Best Portland Coffee Roasters As Told By a Coffee Snob

roundup of the best Portland coffee roasters in PDX

Ever since I moved to Seattle and discovered the OG PDX coffee roaster, Stumptown, I’ve been on a mission to uncover the best Portland coffee roasters. I wasn’t always like this, though. In fact, I hated coffee growing up because my mom loves flavored Dunkin Donuts and my dad prefers super bitter French roasts.

Now, I’m a daily coffee drinker obsessed with tasting my way through the over 80 roasters to find the best coffee in Portland. I prefer light or medium roasts since I think that’s the best roast for letting the beans shine, but I made sure to include some toasty ones for dark roast lovers in this guide to Portland’s best coffee.

Best Portland Coffee Roasters

Save this to Pinterest for later because I’ll add more PDX coffee roasters as I discover them!

Heart

website | neighborhood: Burnside (get directions) & Woodstock (get directions) price: ~$14-$21/bag | subscriptions available

When locals close their eyes and think of the best Portland coffee roasters, they probably think of Heart. With minimalist, black-and-white decor and simple orb lighting, it’s a space clearly designed to let the coffee do the talking.

Heart has been in business since 2009 and sources their single-origin coffees from farmers across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Latin America. Their goal is to establish long-lasting relationships with farmers in a mutually sustainable way.

What to try: If available, the Phono roast from Guatemala is my favorite. It’s surprisingly subtle on the cocoa and light on the palate, yet there’s a fair amount of fruity snappiness. It changes as you drink it and unfolds in waves.

Never Coffee Lab

website | neighborhood: Hawthorne (get directions) & Downtown (get directions) | price: ~$20/bag | subscriptions available

In my opinion, Never is one of the best coffee roasters in Portland, not only because of the remarkable branding but also because their blends skew fruit-forward. They specialize mainly in blends with some single-origin offerings. Both cafes are vibrantly colored with bright lighting and art pieces featured by local PDX artists.

What to try: My absolute favorite is the Les Fauves Blend for its delicate orchard fruit flavor and citrus tones. If you add milk, you’ll notice more soft caramel and cocoa notes. The Flowers Blend is also a favorite for its fruitiness and citrus mixed with milk chocolate smoothness. The best part? They sell samplers online so you can try all their coffees!

Upper Left Roasters

website | neighborhood: Ladd’s Addition (get directions) | price: ~$16-$19/bag | subscriptions available

Bag of Upper Left Coast Roasters in Portland

Run by the daughter of PDX restaurant veterans, Katherine Harris opened Upper Left in 2015 with the goal of creating not just a cafe but a vibrant community hub. That’s why they focus not only on small-batch single-origin coffees but also on pairing them with hearty, fresh sandwiches featuring housemade ingredients.

What to try: The Abyssinian Ethiopia roast is on the bolder side of medium roast. It’s so smooth and not too fruity. It has more of a complex and woodsy flavor profile with a bigger mouthfeel than expected.

Push X Pull

website | neighborhood: East Portland (get directions) | price: ~$21-$23/bag | subscriptions available

Push X Pull has been so well-received in Portland that they recently expanded to Seattle, taking over the former Union Coffee & Wine spot. The cafe embodies everything a feel-good coffee shop should, with bright colors and greenery in a chic industrial space. The staff is also super knowledgeable and happy to walk you through the selection and nerd out over the different methods they use for roasting each coffee.

What to try: If it’s available, get the Uganda Rwenzori Natural. It’s a fruit bomb with fascinating cherry and currant notes that hit you at the first sip and stays with you long after.

Good Coffee

website | neighborhood: multiple locations (get directions) | price: ~$22-$25/bag | subscriptions available

Good Coffee has a fresh, airy vibe with tons of natural light and greenery, making it the perfect spot to perch and people-watch. My only complaint is they close early, around 3 or 4 PM depending on the location. Other than that, their coffee is awesome, made with single-origin beans from Latin America and Ethiopia.

What to try: I love their single-origin stuff, but if it’s available, their Spectrum Blend is beautifully well-rounded with smooth texture and flavors of milk chocolate and a hint of citrus.

Sisters Coffee Company

website | neighborhood: Pearl District (get directions) | price: ~$17-$28/bag | subscriptions available

I discovered Sisters Coffee Company on my annual trip to explore all the best things to do in Bend, OR in winter. They opened their flagship shop in Sisters, OR just northwest of Bend, and now they have three locations, including one in Portland. They specialize in single-origins and blends, which you can order as whole beans or custom ground. In addition to coffee, they also have beer, cider, and a variety of food items like sandwiches and harvest bowls.

What to try: Their High Desert Blend has a delicious, subtle, sweet honey finish and velvety smooth texture. It pairs nicely with their apple butter and cinnamon cream cheese toast!

Reforma

website | neighborhood: Humboldt (get directions) | price: ~$36/2 bags | subscriptions available

Reforma began in 2017 when the owner, Angel Medina, began roasting beans in his Portland apartment to raise money for DACA recipients. Shortly after, he found enough success to open three cafes.

During the pandemic, he had to close the doors to two, but luckily, he and his business partner were able to reopen La Perlita. Within weeks it was a BIPOC community hub. They specialize in blends and single-origin beans from Mexico served alongside traditional Mexican pastries.

What to try: I love the Frutas Dolces. It’s light and refreshing with luscious tropical fruit notes and a smooth caramel finish.

Café Zamora

website | neighborhood: Creston-Kenilworth (get directions) | price: ~$12.50/bag | subscriptions available

bag of Cafe Zamora, one of the best Portland coffee roasters

Café Zamora farms their own beans entirely in Guatemala, where the owner was raised and first developed his passion for coffee. After moving to the US, he worked as a Lyft driver and connected with passengers who helped him open the cafe in 2019.

The cafe is fuss-free and offers amazing coffee for a very approachable price point. I love that you can hone in on your palate and really explore a single country in depth.

What to try: They sell a lot of dark and super dark roasts, but the medium roast is beautifully balanced. It starts cocoa-y and ends with a subtle fruitiness. It’s interesting enough to keep a coffee snob on their toes while not being off-putting to your average coffee drinker.

Coava Coffee

website | neighborhood: Hawthorne (get directions) & East Portland (get directions) | 1300 SE Grand Ave (get directions) | price: ~$17.50-$22/bag | subscriptions available

2 bags of Coava, one of the best Portland coffee roasters

Coava, or “green” coffee began as a passion project in owner Matt Higgins’ garage back in 2008. He loved working with specialty coffee, but wanted a space that could cater both to coffee professionals and the everyday drinker. After studying agriculture and sustainable business, he opened Coava Coffee, sourcing his beans from numerous small producers across Latin America, Africa, and Indonesia.

What to try: If it’s available, the Rayos del Sol blows my mind. It has fresh, vibrant flavors of passionfruit and toffee. The bag also mentions hibiscus, but I taste marzipan, which makes me love it even more.

See See Motors

website | neighborhood: Kerns (get directions) | price: ~$15/bag

See See Motors is part bike shop, part coffee roaster. I first discovered them at their now-closed coffee shop in Newberg, OR near all the best wineries in Willamette Valley. But luckily you can find them right in Portland or shipped to your door.

It began when owner Thor Drake and his friends realized they didn’t feel a part of the PDX motorcycle scene, so they wanted to create a more inclusive space for riders of all skill levels to connect over good coffee and a love for the road.

In addition to great beans, See See also has sandwiches and a hot dog happy hour that runs from 2 PM till close. It comes with your choice of Coke or a Miller High Life (sorry, no coffee).

What to try: See See keeps it simple and offers a choice of light, medium, or dark roast. If you like it black, I’d stick with the light roast since it’s smooth and refreshing, but if you want to add milk, then medium roast is the way to go.

Roseline Coffee

website | neighborhood: Buckman (get directions), Downtown (get directions) & Alberta (get directions) | price: ~$19-$23/bag | subscriptions available

Roseline Coffee has three locations around Portland, each offering single-origin and blends. I like that most of the roasts are named after the farmers who grow them, giving you a deeper connection with the beans. Their website also goes into heavy detail about the origins of the farms and what tasting notes you can expect.

What to try: It’s a tie between the Ethiopian Mulish and the Gabriel Buendía Pink Bourbon single varietal. I like the Mulish because it has a good balance of cocoa and bright raspberry flavor, while the Pink Bourbon has milk chocolate smoothness with snappy grapefruit to make a more refreshing cup.

Nossa Familia

website | neighborhood: Buckman (get directions), Pearl District (get directions) & Ladd’s Addition (get directions) | price: ~$15-$20/bag | subscriptions available

Nossa Familia, Portuguese for “our family,” started in 2004 as a way for Brazilian native Augusto Carneiro to introduce his family’s coffee to the Portland coffee sphere. Since then, they’ve become Oregon’s first certified B Corp coffee roaster. They source beans from small farms across Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, and Ethiopia to bring a wider selection of flavor profiles to their coffees. In fact, they host international coffee tour trips to visit farms directly!

What to try: The La Armonia Hermosa is a Guatemalan blend with an incredibly smooth mouthfeel and surprisingly rich chocolate flavor profile, given its light roast. It’s one of my favorite morning sippers.

Cathedral Coffee

website | neighborhood: Cathedral Park (get directions) | price: ~$15-$23.50/bag | subscriptions available

If you want a true, under-the-radar coffee experience, this is it. Cathedral Coffee is one of thee best Portland coffee roasters tucked in the quiet neighborhood of Cathedral Park north of downtown. Most tourists never go here, so it has a true neighborhood feel. The space is cozy with a lot of wood and eclectic art, so it’s the perfect stop for spending a few hours over a cup of joe.

What to try: I really like their Fruit Punch roast. It has a big, complex flavor with tasting notes of cherry, sweet tarts, and hibiscus. Note, their smallest bag is 8.8 ounces, so be mindful when you order. Coffee bags are typically sold in 12 ounces.

Sterling

website | neighborhood: NW District (get directions) | price: ~$18-$21/bag | subscriptions available

Sterling Coffee Roasters is a micro-roaster that temporarily closed their doors during the pandemic. Luckily, demand was high enough that they’ve re-opened with the same easygoing vibe and excellent brews. The staff is super friendly and happy to geek out as much as needed to ensure you choose the perfect roast.

Most of their coffees are single origin from Latin America and Ethiopia, though they pay special attention to their blends to ensure they’re well-rounded and capture the best of each bean.

What to try: The Ethiopia Nigusse Lemma is super easy drinking. Without milk you’ll notice the bright raspberry and vanilla cream flavors, but a dash of milk will give more silky caramel notes.

Deadstock

website | neighborhood: Old Town (get directions) | price: ~$22-$24/bag

coffee mocha with a sneaker stenciled on top

Deadstock is a Black-owned roaster and coffee shop that specializes in “snob-free” coffee catering especially to dark roast lovers. Still, even if you’re a light roast purist like me, they have some great medium roast single-origins made with South American and Ethiopian beans. The cafe’s vibe is relaxed, and there’s plenty of art and fancy sneakers on the walls to keep your eyes busy while they work on your drink.

What to try: This is one of the few coffee roasters where I’ll opt for flavored drinks, like their orange mocha which comes with impressive sneaker art dusted on top. So if you’re visiting in person, definitely order this!

Fun fact: They also road coffee for James Beard-winning chef, Kann, under the label Kann Coffee.

Spella

website | neighborhood: Buckman (get directions) | price: ~$20/bag | subscriptions available

This coffee roaster is run by Andrea Spella, who sources beans from family-owned coffee farms and co-operatives in India, Latin America, and Africa. He and his team roast the beans in mere eleven-pound batches to bring out the nuances and find the “sweet spot” of each bean.

What to try: This is another spot for dark roast lovers . I tried the Ethiopia Sidamo Gr. 2 and the Tanzia Peaberry, both of which are a bit too toasty for my liking, but the Peaberry is smooth and has interesting white pepper and blackberry notes.