Page 64 - #47 English

Report

WATER AVENUE COFFEE (www.wateravenuecoffee.com)

The owners of the American
Barista and Coffee School and a former
Stumptown roaster opened Water Ave-
nue in 2010, it exploded onto Portland’s
coffee scene as a fully formed roasting
and retail force. There’s no mystery
why: The cafe is an alluring open in-
dustrial space full of exposed beams
and glistening stainless steel located
at the most interesting warehouse offices, galleries, and workshops of the inner
Eastside. It also produces some of the city’s most interesting coffees, including a
Sumatra aged in oak barrels. While you’re in the neighborhood, hit Clive Coffee
next door, a gorgeous showroom of highly covetable coffee equipment for the
home enthusiast. You are allowed to play with all of their accessories or coffee
gadgets and, naturally, Clive also roasts its own excellent line of coffee, so snag
some of that too, because we surely have not had enough coffee at this point.

COAVA (www.coavacoffee.com)

Much has been made of Coava’s dramatic
cafe space, shared with the showroom of Bamboo
Revolution. It is such a great big spacious ware-
house. But the devil’s in the details, and for Coava,
that means a serious focus on sourcing small lots
of quality green coffee, roasting it carefully, and
maintaining a high degree of control over how
the finished product is presented. The wooden
table was a great catchy furniture in the shop.
With its high ceiling and wonderful wood work
all over, this place is the one i most liked. The
dripped coffee was great, and the barista also
gave us some good insights info of the cafe. Coava
actively courts wholesale accounts, and you can
find flawless service of their coffees in New York
City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and beyond. It
is such a great photogenic space!

Ristretto Roasters (www.ristrettoroasters.com)
This Ristretto Roasters is located in a cool space within the restored Schoolhouse Electric Building. The School-
house Electric building is a fun visit for anyone who cares about old school industrial architecture and design. There’s
an open feel to the space, with plenty of tables for those who need to sit inside and out, work or meet. Besides having
Ristretto’s excellent coffee, it is an amazing space - very well lit, high ceilings, nice environment.The coffee here is
what really matters, though, and as with other ristretto locations, it’s great. Local, small-batch roasts done right. Grab
an espresso and enjoy the environment and soak in the flavor. You won’t be disappointed.

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