All The Perks

On the hunt for more cafe's serving different brands of beans, we came across a small shop in a strip mall near Albertsons in Happy Valley that serves Longbottom Coffee and Tea. We have passed by this place several times going back and forth between home and New Seasons, yet wasn't sure if it was indeed All The Perks or another cafe given there are two signs on the front of the facade. One is quite large and says, "Coffee House," or something to that effect, while the other reads, "All The Perks" yet it is very small and impossible to read from the road. Given there aren't many coffee places in Happy Valley we figured it was a safe assumption that we had found the place we were looking for and finally stopped in yesterday to check it out.

The inside was quite surprising and impressive. The coffee bar is gorgeous and we really liked the booths they have. Pastries appeared fresh and tasty, although we behaved ourselves and didn't order any. The barista was very nice yet asked the dreaded question..."Would you like that more 'wet' or 'dry'?" This came after the fact that I had to order a 12 ozs. cappuccino as it was the smallest size they offered...and it was put into a paper cup. 3 strikes and you're out, baby. We were a tad crushed. Neither of us has ever had Longbottom Coffee but in reading about their espresso beans on their website, they seemed like a good one to try. Plus, we were hoping to find a cafe closer to home that we could hang out in from time to time and enjoy a cappuccino made by someone other than me. Okay, maybe I wish for that more than "he" does given I'm the one that always makes the cappuccinos in this house. Unfortunately, my cappuccino was obviously a latte and there was no way to even get a sense of how the beans tasted. We didn't think to ask if All The Perks sells the Longbottom espresso beans so I may swing back by there and find out. I also forgot that Longbottom offers several blends of espresso and am unsure as to which one was served in our drinks.

Sadly, when we arrived home I dumped mine out and had to make our own.

Ristretto Roasters

Ristretto Roasters is one of the few coffee shops in Portland that does not serve Stumptown beans. And while we love Stumptown, we also love variety. In trying to find a cafe that served a different brand of espresso, we came across Ristretto's. They roast their own beans right in the cafe. Thus this was next on our list of places to try. We stopped in at the cozy shop, situated right across the street from a really old schoolhouse, on a Saturday afternoon. Like many coffee houses this one bears the typical decor of eclectic furniture and art, however behind a wall in the back lies the roasting room. This is where the magic happens. Albeit stinky magic...or so I'm told.

We placed our order, two cappuccinos and a muffin for me. The girl working the register asked me what size I wanted. That definitely caught me off guard as I'm not used to being asked this question in the more "serious" coffee houses. I had to think for a moment and answered, "The smallest size you have." Then we specified that it was "for here," paid, and grabbed a table. It seemed to take awhile for our cappuccinos to be made, especially given there was no one else in there. Finally one of the gals told us our coffees were up so "he" headed to the counter to get them. Unfortunately they were in paper cups. Nooooooooooooooo. Que disappointing. I think we all know how I feel about paper cups both for taste reasons and size reasons. That big 'ole cup meant there was no way to truly sample the taste of their espresso. Sigh. What we could taste was nice. Sadly it wasn't enough to get all the complexities and flavors like we should have.

So once again we'll have to put off a real review until we can try a proper cappuccino from Ristretto's. I guess it gives us a good excuse to make the trek back up there, yet we'd prefer to make it again because we loved what we were served...not because we didn't get to sample it the way we should have.

Stumptown - Belmont

Sticking with trying all of the closest Stumptown's, our next stop was at the cafe on Belmont St. Just a quick jaunt up from the one on Division, this one was a tad smaller than the other. The building is, as you would guess, typical Stumptown. Exposed brick, a mix of different chairs and tables, original artwork gracing the walls, and killer light fixtures. When we came in it was fairly quiet. As per our usual we ordered two cappuccinos and grabbed a table. Sadly, mine ended up being a tad bitter on the first sip or two. Again, this doesn't seem like the norm at the shops downtown, and I really hope I just hit a couple of off days in the two cafes. "He" said his was good which I never know if that is code word for "passable" or if he truly likes it. I wouldn't have been surprised if his was better than mine, however. The man is full of dumb luck and if ever there is a chance for him to get something better, well then he's the one who is going to get it. That's just how it is. I'm still waiting for that to wear off onto me. A girl has to dream!

We'll visit this one again and possibly do another review. In the meantime we'll just keep picking up Stumptown beans and brewing our own at home.

Stumptown - Division Street.

Now you all know how much we adore Stumptown Coffee Roasters. We would do just about anything to have a creamy cup of cappuccino from them. Almost anything. Driving downtown, finding a parking space, and then walking forever to one of their locations isn't nearly as romantic as it is when we stay overnight "in the city." Before we moved here, everytime we stayed in Portland we were always downtown and made a point to hit at least one Stumptown once a day. Things have changed now. One of the very first things we did even before we made the big move north was to find the closest Stumptown to our new home. While it isn't super far away (in the grand scheme of things) it's not close enough to make the trek daily. That's probably a good thing for us! All that matters is that we can buy their beans, freshly roasted, at our new favorite supermarket - New Seasons. Still, being who we are we simply HAVE to check out all their locations, right? So first up we stopped in at the cafe on Division Street.

Here is where I should back up a bit. "He" and I came up to look at houses about 2-3 weeks before we were set to move. The trip was a quick one and only afforded us one opportunity to grab some coffee. On our second night in town we figured we'd grab an early dinner and then head over to the Division Street Stumptown for some after dinner joe. Plus, this gave us a chance to time how long it would take to get from Stumptown to the new place. We pulled out of Olive Garden's parking lot around 6:30 p.m. Using the handy dandy GPS we arrived to a lit up, hip looking building around 6:50'ish. On the way in we noticed several people making an exit and before we crossed the threshold I took a quick glance at the hours of operation and saw they closed at 7 p.m. I stopped. He stopped. We left. Neither of us wanted to torture the baristas who were dutifully cleaning up by ordering two cappuccinos a scant 5 minutes before the doors were to be locked up. It was tough...believe me it was tough. Both of us had been craving a good Stumptown cuppa for a long time and you know once you get your heart set on something it can be difficult to let it go. Alas we did. This is partly why the Division Street Stumptown was the first one we checked out.

The place itself is very cool. Old, authentic, Stumptown'ish building with people coming and going, or settling in to read, write, talk, laugh. The line to the counter was LONG. And slow. Three baristas were working that day, yet it took over 10-15 mins. before "he" was able to place the order. I noticed that our cappuccinos looked very different from each other. His looked as if the foam had properly mixed with the espresso, whereas mine appeared to have separated somewhere along the way. Mine was a tad bitter for the first few sips which is not something I've ever come across at a Stumptown before. He was quite happy with his. Overall mine was good, way better than some places we've tried for sure, but for me it wasn't nearly as wonderful as the Stumptown's downtown. We'll be back to the Division cafe for sure and maybe I'll be able to change my thoughts.

Balay

Famous for their Bubble Tea (which I adore), Balay also serves up espresso, and since I was downtown the other day I figured I'd try a cappuccino. From what I could tell the brand they use is Caffe D'Arte, which is one I was unfamiliar with. I will say that the cappuccino was made very well. A tad too hot, yet the foam was nicely done, the milk blended well with the espresso, and the size was good. I wasn't a big fan of the espresso, though. It was a tad too strong/heady and had a taste that I can't place but one that I wasn't crazy about. While it definitely was not bad, it wasn't my favorite. So I will stick with their fabulous Bubble Teas and maybe try the cappuccino again at a later date. Could've been bad beans.

Thump Coffee Cafe Review

So "He" and I finally got a chance to swing by Thump and check it out. Cute little cafe near Staccato's. They do not roast their own beans but they do serve Stumptown coffee, which is a favorite of ours. This time we opted for two cappuccinos. Both were served with spooned foam and the foam itself was pretty "peaky"--like meringue. Granted, I love me some microfoam but this was pushing it. At least the espresso was decent. It seemed a little overextracted, maybe, yet still left us with no aftertaste--the signature of Stumptown.

Our Thoughts

HIS SIDE: Foam was too thick but it's better than Bellatazza's cappuccino. No crappy aftertaste, thankfully, and not a bad cuppa all around. I might go there again and I would recommend it to others seeking a good cap.

HER SIDE: I agree with "He." Overall I liked it, especially compared to some of the cappuccino's served around here, yet not sure I can say that it's better than Bellatazza's 100%. I'd have to taste them both at the same time but I do love that I don't get that bitter aftertaste. I detected a hint of overextraction...maybe...could've been the lunch we had just eaten clouding my tastebuds, but nevertheless I would hit this joint again in a heartbeat.

No pics, sorry--maybe next time. Their website is still a job application but maybe that will change soon. I do like their purple La Marzocco machine, though. That's pretty freakin' cool.

Thump - Bend, OR

Look out Bendites--another coffee shop has popped up in downtown Bend. Thump Coffee had their grand opening last weekend. Neither of us has stopped in yet...hell, we just found out it existed while reading The Source. The website is currently a place to download a job application so we're not real sure what the cafe is all about as of right now. One of us plans to get down there, if not both of us, soon and see what they have to offer. The Source ad listed it as a place to sample coffees from "around the world." Not sure if they mean your typical beans like Kenyan, Ethiopian, etc. or what. Another confusing bit of info was that they serve Stumptown coffee. That's cool, we like them, but is it Stumptown Kenyan or Kenyan that they've gotten from somewhere else, for example?

Questions, questions. Answers coming soon.

Bellatazza - Bend, OR - by "She"

When we got back from Italy, and before we bought our own machine, Bellatazza was a place that I visited fairly regularly. I had tried some of the huts closer to our house in hopes of finding a decent cappuccino but didn't have much luck. They seemed to be the only shop (at the time) who could produce a pretty good cuppa. Last night I had a meeting with a client in Bellatazza and stopped on my way to out to pay my respects and buy some joe. Went for the 12 ozs. cappuccino, which is a crime really because even with a double shot it's just not "right," and still liked it. Maybe not as much as before, yet it held its own. Course with all the milk it was hard to tell. I will say that when you get one "not to go" it is served in a smaller cup (if memory serves) and the taste is a lot different.

Too bad the cafe is so small. Always hard to find a table in there but summertime is fabulous in the front courtyard.