Recently my wife and I made two trips to the Vancouver, WA area near Portland on a mission -- to decide whether we would move to the area. I'd been enjoying Compass Coffee Roasting's offerings via mail order, so I wanted to drop by. On a very busy schedule we didn't have time to sync coordinates and meet Mike, the "head bean" and roast master. But we did make it there for one of the highlights of our trip, that moment when we would ask our friend, John, whether he would sell us his house. We pulled up to their downtown Vancouver shop on a Sunday. The love of coffee lives here.



Inside is everything one could want, a selection of fine coffees beautifully roasted to take home or enjoy with a variety of brew methods:



A merchandise wall offering everything needed by a home barista, including a Quest roaster and a Baratza grinder along with other gear:



They offer classes for home brewing:



And a well equipped coffee bar for baristas to practice their art:







I introduced myself to Curtis, one of the baristas, said this was my first visit to Compass and we were thinking of moving there. And I asked for an item not on the quick drink menu because it was sitting there on the shelf. If we were going to ask John this important question we needed a suitable beverage for the occasion. And they happened to have Panama Esmeralda Boquete Geisha. I asked Curtis if he could brew it for us with his favorite method. He chose pourover and served it at our table.

The back story is John already has a connoisseur's appreciation fine wine, single malts and cigars, and he enjoys his morning coffee. I'd brought a LIDO 1 and Clever Dripper to his home for breakfast and already had him intrigued. So he, Janet, and I savored that delicate Geisha and we told him how much we loved his house. He said he would think about our proposed purchase. Later that week he said yes. And our latest adventure began. We will move in next month, and Compass Coffee will always be a landmark for us.

When we finished our cups I asked what we owed for that lovely Geisha. Curtis had left and we owed nothing. He had treated us. I expressed my gratitude to Kayla, the barista who was now helping me. And I picked some their Delirium blend, a Brazilian she recommended as something John would like, and some Rio Azul, Guatemalan Hueheutenango for beta testing the LIDO 2. I also asked if I could buy my mug as a souvenir. Kayla comped me the mug too.

I felt warmly welcomed and look forward to many return visits. Later I'll report on their other shop and roasting headquarters.

Nice trip report, Gary. Though I've never met Mike in person, I've known him online for many years, including the period when he transitioned from home enthusiast to roaster/cafe owner. Your photos and report added a personal touch to his backstory that I never knew. Thanks!

PS: Congratulations on your new home, sounds like you moved in to a good neighborhood.

Thanks, Dan. Now I'm going to have to do a long coffee crawl of the area!

To everyone, my initial write-up focuses on the atmosphere of the place and the special moment we had there. It's been awhile and I didn't take notes on the coffees mentioned, so it was light on review. Here's a link to my impression of their Don Mayo Costa Rica Natural melange roast.

Their Delirium Espresso blend is a comfort espresso, more subtle than most and well described on their site here.

In the shop I remember the Esmeralda Geisha as very clean and having oolong tea along with spice and florals. Chris Moritz (yakster) and I brewed it when beta testing the LIDO 2 and he took notes for both of us. A note of cumin was unusual and a pleasant surprise. Here was his description:

yakster wrote:Some of the notes were cumin notes, cinnamon, a hint of hibiscus or cranberry flavor.

The Brazil Fazenda Sertaozinho was roasted to balance the acidity with milk chocolate and did have a nutty flavor as described on their site.

On my next visit I'll offer a more thorough review of their coffees. Let's just say I'm definitely going back.

Congrats, Gary on the upward and onward move for you and Janet. It sounds like it is all coming together nicely for you two. I wish much happiness for you.

Pete

Now that we're up here I've spent some time hanging out with Mike at his roasterie and cafe. There's nothing quite like having a master roaster pull shots for you and tell you what he's aiming for with his different coffees and blends. If I can stop shooting the breeze long enough I'll do a photo report. Mike's well worth a visit. Here's the address of that location. He gets nearly 5 star Yelp reviews. Another local barista told me Mike's won the award for best coffee in Clark County.

8013 NE St Johns Rd, Vancouver, WA 98665
(360) 989-6658

Over time I've gotten to know Mike a bit and enjoy visits whenever I can get over there while getting our home in ship shape for water world. I was browsing his site today and this post tells you more than I can ever review about why he's doing this. Enjoy the read.

http://www.compasscoffeeroasting.com/bl ... -head-bean

I thought I'd show you Mike's latest toy. At first it was masquerading as a home machine. For moments. Here he is customizing a shot of Delirium on his new GS/3 with the Strada mod at his shop and roastery on St. John's Road, Vancouver, WA.



A 56 second shot, low pressure at first, then dialed up. There are many flavors in that little cup, all good! Can I duplicate that on a lever? Probably not.



Here's the custom glass panel from the side with fastening knobs removed.



And what's underneath. Nice to look at too.



The beast from the front, showing the water reservoir behind the drip tray.



The GS3 control panel.



Pressure gauges.



Nice, huh?

Looks like a great place to stop next road trip south!