Speckled Ax — Restaurant in Portland

The short haired female barista with a nose ring was super rude and catty during our transaction, however she and her coworker both seemed to be very experienced baristas making a very good product.

The coffee from Speckled Axe seems to be emulating the most recent trend in western coffee of specialty, single origin, extremely lightly roasted product. Coffee of this style has a much more “planty” characteristic, no matter the origin. You tend to get much more acidic and bright notes from the flavors, very reminiscent of tea, even when properly extracted as espresso. I am glad they exist and are producing a product very representative of this style of roasting, but I am by far a much bigger fan of the heavy richness that can be introduced with more medium level roasts.

I purchased a $22 bag of Honduras single origin and I must say, it’s interesting. My friend that does not traditionally enjoy coffee was very fond of the flat white I prepared for her, and even more enthusiastic about the cafe mocha I made after. These lighter coffees lend themselves well to people who dislike the strong flavor profile of more richly roasted coffees, so I will hold onto the Honduras for serving to my more timid friends.

All in all, this is a very authentic new wave style roastery and coffee shop, which is true in all its characteristics, including the irritating gen z barista with a nose ring and a random confrontational and condescending attitude. Everything was perfect. Annoying,...

If you’re wanting more than a cup of joe you’ve come to the right place. The Speckled Ax wasn’t just about the coffee but the experience. After leaving here I felt like my taste buds not only grew and experimented new flavors but my whole persona just traveled some place else and came right back to Portland.

As soon as we walked into this little intimate coffee shop where it’s quiet enough to get some work done in your laptop or just read an ebook or listen to a podcast and sip on a tall dark and handsome, cappuccino, espresso or a slow drip. This was such a unique experience trying out different roasts such as my new fave, the Kenya Chinga Bourbon Barrel. Hints of cherry, butter rum and oak. The most unusual combination just worked perfectly and complimented the flavors and aroma of this blend. Smelling this buttery delight and tasting the oakiness just makes you want to close your eyes and enjoy the experience.

We came on a coffee crawl to Portland and this for sure will go on the list of our faves. The manager/owner (I think) was so knowledgeable in all the drips, roasts, blends, process. She knew it all, the whole a-z. She even gave one of our friends a quick cappuccino foam lesson. It was epic. She was amazing! Went far above and beyond out of her way to even sell us their local mugs that weren’t in stock at the moment.

Thank you so much for this growing experience this exceeded our expectations and totally was one of the highlights from our...

Only stopped here for a breakfast sandwich, we ordered 2 of the bacon egg & cheese muffin. This item was $7.50. There were 5 people working here, 1 at the register, 1 at the espresso machine, 1 doing something behind the scene and 2 in the kitchen. Unfortunately there were 3 customers ahead of me who also ordered the same thing, so thus it took 17 minutes for my order to finally be done. I observed the 2 in the kitchen, only 1 was making the muffin orders. The other was just doing other prep work (something with garlic) and/or cleaning. Not a very efficient process. I wasn't expecting a fast food pace, but this was sit down and order pace. So we ate the muffins at our hotel, and I did like the bacon, but there was no cheese visible. I inquired via email and was told the cheese was mixed with the egg. Like I said, no cheese visible. Was I happy, no. Was it...