finally, some consistency in posting! this saturday we headed into downtown portland and tried heart coffee. i’ve been hearing about this place since i moved down to oregon, so i was super excited to finally visit!

the baristas and vibe of the shop were about as portland as i would’ve expected, very hip and slightly pretentious. definitely one of those places where you feel like you’re not cool enough to be in, you know? maybe that’s just me and my self conscious over-analyzing brain, but still. for some reason i really liked it, most likely because it was directly in the middle of the city and i felt like a little go-getter business woman.

the music was also what i would’ve expected, definitely the hip electronic music that i don’t and can’t listen to. it was pretty quiet though, especially under the quiet lulls of conversation, so it wasn’t really an issue when we were trying to do homework. it would occasionally switch to more electronic-style stuff, but for the most part was pretty atmospheric and mostly lo-fi kinda stuff.

as for the actual coffee, i could honestly go on and on. simple vanilla lattes have become my go-to lately, so that’s what i’ve been getting at most of the coffee shops we’ve been to. as a seattlite, it pains me to say this, but this oregon roaster is one of my all-time favorites, next to stumptown and one or two others. but seriously, i could live off this coffee. katie got a mocha, and liked it, but the coffee to chocolate ratio was missing a little sweetness, in her opinion. that being said, if you’re overwhelmed by all the coffee options in portland, i’d say heart is a really good place to try out first. the baked goods they had, according to katie, were just as good (if not better) than the coffee. definitely treat yourself with a pastry (the berry brioche is a good one) when stopping in.

the actual building is definitely not super spacious, and seating is minimal, but it’s definitely understandable considering heart is located literally right in the middle of the city (which means it’s mostly street parking). like i said before, though, i actually really liked its location, the views of the city were surprisingly pleasant.

i’m super behind on actually uploading these posts considering it’s been months since we’ve actually been to heart, but even looking back on the now numerous coffee shops we’ve been to this heart location is high on my list as one of my favorites. i haven’t gotten to check out any of heart’s other locations, but i do plan on getting around to them while i’m still living down here. who knows, maybe (fingers crossed) heart will migrate up to washington someday (please please please).

heart’s westside location is gonna get a solid 8.5 from me. the music wasn’t the best and the building’s a little small, but the coffee and location and opportunity to people watch folks who i will never be half as hip as made up for any small details i was disappointed about.

.xx

maren