Stumptown Coffee

There were two lines I dealt with more than once during my Portland visit, the first was at Voodoo doughnut (post this week), the second was at Stumptown Coffee in the Ace Hotel. I didn’t stay in the Ace (next time!), but it was near my hotel and quickly became my hangout. Not only for Clyde Common, the awesome lobby-level restaurant, but for Stumptown Coffee, that (slow line aside), became my addiction after one visit. The beans (which come from Africa, Latin America, Indonesia among other regions) vary almost everyday, but each cup I tried was rich, robust, roasted in vintage steel-drum roasters and meticulously brewed with love (hence the line). I even made my way to the Division street Stumptown location, to experience the twice-daily “cupping;” a comprehensive coffee smelling, slurping, spittting and tasting method conducted by the Stumptown roasters to detect bad beans and blends. Not only did I totally fall for the coffee, but their stash of baked goods included a flourless chocolate brownie cookie with salt (yeah, oy), and fresh blueberry danishes I could’ve eaten every morning. Stumptown is a Portland institution, but you can (luckily) get a cup of the addictive joe right here in Chicago at Bagel on Damen, 1252 N. Damen.