Stumptown Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Portland

Now owned by Peet’s, but they seem to be as good as ever. (5/5 green stars) I’m not going to harp on about their coffee, other to say that they roast some of the best beans that you’re likely to come across. I often have a similar experience with their coffee (always a simple pour-over) – it gets better as it cools down. I don’t know exactly why that is, but it’s usually when I get to the end of the cup that I end up exclaiming how fine that coffee was.

I’m also giving Stumptown 5/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons. • Stumptown pays up to four times commodity prices for their green coffee. This is good, but I would like to see a firmer number than “up to.” It would be good to know the average price paid and a few examples of specific prices (Counter Culture do this). • Some of their coffee is certified organic. Stumptown say that “Though not all of our coffees are Certified Organic, pesticides are rarely used by our producer partners. They may be utilized in extreme cases, but most healthy farms that operate a good nutrition program don’t use them. The organic certification process is very expensive for a small farm, so many do not undergo certification even if they utilize organic practices.” • Their bags are very nicely designed – the bags are all the same and only the information card that goes into the little pocket varies. This saves a lot on resources like printing inks and I believe they are biodegradable. • When their green coffee buyers (“Green Team”) identifies a potential future producer where the quality level isn’t quite there yet, they “will invest in that farm, or mill, or factory if that producer is willing put forth effort to get the beans to the level the Green Team looks for”. This sounds good – financing is very important for coffee farmers. • Stumptown go to a fair amount of trouble to document relationships with green coffee producers – their blog is also worth checking out. One thing I’d like to see is more info on how much of their coffee is shade-grown. • One employee on Glassdoor mentions that “direct trade relationships are strong” – I get this impression from looking at their producer listings – most of the relationships go back several years. They seem to work with the growers to continually make improvements in sustainability (and quality). • According to another review on Glassdoor, the upper management was “completely changed” after Peet’s took over Stumptown. I hope they don’t end up watering down their principles. They do have a specific blog post on this, stating that they won’t be making any compromises on responsible sourcing and employee benefits. • As Will Oremus wrote in Slate: “To decry the growth of companies that make good coffee is to support a status quo in which Starbucks continues to dominate the industry indefinitely.” Ever written a green star review? Please contact me if you have done so, or if you’d like...

At first glance of outside the shop, you'd think that by the retro signage and long line that there may be a worthwhile experience or at least the most delicious cup of coffee waiting inside.

You would be wrong on both accounts.

As soon as you enter, it's immediately apparent the floors are unwashed, and the entire shop itself is one large and unwelcome atrium with sterile white walls and hostile seating options. The place feels haunted by perhaps some baristas that were dispatched so that Stumptown may substitute skill with minimum wage. Even when full of people, the shop feels unexplicably lonely.

The coffee experience, somehow, is worse. The price is premium, the espresso is burnt beyond recognition, and the sweetness added to cover up the crime is not enough. You may nearly want to reapproach the staff out of sheer grief but the empty oatmilk cartons piled in the utility sink and general slovenliness are screaming at you to get out while you still can.

If you feel like stopping by, say hello to the bouncer and go on your way. They're the only soul this coffee shop seems to have.

Oh, and FYI the Coraline promo merch? All out with no...

This was the second Stumptown location I've tried, the first one being near Powells and wow this spot is awesome!

First, the inside design of this coffee is shop is very unique, being vast and organized into sections of seating. If you have a huge group of 6 or more, there's a big table for all of you to sit at. If you want to relax to get some work done, there are tables for singles and couples. If you want to sit near a window and look outside at the city and it's passing people, there's seats for that too (my favorite btw)!

Secondly, the drinks were delicious which I think shouldn't be expected from Stumptown; even if the beans are good it doesn't make the coffee good unless the barista who makes it is skilled. I'm happy to say that my latte here was delicious, not too milky with some bite and was perfectly steamed. I have to commend the person who made it, they did a great job! This shop couldn't really give me anything else I want from a coffee shop, it's cozy and has great baristas making drinks. The only thing I wish was different is the music was a bit more quiet. Highly...