Upper Left Roasters - 9.5/10
Unique energy, passionate about espresso.
Named for it’s location relative to the Ladd’s Edition neighborhood in SE Portland, this roaster and cafe front has several roasts available for espresso at any given time (and one or two more specifically for drip and pour-over).
The flavor comps for the roast I tried were absolutely spot-on: I got strong notes of sweetness and white chocolate from the 90h Tabi. These Tabi beans from Tolima, Colombia underwent a 90-hour submerged fermentation process. I hadn’t heard of the Tabi variety before: it’s a hybrid of bourbon, typica, and timor varietials. Upper Left is clearly passionate about espresso, but has something for everyone: more than half of the patrons were sporting iced lattes on the Friday afternoon I stopped in.
The venue is very unique as well: the roasting machine is separated from the cafe by only a bar seating area; you can sit right next to the roasting machine if you like. The white walls, light wooden furnishing, and ample indoor and outdoor seating made for a wonderful environment.
Speaking of the outdoor seating, there was a DJ playing lowkey club mixes over industrial-sized speakers in the outdoor seating area which happened to be almost entirely full; the neighborhood clearly takes full advantage of having this cafe so accessible.
Upper Left is a must-try.