What's Brewing at Coffeehouse Northwest

"Where should we meet?" is one of my favorite questions, because the answer is almost always an opportunity to explore Portland—and, sometimes that means discovering a place you've overlooked in your own neighborhood.

On Tuesday, we met a new friend at Coffeehouse Northwest at 1951 W. Burnside.  Even though this coffeehouse is a familiar part of the neighborhood landscape, we never took the time to actually stop by and give it a try. Not sure why, but I'm happy to have rectified an obvious misstep in local coffee culture. 

Coffee has always been a big part of my family life. I was indoctrinated into coffee culture when I was only three. It may have been hot in Southeast Texas, but drinking [hot] coffee was a large part of the daily routine. Sharing a cup of coffee was something special that I did with my dad every morning. Joining my grandparents and extended family for afternoon coffee was a rite of passage into adulthood. In short, coffee was always a big deal, whether it was Folgers or Jamaica Blue Mountain. Oddly, we drank both.

Today, coffee is still a big deal. That's why I'm surprised that Coffeehouse Northwest didn't percolate into my consciousness sooner. It's terrific! We ordered a coffee drink and hot chocolate and were shaken from our mid-day stupor when the barista asked, "have you had our hot chocolate before? It's really amazing."  He went on to describe the hot chocolate—a single-origin Venezuelan chocolate, made with whole milk and just a pinch of Portuguese sea salt—and showed us a write up in Mix Magazine. We were impressed by his enthusiasm, knowledge and salesmanship. 

We settled in by the bar, prepared to wait a while for our drinks, but were delighted and surprised when they were finished quickly. And, served in a nice ceramic cup with saucer. I love that. As you might expect with quality service and beans, our drinks were incredibly tasty. Perfection, even. 

The turn-of-the-century digs are charming and comfortable, the coffee is fantastic, and there's even free wifi, but it's the people at Coffeehouse Northwest that will make you feel most at home. Definitely give it a try—especially if it's in your own backyard.