Tandem Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Portland

I have been trying to get to Portland for some time now, and finally we did it this past weekend. I have been mail ordering Tandem coffee for a few years, and their mug is 1 of my favorites in the cabinet. The place was solid, service was friendly, almost everything was very solid here.

But the star of the show is always going to be the pour-over and I have to say that all in all, it just wasn't that great. First off, they use a machine to make it which, to me, defeats the whole point of doing it in this style. Having done this for many, many years, the whole journey of coffee exploration is the variability of the cup. When it's not working, you change something about the pour or the preparation.

I would not expect 99% of the shops out there to understand that. But I would expect Tandem to believe something like that. If the cup had been amazing, it might be a different discussion. But the cup was way too thin, really a bit on the weak side. While it was "fine" in the great world of coffee, it wasn't anything special in the speciality roasting world.

The scone was excellent. The service was super friendly and talkative. The vibe was cool. The coffee, however, was a disappointment. After all these years I get there and was a little bit let down.

All that said, I would certainly go back if I were in town. I am sure I will be some day, but when that will be, I can't say. I will also mail order again since I know they do good beans. But I will leave with this first memory of being a bit disappointed in the thing that should be their flagship...

Tandem is, without question, one of the best coffee roasters in the country.

The coffees they source and roast are high quality and expertly roasted. They are committed to finding environmentally sustainable solutions for packaging their coffee and are highly transparent about that process and where they have room to improve.

As a coffee shop, their locations are beautiful and well designed, their staff are charming and friendly and knowledgeable, and their merch is top notch. There’s really nothing more I could ask from a coffee shop and roaster.

I regularly order their single origin coffees for brewing at home and am consistently impressed by the flavors and quality.

I literally have nothing to complain about with Tandem. No constructive criticism. Just high fives all the way around.

If you’re in Portland looking for a great coffee shop to visit, Tandem is what you’re looking for. If you’re a home brewer looking for excellent coffees from a great company, Tandem is what you’re looking for.

Keep up the great...

Just wanted to write a review about Tandems coffee. It is just the best. I have never actually been to their cafe in Portland, I have been buying their coffee online in 2lb bags every three months or so since 2020. I heard about them when I worked at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and bought the beans online. They roast their own beans and since my husband and I are coffee aficionados, I can honestly say it's our favorite. We have had Blue bottle, Philz, Coffee Collective from Copenhagen, you name it. These beans are some of the best! You really can't beat the Ethiopian beans for pour over from Tandem, and for the price, it's such a great deal. I never write reviews, but had to write this because we now live in San Diego and have beans shipped to us all the time. Besides espresso, this is all we drink!...