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'CaffeiNation' Hits Stumptown

A traveling coffee connoisseur, determined to drink 100 cups of coffee in 13 days, reflects on Portland’s finest roasts in a new original web series.

By Tuck Woodstock August 28, 2013

Whether you're on your sixth cup of the day or are still sipping your first, a new video series is set to make your caffeine consumption look positively meek. The original web series, wittily dubbed “CaffeiNation,” chronicles coffee connoisseur Brandon Davenport’s 5,000 mile road trip around the Western and Central United States.

Along the way, Davenport plans to visit 20 roasters and drink 100 cups of coffee in under a fortnight. Impossible? Far from it—the caffeine pro imbibed twelve mugs of java in our fair city alone, and is on pace to exceed his goal before the end of his trip.

CaffeiNation’s Portland episode, which launched earlier this week, includes stops at Coava Coffee Roasters, Courier Coffee Roasters, and the Portland Saturday Market.  It also features a detailed and highly educational lesson in coffee aromatics by Liam Kenna of Stumptown Coffee Roasters. “It’s industry standard practice to slurp the coffee as loudly and obnoxiously as you possibly can,” the professional cupper explains, before slurping a steaming spoonful of Stumptown brew. (Good to know that obnoxiousness is a professional requirement.)

The video ends with Davenport brewing his 32nd cup of coffee in a French press while speeding up I-5. We managed to catch up with him father down the road, and he had nothing but glowing praise for our city:

“Portland seems to me a nice example of what the world could be, given all people in the world were to participate with each other to reach common goals, rather than aggressively pushing others out of the way to reach their own personal goal,” Davenport mused. “I saw a lot of businesses that, if they were located in L.A., would consider each other rivals or competition, but [in Portland] they are friends and promote each other, and its clear that all parties involved benefit from it.”

There you have it! Great friendships, great businesses, and great coffee to boot. Pour yourself a hot cup of joe (or several) and click play on this lighthearted cinematic exploration of Portland’s roasting scene.

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