Fall brings a whole slew of seasonal coffees. It’s not just pumpkin spice; coffee nerds have a bunch of fall flavors they bring out for spooky season infusing cinnamon, pecan, caramel apple and more. I, however, am not a coffee nerd — I drink Red Bull most mornings, for Christ’s sake. I’ve never drunk anything that’s been delicately poured to look like a leaf. I’ve had espresso maybe twice in my life. The only coffee in my cabinet is a stale Costco-brand roast.
So, when my editor tasked me with a coffee write-up, I’m not going to lie—I was at a loss. I’ll drink the stuff but only to satiate my ruinous addiction to caffeine. I said f—- all this seasonal nonsense, I’m going to get a black coffee and I’m going to get it from somewhere that’s one of the best at their craft in Bend: Lone Pine Coffee Roasters.
Ordering a black coffee from Lone Pine is almost embarrassing. You can see people in the back of the store working with massive sacks of high-quality coffee beans sourced from around the world. There are delicious pastries on display. Workers behind the counter are operating mystery machines that I assume make the fancier coffees that I’m not getting. When my order is just a pour from a pot, I feel like I’m missing out on some serious fanfare.
But, like I said, I’m no coffee nerd. Coffee is fuel, the kind of fuel I need to write articles about things I have no idea about. And this fuel did exactly what was needed. Before I knew it I typed 300 words about my mundane experience buying a black coffee and my eye was twitching. I’m not the best judge of what makes a good coffee, but can say Lone Pine is definitely a better brewer than whoever fills the pot at the office, than me brewing on my $20 coffee machine and better than the McDonald’s workers brewing McCafe.
Lone Pine Coffee Roasters
Boomtown location: 910 NW
Harriman, Ste. 150, Bend
East End location: 1462 NE Cushing Dr., Ste 160, Bend
Lonepinecoffeeroasters.com
