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Yesterday was National Coffee Day. Portland is a city of coffee. Stumptown roasters come from the eponymous northwest town in the corner of the United States, so dubbed because one hundred years ago it was full of stumps from the booming logging industry.
Ace Hotel, originally from Portland and now in New York and Palm Springs, serves a mean Stumptown espresso. Fresh Pot in the Mississippi neighborhood serves a Stumptown blend that the store’s manager developed with local roasters for a mix that sits especially well with ice cubes. This brew is perfect for Portland’s Indian summers, happily soaking the late sunshine before the onset of winter mist.
In the Pearl District and now on artsy Alberta, a new cafe called Barista offers a daily espresso selection. Among those offered was a Stumptown Santo Domingo bean, which the barista described as “floral” and “citrusy.” I followed her recommendation and watched the brown drops fill the small cup. It was just the right temperature, and I lolled it on my tongue savoring the flavor garden. Just seven months old, this is just one of Portland’s many independent coffee houses.
So if I‘m ever homesick, at least there’s Stumptown in New York.
Daniel the Writer 
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