The Portland Café Guide: The Finale

We explore more gems within the Portland specialty-coffee world.

BY EMILY JOY MENESES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Featured photo by Elena Kuchko via Unsplash

Today, we’re continuing our exploration of Portland’s specialty-coffee scene with Stumptown’s flagship location, Puff Coffee, and Push x Pull. If you haven’t already, check out part one and part two of our PDX café guide.

The brick extorior of Stumptown, with wooden benches on the covered porch, a sign with a dove out front on the sidewalk, and a neon red sign sticking out above the building.
One of Portland’s original specialty-coffee companies, Stumptown is a must-visit. Photo by Ey Kim.

Stumptown: Flagship Location

No PDX café guide would be complete without a mention of Stumptown. The coffee giant opened its first location on Division Street in 1999. Though there are many locations today, the flagship café still retains Stumptown’s old grunge and grit that first made the company popular with locals and visitors alike. In addition to a full coffee bar, the café offers beverages from Dona Chai and Spirit Tea. They also serve food from Portland-based vegan bakeries Shoofly and Sparrow Bakery.

Inside the first location are potted plants and a long wooden bar running the length of the shop. Industrial lamps and wooden exposed beams adorn the ceiling. 
One wall features enormous windows.
Stumptown’s flagship location first opened in 1999. Photo by David Cook.

Puff Coffee

Puff Coffee is the vision of Stumptown founder Duane Sorensen, and the latest in his endeavors to source, roast, and offer high-quality coffee in Portland. Puff’s roasting facility is located on SE Stark Street, just a stone’s throw away from the original Stumptown location.

Outside Puff, the building is painted black with PUFF COFFEE in huge white lettering at the top. Two small square windows decorate the front, ans a wooden slat hangs above the entrance, also painted black. Small cafe tables are placed out front.
Puff Coffee was founded by Duane Sorensen, founder of Stumptown. Photo by Lindsey Lincoln.

At Puff, they place emphasis on the small-batch roasting process. Offerings include notable blends like the Spirit Lifter and single-origin coffees from Ethiopia, Mexico, Sumatra, Colombia, and more.

Push x Pull

Push x Pull is a specialty-coffee roaster, café, and natural wine bottle shop founded in 2018. The original café is located on SE Stark and SE 9th in PDX. You can find their second location in Seattle’s Central District.

“Our focus is on funky and experimental processed coffees. … What we do and who we are is about people,” Push x Pull’s Emma Reeves shares.

The bar at Push X Pull. Two baristas talk and laugh as they work, while three grinders and two potted plants sit on top of the bar. The wall behind is painted blue and brown and has an open shelf.
Founded in 2018, Push x Pull has two locations: one in PDX and another in Seattle. Photo courtesy of Push x Pull.

“We roast the most unique coffees we can find to honor the integrity of the coffee and the people who produce it,” Emma continues. “Push x Pull is a place to participate in relationships, to create and be known, and to drink delicious things along the way.”

Standout items on Push x Pull’s menu include the turmeric latte, made with One Stripe’s turmeric powder (a combination of turmeric, cinnamon, and black peppercorn), and The Suzy—a latte with raw honey, Ceylon cinnamon, and Himalayan pink salt.

Editor’s note: There are tons of great cafés in Portland; we couldn’t possibly fit them all in this short series! For more Portland content, check out the Barista Magazine Online archives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Joy Meneses (she/they) is a writer and musician based in Los Angeles. Her hobbies include foraging, cortados, vintage synths, and connecting with her Filipino roots through music, art, food, and beverage.

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