Review: Ole Latte Coffee

Review: There is no reason you should go into a Starbucks in downtown Portland when Ole Latte Coffee is open for business.  Espresso?  Nothing beats an espresso here.  Pine syrup latte?  Yes, that's a thing, and it's here.  Also, it's delicious, tapped directly from the owner's pine tree in his front yard.  If you do stop by the cart, you're in for a treat.

Geography:  Specialty lattes are making a comeback here, and I'm not talking from Starbucks, the folks that turned coffee into fast food.  Namely, the pine syrup latte from Ole Latte Coffee is what inspired me to write this post.

But what about specialty lattes from outside Portland?  From searching on Foodspotting, chai lattes are becoming increasingly common in independent restaurants.  In San Francisco, you can find ones such as mint mojito lattes, sweet potato lattes, and maple bacon lattes.  In Brooklyn, there's a lavender latte.  Note that these are in cities known for their hipster scene.  One of the few things I like about hipsters is the fact that they are not afraid to push boundaries when it comes to food.  I could do a whole post on this.  Maybe later.

Local Music at Al's Den in Portland, Oregon

Al's Den is, without a doubt, the best music venue I've ever been to.  I've always thought that the city of Portland attracts the friendliest people on earth, far from the hipster smugness that everyone thinks of (it's definitely hipster, but Portlanders in general do manage not to take themselves too seriously).  I've found that in Al's Den, both the musicians and audience seem to embody this.

The concerts at Al's Den are free to attend, and happen every night at 7 PM.  They usually have two or three openers that change every day, and one band that remains the same for a week.  I saw three main bands, along with a long list of openers.  Some included Esme Patterson, Siren and the Sea, Bird Courage, Ryan Sollee, The Bevelers, Anna Tivel, Lindsay Clark, Samsel and the Skirt, Ezra Bell, Balto, Mountain Animation, and Joseph.  There were about twice as many others (all of which were good), but I can't remember them.

I'm not that descriptive with music, so I'll just post a few Youtube videos of their music.  Enjoy, and support them by buying their music and/or seeing them in concert!



Esme Patterson

Siren and the Sea

Bird Courage

 

Ryan Sollee

The Bevelers

Anna Tivel

Lindsay Clark

Samsel and the Skirt

Ezra Bell

Balto

Mountain Animation

Joseph

Review: Coava Coffee

Some new posts are long overdue on here, so I'll start with a review:

Review: I originally walked in here to get some coffee and to use wi-fi.  When I got my coffee, I had a deeper appreciation for how it was grown. 

Mr. Tweek approves this post.

I had what I think is a tie for the best espresso in Portland (the other being Ole Latte Coffee in downtown).  It was very earthy with a hint of truffle, which I would imagine is a pretty popular thing here (nearly half the pubs I've been to here have truffle fries on the menu).  It's really good coffee because they not only know what they're doing, but also where it's sourced.

Geography: One thing I didn't know before coming here is that coffee beans grown at different elevations have distinct flavors.  Coffee changes flavor depending on the ripening stage at which the beans are harvested.  Low-altitude coffee is relatively mild, while a high-altitude coffee is very strong.  This explains why coffee helped Janeway beat the Borg; it was exceptionally strong because it was grown in outer space!  (Cue standing ovation from all Trekkies who are reading this.)

All joking aside, this is an interesting idea on how terroir can be applied to other food products besides wine.  Stick around for more updates to this blog!