In 2019, two people with a drum roaster and a dangerous amount of conviction opened 400 square feet on Hawthorne. No investors. No plan B. Just the unshakeable belief that coffee could be more.
Maya and Elias spent two years on the road before they ever pulled a shot. Ethiopia. Guatemala. Colombia. They lived with farming families, learned the soil, tasted the cherry straight from the branch. They came back with something no amount of money can buy — relationships.
"Every bag of green coffee has a family name on it. We know their kids. We know their soil. That's not marketing — that's the whole point.
— Maya Chen
Today we roast 12kg batches, five days a week, in a 60-year-old drum roaster we rebuilt by hand. Every profile is dialed in by ear, by smell, by instinct. Fourteen farming families depend on us. We don't take that lightly.
We don't use algorithms. We use a 60-year-old drum roaster, a thermocouple, and fifteen minutes of careful listening. Every origin gets its own profile — because a bean from Sidamo and a bean from Huehuetenango shouldn't be roasted the same way.
Sorted by hand. Every defect removed. No shortcuts.
First crack at 385°F. The bean exhales. We listen.
48 hours minimum. Degassing. Patience is a flavor.
Three single-origin pours, 4oz each, served on reclaimed walnut with handwritten tasting notes. This is coffee as education.
Bloom to cup in 4 minutes. Six rotating origins.
$6–$9House blend on La Marzocco. Bold. Caramel-sweet.
$4
Handmade at 4am. Local salted cultured butter.
$5
Lavender Oat Latte · Maple Cortado · Cardamom Cold Brew
$6–$8"They remembered my name after one visit. The pour-over is unmatched in Portland. I've been here every morning for two years."
"I moved here for work and felt lonely until I found this place. Now I have friends I made right at that bar. It's the neighborhood I didn't know I needed."
"The single-origin flight is an experience. I bring every out-of-town guest here. It's Portland in a cup — complex, a little weird, and deeply memorable."
"Best brioche outside of Paris. The maple cortado haunts my dreams. This place is a love letter to craft written in coffee and butter."
Two blocks east of 32nd, beside the bookshop. Walk in. Sit at the bar. Let us take care of the rest.
