Here are four great shops to start your exploration of Portland’s specialty-coffee scene: Prince Coffee, Deadstock Coffee, Portland Cà Phê, and FUTURA.
BY EMILY JOY MENESES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Cover photo by everett mcintire via Unsplash
The specialty-coffee world in Portland, Ore. is vast and vibrant—constantly evolving and expanding, with third-wave cafés being an integral part of the city’s culture. Whether you’re a Portland local or plan on visiting the City of Roses sometime soon—maybe later this month for the Specialty Coffee Expo—you’ll be met with no shortage of exceptional coffeehouses to visit. Today, we’re launching the first installment of our Portland café guide with Prince Coffee, Deadstock Coffee, Portland Cà Phê, and FUTURA.
Prince Coffee
Founded by Katie Prinsen, Prince Coffee has two locations: one in Northeast Portland, the other in Northwest. The café serves multiple roasters, including local roaster Proud Mary, and features a different global roaster every year. This year, they’re working with Denmark’s La Cabra. In addition to being a specialty-coffee shop, Prince is a natural wine bar. They focus on working primarily with woman-owned wineries.
Deadstock Coffee
Located in downtown Portland’s Chinatown, Deadstock Coffee is a sneaker-themed coffee shop that was inspired by founder Ian Williams’ combined love for coffee and shoes. Williams worked as a footwear developer prior to launching Deadstock as a coffee cart in 2016. He has been fusing his two passions together ever since—even launching a shoe collaboration between Deadstock and Adidas in 2021 that sold out.
Portland Cà Phê
When Kim Dam launched Portland Cà Phê in 2020, she saw it as an opportunity to share both her love for specialty coffee and her passion for her Vietnamese culture with her community. The shop has two locations in Portland and specializes in single-origin coffee from the central highlands of Vietnam, which Kim roasts herself. Besides shining a spotlight on Vietnam-sourced coffee, the shop also highlights Southeast Asian ingredients in creative ways—such as ube lattes or pandan waffles.
FUTURA
Started by the producers of Colombia’s La Palma y El Tucan, FUTURA is a specialty-coffee roasting company dedicated to supporting small-scale farmers. The company also stresses the importance of soil regeneration and regenerative agriculture (farming that uses techniques to improve land health). To support this goal, FUTURA invests in soil regeneration projects, while also investing to support the coffee regions that they work with. FUTURA has two locations in Portland, and most of their beans are sourced from Colombia, Panama, and Ethiopia.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emily Joy Meneses (she/they) is a writer and musician based in Los Angeles, California. Her hobbies include foraging, cortados, vintage synths, and connecting with her Filipino roots through music, art, food, and beverage.
