone Pine, my brother and 
I bid an evening to the Parents, connected with a friend of his and proceeded to be here. While we were walking into a bar with a free pool table, a 4 year old kid on the sidewalk ran full steam into a street sign … you had to be there.
The rest of the time in Bend was pretty much just chilling in the hills and hanging out with mom and dad.
We made our way back to PDX for the closing of my trip, and again, I really enjoyed our trip over the mountains.
That night, Jesse, Jamie and I headed over the McMenamins Kennedy School for a movie, Crazy Heartand beer. The McMenamin Brothers have been buying, renovating andall out pimping historic Portland since I lived there. They purchase historically rich yet run down land marks and invest tons of time, energy andmoney to return these places to their former glory… with a new age McMenamins t
wist.
The Kennedy School is sweet… 35 very affordable hotel rooms, a super nice restaurant, a few bars, a movie theater/pub, a pool (for guests who sleep there), a brewery AND a few ghosts! And all the hallways are covered with original artwork, murals, carvings, pictures and paintings. Just an all out awesome spot. And yes, they roast their own coffee.
The next day was my last day. I we
nt to visit my girlfriends sister and her two amazing children. We went to Laughing Planet for some mission style burritos and micro-brews, I took my little cousin to the park and just felt great all day. We hung out until about 8, at which time I was to meet my brother for the Blazers Game at the Mission Theater & Pub, another McMenamins spot. We watched the 
Blazers whoop up on some Spurs on a huge movie screen and all around reveled in the last night in Portland.
I got to the airport with enough time to bring the entire trip full circle.. with a Home Town twist… I didnt raise an eye in this terminal.
You can now find us at Park Market in Nanticoke!!!
Just a quick update to let you all know that Grateful Roast Coffee is now on the shelf at Park Market in Nanticoke PA.
We will be dropping off fresh roasted coffee once a week, and at 10.99 a pound out the door, its a great deal to boot! All coffee there as of today is Certified Organic and 100% Fair Trade.
We will also stock a few coffee grinders starting next week priced at 19.99, so you can enjoy fresh roasted AND fresh ground Grateful Roast every morning!! (And if you still aren’t sold on the whole “grind as you go” philosophy, they’ve got a bulk grinder right there for you to use… but the coffee is sealed and in whole-bean.)
Grateful Roast Goes Organic (and Fair Trade)
Grateful Roast is in transition to becoming a 100% Certified Organic Coffee Roaster, as well as Fair-Trade Certified.
We feel that it is important to do whatever we can to aid in sustainability and environmental accountability. FACT – Only 1% of pesticides used actually reach the pests they target, and 99% of these chemicals enter the environment. Contamination of soil and groundwater changes the terrestrial and aquatic environment and poses threats to native wildlife. Many species dependent on high water quality are now endangered.
A large amount of coffee growers produce Organic Coffee by tradition, as they have for generations, but have not received Organic Certification. They produce amazing Organically grown coffees, but do not participate in a “Certified Organic” program, largely due to program costs and long, multi-year process of becoming Certified. We will not bypass a great coffee we know to be from an organic region (such as Ethiopia).. we just wont label them USDA Organic… we may however, promote them as “Organic by Tradition”.
We believe that everyone wants to make a difference in the world, and every time someone makes a Fair-Trade or an Organic purchase, they are casting a vote saying that we need to do better as a society, both by our environment, but also by the people who deserve a fair wage for their efforts. We, as a company cast our vote, and we hope that you do too.
Thanks!
Brian and Sarah
One of my regular customers is an Italy native, and he loves his coffee roasted to an “Italian” crisp… In fact, he sometimes says I don’t roast it dark enough for him.. I feel like suggesting he’d try getting a stronger coffee by brewing up charred firewood (I kid).
At any rate, we are both coffee geeks from different continents. Some of the best coffee I’ve had came to me in the Richmond District of Portland Oregon, from a little micro-roaster we all know and love as “Stumptown” … whereas his mind conjures up a far away memory of a coffee he had in a little town in South Italy.. Being that I’ve never been, I can’t compare, but neither has he on my end. But we both obviously come from two different schools of thought.
Up until a while ago, I thought that the proper pronunciation for espresso was … well… ‘espresso’ … And every time I heard it referred to as ‘Ex’presso I would freak out inside.. My ego would scream ITS PRONOUNCED ESPRESSO!!! Nails on a chalkboard.
Well, my Italian friend continually kept saying ‘expresso’ and I would keep myself from pointing out his folly at the risk of causing un-warrented embarrassment on his part…. but a man can only bare the torture for so long.
One night after a few beers, we’re discussing proper brewing methods on a traditional machine… Pressure of the tamp, heat of the water, length of extraction… And he says “the best EXPRESS-O I’ve had” …. to which I said “Its pronounced Espresso, not Express-o.. You don’t ‘express’ anything” … soon after, I was faithfully chastised for my ignorance.
The first espresso machine was invented by a guy named “Luigi Bezzera” in Milan, Italy, in 1901. The word “expresso” is rooted in literal translation… esprimere is ‘to press out’ , which is from the Latin word ‘exprimere’ : ex + premere is ‘to press’.
So, express-o is a correct Latin rooted pronouncement… And espresso is the end-child and example of how language evolves from dialect to dialect over time. Both are correct, and I can really be a jerk sometimes. Dastardly ego.
