whoa portland... what a place....

so i've been back for a couple of days and my jetlag is mostly gone. i had a really great time, geeking and the like with the left-coast baristas. some highlights:

first coffee was had at stumptown on belmont on my first day, only after consuming a voodoo donut (the "no-name") and vegan biscuits and gravy at hungry tiger,too. i had a macchiato which did not have contrast and was acrid and bitter in taste. i said to myself, "perhaps it was a fluke..." and went about my merry way. we walked around the belmont area, wasting time until the 3pm cupping at the annex, two doors down from the belmont stumptown locale. while wasting our time we discovered a rhubarb soda which was tart and refreshing on the unseasonably hot sunny day.
the cupping at stumptown was good, a classic beginner's cupping table lead by a really nice lady whose name escapes me as i write this. the table was arranged from a C.O.E guatemala to a colombia to a kenya to a sumatra. it's always nice to see how other people set up cupping tables. everywhere and everyperson does it just a little different. it was also nice not to have to do all the explanations of "what cupping is" to newbies. i even got randy to participate, despite his hatred of coffee. he liked the sumatra because it reminded him of old books, his favorite smell.
we steadily made our way to BARISTA, in the pearl. i had a couple of shots of the ecco beloya and eyed the vac-pot bar. i couldnt find it within myself to pay $9 for a cup but i vowed that next time i would.
the beloya was tasty and a little mono in taste. though the dark chocolate dry finish and the lemon zest quality at the beginning were nice. i really didnt know what to expect. he had some verve coffee on the shelves, along with a variety of ecco, intelligentsia and stumptown coffee for sale.
the next day i really wanted to try out coffeehouse NW. i am in love with this shop. and i'm not overstating the fact. the shots pulled by daniel on the first day i went were from freshly roasted hairbender from stumptown. after my macchiato experience, i was hesitant to try hairbender again. however having espresso that had been roasted that very morning was too good to pass up. the shots i had rival the best espresso i've ever had. the double was sweet and had a strong aroma of cinnamon and a finish not unlike a chocolate stout. i loved it so much i had to have another, while randy sipped on black iced tea with sassafras. the baristas were so friendly and accomodating, telling me new spots to check out that i vowed to come back.
staying at the jupiter hotel on burnside, the closest (good) coffee is at the stumptown on 3rd ave. downtown. i tried another espresso at that location but it couldnt even hold a candle to the 'spro i had the previous day at coffeehouse NW. i tried it in a latte and liked it more, however, my lactose intolerance made it impossible to be comfortable for the rest of the day.
after a delicious lunch from the food cart, thai basil, we went to crema bakery and cafe for dessert. the bike that i rode around definitely lead to more caloric intake than usual and the peach rhubarb pie was a welcome sugar rush, as was the "special" rwandan espresso, currently made famous by the reigning US barista champion. i loved crema's ambience and lazy afternoon vibe. i could have stayed all day if it werent for my teeth beginning to ache from too much sugar and espresso.
two more trips to coffeehouse NW sealed my reputation as a "geek". randy accompanied me both times, though we only shared their famous hot chocolate once. the hot chocolate is worth a visit to portland in itself. made from single origin cocoa and himalayan sea salt, melted with half and half, then mixed with microfoamed whole milk. it's worth every penny of the $5 but is far too rich to drink alone. i strongly suggest bringing a friend to share it with.
i tried albina press on my last day. i liked the atmosphere though the barista's holier-than-thou attitudes were a bit much for the occasion.
i miss the coffee already. it's only been 3 days and i'm having serious withdrawal symptons from the look, the feel and attitude of the portland coffee scene.