Portland Coffee Hangouts

Last December we were so taken with the former double decker tour bus now serving Turkish coffee & Egyptian pastries in a SE Hawthorne food pod, we visited it 2 weeks in a row despite challenging weather.

Thus, with recent temperatures in draining triple digits, Tov seemed like a good destination in which to be refreshed.  It was(!):  bright, airy, comfortable, and more fully developed with mideast tchotchkes.    We realized, however, that with better weather and more patrons, having intimate quality conversations was more challenging.

Discussion-wise, with H coming back from a backpack trip to Glacier, and E from outside Yellowstone, and J planning upcoming trips to the southern Oregon coast and later New Mexico, conversations were all over the map, (excuse the pun:)  E’s pleasure at his successful (400+/- friends) ice cream social in July, after a 4-year hiatus; The impressive 2,200 acre Wyoming ranch operated by friends that his wife and he visited; the loss of so many glaciers in Glacier Park already, and the forecast that all remaining ones will be lost by 2030; the unique Glacier back-country regulations requiring cooking/eating at one common site, which in turn put H and buds in close contact with backpackers of all ages and fascinating backgrounds;  J’s memories of his wife’s and his wonderful trip to Turkey 2 years back, and the serendipitous itinerary that they are developing for their fall outings.

3207 SE Hawthorne

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1204 SE Clay     https://upperleftroasters.com/

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3158 SE Division     

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8235 SE 13th

Four of us headed out to mid/outer SE – across from the PCC campus at Division/79th – this cool dry morning to try out the 2nd shop in town that’s open 24 hours, the other being SE Grind on Powell near 12th.  Whereas SE Grind’s furnishings are older and modest, E. Portland Roasters are new and shiny, and include a fountain and roaster.  Thus, while many aspects of the Roasters are admirable – lighting, big window space, new furniture, et al – we felt it might benefit from including homey touches that are representative of the surrounding area, as well as a variety of seating options, which could provide more character.

Today’s discussion began with an assessment of the house coffee’s taste – one of us thinking it felt bitter, two others found it fine.  That led to D’s touting the stash of Kona coffee he brought back from Hawaii; to his wondering if others had faced cataract surgery, none of us had;  to our weekly complaint about how any blue collar worker would want to support a Republican presidential candidate after their party’s obstructionism on funding essential public works projects; and what’s needed is a private-public partnership to retrain workers from the oil-gas and similar extractive industries to a renewable energy sector.       2404 SE 79th           eastportlandcoffeeroasters.com