the perfect blend

happy anniversary!

too much monday, not enough coffee!

can i get an amen up in here?

coava coffee roasters

on a recent trip up to portland, we stopped in at coava coffee roasters. i had seen it online and i was excited about seeing it in person. well i have mixed feelings of the place. it was a very large store with cement floors and an industrial vibe (which i love). however it was quite sparse. even though they opened in 2010, it looks like they aren't finished moving in. they had maybe 3 communal tables in the front, a bar along the length of the store (but it didn't have enough stools) and there was a huge table way in the back but it looked like it might be used for cupping, plus there were no seats. they also had some flooring samples on display which i thought was strange. my daughter and i just stood there wondering where we would sit if we were to buy a cup of coffee because the few seats they did have, were all being used. unless we sat on the floor, there was no room for us so we only purchased bags of coffee to bring back home.

1300 se grand ave, portland oregon

i chose el comun because the description said it "has flavor notes of orange liqueur, lavender, walnuts, and sugar cookies" plus it was from costa rica. we've been drinking it for a few days now and while it does have a very nice flavor, the package seems to be running quite low very fast. i checked the weight and noticed it was 250 grams. normally the coffee bags are 12 ounces. so what does 250 grams mean? i had to go online to convert grams to ounces. wow! 250 grams is only 8.81849 ounces! i paid $14.00 for the coffee, which is about average, but it's average price for 12 ounces. since i only got 8.81849 ounces, it was a bit on the expensive side. it seems a bit deceiving to mark the package weight in grams. i mean really, who knows how many grams are in an ounce? (fyi, it's 28.3495.) so i feel a bit ripped off. i think if i ever go back to portland, i am sad to say i will not return to coava.

blue kangaroo

when traveling to new cities, i like to seek out the independent coffee shops. blue kangaroo is one that i came across on a recent trip to portland. what sets them apart from other coffee shops is that they roast their own coffee on-site. i tried their signature blend, the sundog.

speaking of dogs, they are dog-friendly but ask that if you come with your pooch, to please sit around the corner. along the side of the building there is lawn, a fire hydrant and a bowl of water. the front of the building only has a sidewalk so the side is more comfy for your doggie.

there is comfy seating as well as some wooden tables and chairs. so if you wanna relax or if you need to get some work done, they've got you covered. there is also a children's corner with some toys and books to keep junior busy while you caffeinate yourself.

how do you know you're not in los angeles? when you see a store work off the honor system. to pay for your coffee, just drop your money in the can that is sitting next to the self serve coffee pots. you don't see that in the los angeles area. kudos to portland.

7901 se 13th ave, portland