was our lone coffee stop for the day...
It was my goal to go to at least two a day (in some case, an ambitious three a day). Hey, when in Portland, right?
Anal me, I had researched ahead of time and chose coffee shops that were unique to Portland and not chains. I also checked their sites as well as IG to see what unique drinks they were known for.
Across the street was Slappy Cakes which we visited back in 2012 and enjoyed breakfast there with KDB (KD's Brother). He used to live in Portland but has since moved to Bend, Oregon. We'll have to visit him one day there in the near future.
Never Coffee Lab has been around for only two years. The space is very small with only two tables for two and a counter by the window (but no chairs there). We ended up sitting outside in a shared space with the next door eater. Even though it was fkn' cold outside, there were two people there hogging up a table each with their damn laptops.
Their menu is simple, but they had a series of Signature drinks that were quite unique. Bert and I ordered two of their four while TC got her go-to chai latte. Their beans are from Roseline Coffee Roasters, local to Portland of course.
Very Matisse, that wall.
Here are those Signature drinks (also emphasized on their menu board in corresponding colors). I chose the Midnight Oil (which was a licorice flavored drink) while Bert got the Oregon, a coffee with hops in it.
Our trio:
We liked that each cup was unique. The drinks warmed our hands as we sat outside in the mini covered area.
My Midnight Oil drink was probably one of the best coffee drinks I've had this year. Coming from a self-avowed non-licorice fan, this says a lot. The drink itself had hints of the fennel seed, star anise and licorice. The taste was not overpowering, but really gentle, since it was tempered with the milk. I don't remember if I had the milk subbed or not (I don't think it was). This was such a nice surprise of a drink. I ordered it for "research purposes" and ended up really enjoying this.
As for TC's chai latte, it was one of the more spicier ones she's had. She didn't like it as much as the chai flight sampler we had at Pip's the day before.
Bert's Oregon latte had hops, dulce de leche and sea salt. I could really taste the hops in here and I can tell you that I did NOT like this at all. It had that hoppy taste but with coffee and it did not make my taste buds happy. Bert, on the other hand, enjoyed his drink. Both of our drinks were quite unique and we were glad that we tried these.
Even though I didn't like the hops, I still like the fact that this is even a drink at all. Creative drink menus are what I enjoy about discovering coffee shops whether they're in San Diego, LA, SF or Portland. These particular drinks (and the others) make Never Coffee Lab stand out.
TC and I had to put our drinks in these cups since we couldn't finish it all in one sitting. I love how their name stamp is so colorful.
Next door was a food pod, The Bite on Belmont (which still has Viking Soul, which we visited back in 2012). It used to be called Good Food Here.
I just had to throw in this video because of the title. Here's an 80's throwback by Romeo Void, "Never Say Never" (1982):
"I might like you better..."
Article:
Portland's 5 most innovative new coffee shops" OregonLive, March 2017. Of this list, we went to 3 of the 5).
Never Coffee Lab
4243 SE Belmont St
Portland, OR 97215
(503) 223-3580
www.nevercoffeelab.com + reviews from you know where
The SE quadrant of Portland has a lot of cool places to check out, from shopping (thrift), coffee, and eateries and yes, donuts.
Next stop, artisanal toroid delights at a shop on Hawthorne!
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