K and F Coffee

Located at SE 26th and Clinton, K and F coffee is a great little shop with a truly eclectic vibe to it. The staff is cool and the coffee HOT! I had half coffee /half hot chocolate as the day called for it. K & F also functions as good place to run and grab a hostess gift or a birthday card as well as a good cuppa. Great central location but never overwhelmed by a crowd, K & F is worth a stop in.

NorthStar Coffee

A quiet little shop off of busy Interstate Avenue in North Portland, you can find NorthStar Coffee. Kind Folks behind the counter, relaxed atomsphere, great snacks to go with your iced mocha. The other day I had a great little sandwich called a zippie. Packed with turkey and provolone served hot and melty. Yummy! I have enjoyed each visit to Northstar. They also keep your frequent customer card for you at the counter in case you lose it. Good Idea!

Redemption at hand?

I made a last ditch effort to have Fresh Pot remain on the list of coffee shops I could recommend., by dropping in last week about 10:30 on Thursday and ordered a hot americano.(sounds like a date I once had) And Guess What... it was great. the service was nice(as usual) but this time fast. And boy was it good. I mean good. Makes me want to run out and get one right now. So Fresh Pot you may be moving off the endangered section of my list. But to help you along I will only be ordering freshly made drinks and trying my best never to come in when you have a rush. Congratulations!

Off the List

One of the great things about moving to Portland is the opportunity to try all the great coffee shops. Each has their own style and vibe to them. However finding the right one for you can be a bit of a search. Just because a shop is in your neighborhood and convenient, does not mean it should be your only hang out. Explore all the great places Portland has to offer and trust me none of them will be named Starbucks(if you like the big green, good for you). On my local travels I found a few that I really liked, they checked off all boxes on my short list. They had friendly service, homey atmosphere, and good coffee. I like to feel that it is ok to strike up a conversation with those around me if I needed to. However some things are a bit tricky in Portland, like fast service. Unless I am the only one in line- which never happens- the wait is a bit much at times.

One Sunday morning I waited 30 minutes in line to get a cup to go. I really wanted a latte but at that point 30 mins was way too much. 30 mins on a Sunday morning screams bad time management. I was determined to see this thing thru to the end. And in the end I was disappointed, 30 mins and the coffee was like sludge. The reason I waited was because this particular shop that I had been to before serves a great cup. So I just chalked it up to the big crowd that Sunday. However, I returned today and received a cup of sludge. I am a three strikes and you are out person and Fresh Pot you have been warned.

Coffee - iced or not?

The answer is always yes it can be iced and done well. For people like me who spend most of the year in a perpetual state of hot, iced coffee is a welcome treat. However I have found in my search that iced coffee is not a normal thing in Portland. I have been told everything from no we don't do iced coffee, to this weird thing of pouring hot coffee over ice. (See that just makes it tepid not iced.) but in my journey to find my perfect cup of joe, the perfect coffeehouse for me, I am finding new types of drinks that I am really liking. I might actually be finding the perfect substitute for iced coffee, the iced americano.