Home Again

nothing says Portland like a freshly brewed beaker of coffee

The vacation that we aren't even finished blogging about is over. We arrived home around 11pm this past Wednesday evening, and after a mostly sleepless night found ourselves back at the cafe early the next morning. Our first day back felt like, well...pardon the pun, like riding a bike. Many, many, many thanks to our adept, beautiful, and cunning staff for doing such an amazing job holding down the fort while we were away. Their hard work made it very easy for us to return right back to the swing of things.

After Thursday's service was over we proceeded to run some errands, and like magic it was 8 o'clock and we were feeling mighty haggard and hungry. A trip to one of our favorite local restaurants seemed like the perfect elixir for a complete return to normalcy, that was until I decided to try Mexican brandy for the first time in my life, which quickly turned into two Mexican brandies, followed by a Spanish brandy and a pint of pilsner, which had me right back on the road to tired and haggard. Throw in the embarrassment of not once, but twice forgetting the name of a bartender whom I've met and spoken with on multiple occasions (sorry Mindy), and I awaken Friday morning feeling more awkward than I did when we stepped off the airplane late Wednesday night.

Tim's Irish Soda Bread with blueberries

Nothing a trip to Courier Coffee Roasters can't fix, right? Friday afternoon, that's just what we did. After another sleepless night, and a morning spent grocery shopping, Ali and I headed to the Roastery for a real Portland pick-me-up.

Joel's coffee map. An effort to map every coffeehouse in the city.

Our visit turned out to be just what I needed to help me feel like myself again. Good conversation. Friends. Food. Coffee. Joel has certainly been a busy man while we were away. Many new coffees have arrived, changes made to the espresso, mapping ALL of the coffeeshops in the city, and scheming about the future of his business. In addition to the caffeine, simply being around the guy is inspiring, and a quick reminder that no matter how hard we may think we work, this guy works a lot harder.

Tasting a newly arrived Brazilian

After a couple hours spent shooting the shit and drinking coffee (4 small cups and a double espresso (thanks Alex!)), we were headed back to North Portland with 12lbs of freshly roasted Bolivia Cenaproc in hand.

Feeling like me again. Happy to be home.

The man. The myth. The legend: Joel Domreis.