New Local

"Mornin'."
"Mornin'. What can I make for you?"
"How bout a large skim milk latte?"
"Sure, would you prefer hot or iced?"
"Hot will be fine."
"No worries."

I grab a milk steaming pitcher and start to pull some shots. My customer seems to awaken before my eyes.

"Oh wait, it's like a hundred degrees out there. Let's make that iced."

"You got it." I smile knowingly to myself, sure that I will repeat this conversation many times today.

"What kind of coffee do you guys carry?"

"This is all from Caravan. They're based in Newberg, and you're drinking the organic espresso right now."

"Nice. I'm new in town, and tried to spend yesterday out walking around checking stuff out. But I ended up hiding inside all day."

"I get that. This drink should help keep you comfy."

"Thanks, man. Stay cool. By the way, I'm M."

"Great to meet you, M. I'm S."

Satisfied customers for the win.

Peachy!

One of my earliest alcohol-related memories is tied strongly to hot summer days. The summer I was 21 (I, of course, never had any alcoholic beverages before my 21st birthday.) I was working at summer camp, and after a long day we'd brew up some iced tea and add a shot of peach schnapps to each drink. I love stone fruits in general, but in the summer, few foods are more refreshing than a peach. Thus, I associate peach-flavored iced tea with rejuvenation in the heat.

Like many Portlanders, I'm going mildly crazy from the current heat wave. On our fourth day of 100+ degrees, I'm well past simple refreshment. The right kind of cold beverage is key to my comfort, so today I broke out the big guns and rocked the peach iced tea.

Morning Fix carries Monin Peach Iced Tea, and I am as happy with this product as I have been with their wonderful flavor syrups. This drink is cooling and revitalizing. It has serious peach flavor that reminds me pleasantly of my peach schnapps days. At the same time, this beverage tastes fresh-brewed, with only a light sweetness. I feel energized after drinking this tea, and ready to face the steamy pavement outside.

I judge no one for the ways they try to beat the heat. Some of us sneak into yards with pools. Some get hotel rooms or hide out at the library or airport. No matter what your strategy, be sure it includes cold beverages. We have lots of iced options here at Morning Fix, and would be happy to be a part of your heat-beating adventure.

His and Hers

He's large iced mocha (plus bear claw). She's small caramel macchiato. They ask for water for their dog before ordering for themselves. They sit in the window, him in the shade, her in the sun. It's barely 8 am and they look like they've been out walking for hours already. Maybe they took the dog on a long walk, because he is passed out next to the water dish, just outside the window.

I overhear that he's just returned from three days of camping on the Deschutes river with the guys. They're having a laugh about how the dog would have acted had he gone along on the river. Clearly these two people are intimate, but whether they're partners, siblings or friends remains to be seen. It's beautiful to see the world moving by at full speed on the other side of the window while these two take a moment to catch up and be together. It's the kind of moment that keeps relationships going over long times and distances. These two people are in the middle of a bustling urban area, but have created a space around them in which it is just them, doing that beautiful nothing that we humans love so much. These moments in these spaces are a big reason we go out to shops for food and drink.

The big coffee shops have long lines and a low electrical outlet to customer ratio. Medium coffee shops have funky branding and colorful regulars. Morning Fix has a window seat that slows down time.

Secret Sweetness

It's hot!

And not like Tina Fey hot. More like "dunk your feet in a bucket of ice water" hot. My cats spent all yesterday afternoon developing a special meow to complain about it being hot. I'm not complaining, myself. I love shorts and tank tops, both sporting and scoping. I love how we tend to forget our boundaries and other priorities when it's properly hot out, and just get creative with ways to cool off.

So today I'm throwing out all pretense of being a coffee drinker. I know I've got a reputation to uphold as a lover of the rich, strong Caravan coffees we carry, but forget all that today. I'm drinking an Italian soda. There: I said it. No subtle and complicated flavors. No balancing bitters and creamies. No darkness. Just frosty lively sweetness.

I've only had a few of these drinks in my day, and I'm not sure if I prefer the pure Italian style (just flavor and sparkling water) or the French style, which includes a dollop of dairy. Therefore I initially pour my drink without dairy, and will add some halfway through.

This is a very refreshing beverage! The bubbles in the water tickle my mouth, and I can feel my core temperature lowering right away. Morning Fix uses Monin syrups, which are sweetened with pure cane juice or Splenda - not a drop of high fructose corn syrup in sight. The sweetness in this drink is very fruity and not at all candy-like. Upon adding a little whipped cream, the nature of this drink changed from "lively" to "soothing." The French style (or "creamosa") is a comfort drink, and is quite pleasant.

The Italian soda is a drink well suited to hot, sunny days. It makes me want to play outdoors, to sweat and smile. I don't know if I could drink one of these every day - it's just Too Happy. There's absolutely nothing serious about this drink. When it's time to try something different, come by Morning Fix and ask for an Italian soda!

Weekend 5

Sunday afternoon.
Weekend lingers in my head.
Morning Fix can help.

Weekend 4

Such a calm refuge
in the air conditioning,
I could stay all day.

Weekend 3

You know what I like:
The sweet- and richness my fave.
It's white mocha time!

Weekend 2

No way to resist
an Iced Americano
when the sun fries me.

Weekend 1

All the lovely folks
at Morning Fix Coffee Shop
say, "Happy Friday!"

Spice Of Morning

In America we often use the word "chai" to describe a certain kind of black tea beverage. In most of the rest of the world, "chai" simply means "tea," and what we think of as "chai" is really "Masala chai" or black tea prepared with milk and spices. Therefore, and entertainingly, "chai tea" is as redundant as "ATM Machine" and "PIN Number." I'd not had a chai in a while, so I recently thought I'd re-visit this eye-opening drink.

When I first tried chai, I was attracted to it's sweet smoothness. Today, drinking an iced chai, I was most drawn to it's spicy flavor. Morning Fix serves Sattwa Chai, which has an intense peppery taste at first which mellows out into a cinnamon aftertaste. I take mine with soymilk, which adds a mild sweetness to the drink. With a black tea base, this beverage has some caffeine kick, but not nearly as much as a coffee based drink. Honestly it goes down so easy I feel like I could drink a gallon of this elixir.

One of the great things about coffee culture is that it's international, and chai is definitely a part of modern coffee culture. The mixture of spices that changes "tea" into "chai" makes me think of exotic bazaars full of color and aroma. I like thinking that as I'm sipping happily on this drink, someone in India is enjoying the same beverage, and we're both participating in the same tradition. For anyone who finds the roasted flavor of coffee to be too intense, a cup of chai is a very lively alterntative.

Slice of Morning

Almost all of the tables are full. The satellite radio is playing Jim Croce and Van Morrison. Erinn the barista is shining the stainless steel while the customers sit active but totally silent. The air is abuzz with thought, creation and toe-tapping, but the people at the tables are quiet enough that we can still hear the air conditioner. I'm drinking an iced Americano and eying up one of the easy chairs. As soon as it opens up I intend to trade my laptop and table for a cozy chair and a book.

This is Morning Fix at it's finest. It's calm but energizing, bright but cool and cozy but spacious. The street outside is lively, and everyone in the shop is participating in the community in some way. Erinn puts on a fresh pot of drip, and the whole place starts to smell like Caravan Sumatra. The aroma is invigorating!

A little bell on the door rings as each new customer comes in. Even on a fully warm day, about half the people order hot drinks. I confess I don't understand this, but that's one of the beauties of coffee culture. Everyone has their own style of drink, but we all love to stop by the local shop to get served up hot (or iced) and fresh.

We are the Dancing Goats

It would be hard to overestimate the impact of coffee on human history. This potion has been introduced, banned and re-welcomed into countless cultures. Here in the States, it is arguably the most powerful legal mind-altering substance around. I've even heard that coffee is second only to oil as the world's most traded commodity. How it actually came to be so popular and influential is a classic international epic, but the legend of it's discovery really gets to the heart of our relationship to this magical brew.

According to legend, an Ethiopian goatherder named Kaldi was out tending his goats one day. He noticed them leaping and prancing around after eating berries off of a certain bush, so he partook of the berries and joined his goats in their revelry. Excited about this discovery, Kaldi took the berries to a local holy man, who pronounced them evil and threw them in the fire. However, Kaldi was so entranced by the aroma coming off of the burning beans that he gathered the ashes, steeped them in water, and had the world's first cup of coffee.

Now, all legends aside, Kaldi's find is so ubiquitous that "a cup of coffee" is a catch-all term for many kinds of small gatherings. We have coffee snobs, coffee house culture and coffee klatches. Some of us love the dark brew so much we even drink it decaffinated. Coffee is so ingrained into our lifestyle that most of us barely even associate it with the plant in it's raw form.

Still we continue to fall in love with coffee. The all-nighter is an American student's right of passage. The shops where we serve coffee still serve as intimate local gathering places. Artists in any number of media claim coffee as a main source of fuel. We dance like the legendary goats, and the dance shows no sign of stopping.

Power User

She happens to be the only one in the shop right now, so I don't think it's rude when she answers her phone in a well-practiced business voice. I'm not sure what she does, but I can tell that a lot of people want to do business with her. Her phone rings four more times in the half hour she's there, and she schedules someone for something each time. She drinks iced Gunpowder Green by Numi, and spreads her time evenly between paperwork, laptop, and phone.

This happy customer is clearly active and energetic. Her clothes are classic, but clearly meant to move in. She looks like she could be a personal trainer or professional coach. Running ultralight, she sets up her mobile office in the shop in minutes. Green tea has fueled many a brilliant mind, so upon observing her drink of choice, I mark her as a woman of consciousness and power. I wonder if maybe she's a massage therapist for the Blazers, or a life coach for Olympic athletes. No matter what, it's quite a sight to see her channel the full energy of her business through our cozy little shop.

Offices and workshops have their place and time, but I admire this customer doing her work out in the community. With lots of plugs, a variety of seating options, great lighting and comfortable climate control, Morning Fix is just the spot for mobile professionals.

Avoiding the obvious

There are restaurants here in town where I always order the same dish. I'm not ashamed to admit it. At some of them, it's just my favorite dish. Others I wouldn't ever visit if it wasn't for that one dish. Coffee shops are no exception. I have a favorite drink, and I order it almost every time. After a while, whatever my favorite is just becomes an obvious choice, for better or for worse. After working a shift behind the espresso machine the other day, I got a better idea of what Morning Fix customers like to drink. I got to serve up a bunch of lattes, but had never tried one myself. Thus, today was my opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and into a Morning Fix latte.

It's kind of warm out, and I am by nature a warm - blooded creature, so I had myself an iced latte. It's a pretty simple drink (just espresso and milk over ice), unlike it's similarly popular cousin the mocha. Served up in a Greenware biodegradable cup, it's a lovely tan color, and needs nothing added to be immediately drinkable. From the first sip, this drink is powerfully creamy. The milk really emphasizes the delicious Caravan organic espresso. This is clearly a roasted and brewed beverage: it's not sweet or watery at all. I think the non-sweetness is part of it's appeal. This latte could be a good complement to a sweet dish or a nice first beverage in the morning when sweetness seems overwhelming.

I'm quite impressed with the way this latte really showcases the flavor of the espresso. Halfway through it, the flavor and aroma are still almost as strong as a straight shot of espresso. This is a surprise to me: I expected the flavor to get progressively weaker as the ice melted. By trying the latte, I avoided the obvious in the form of my usual iced americano. I consider this opportunity to enjoy the extended espresso flavor as my reward.

Neighborhood Stylee

One of the great things about Portland is it's local vibe. Each neighborhood has a tiny pub, a corner store and an old-school barber. Of course, this being Portland, there's always a local coffee shop within walking distance as well. Morning Fix is a neighborhood shop, very much in the human-scale style. So most of the folks who come here live within walking distance or a short bus ride.

Part of what makes Portland neighborhoods so cool is that they're heterogeneous and colorful. On any given day, our shop is full of students, blue-, white- and no-collar professionals, full-time moms, recreational readers, walkers, bikers and bussers. They all bring something different to the atmosphere of Morning Fix, and we're here to serve them the highest quality coffee (did you know Caravan coffee pays it's growers above fair trade price?) with a smile.

Much as I'd like to see you here at Morning Fix, dear reader, I really hope you simply stop by your local neighborhood shop. If you live in Cully or Beaumont neighborhoods, or near bus lines 12, 33 or 71, Morning Fix IS your local neighborhood shop. We've got a climate-controlled, mellow-musiced, well-wired and wi-fied spot for you to enjoy!

Sweet Moments

A cup of coffee is, for many of us, more of a practical beverage than a recreational one. We like the stimulating effects, but develop a taste for the rich complexities of the dark brew. There are moments, though, when a visit to the coffee shop becomes less about having a quiet place to gather or work and more about having some time to ourselves to enjoy being alive. In those moments, it's good to round out the coffee experience with a sweet pastry, to complement the brew and to make the moment just that much more satisfying.

Here at Morning Fix we carry a variety of fresh pastries. My personal favorite is the chocolate-filled croissant, but it's followed closely by the indubitable blueberry muffin. These options round out a cup of coffee, turning the little break in your day into a mini-feast. It's great to see the different moments customers are having here in the shop. Some folks are pastry-free, focused on productivity and lost in their own world. Others are pastry-full, sitting by the window contemplating. It's lovely because it reminds me of one thing we often overlook in coffee culture: coffee tastes GOOD. (Especially the Caravan stuff we serve at Morning Fix.)

So next time you come by to have a cup and get some work done, grab a pastry and make a mundane moment a little more special. If you can make the time for yourself, we've certainly got the place for you to enjoy it.

Why The Ambience Matters

There's something to be said for familiarity. There's comfort in knowing our favorite barista makes our drink just the way we like it. It's great to be recognized by our friends from far away. After the stimulation of a trip out of town, it's soothing to come home to furniture already imbued with our scent and butt-print. Morning Fix was like that from the first time I walked it, like my friends had already been hanging out all day, and I was just joining them.

This welcoming quality to the shop is subtle. It's a combination of lights, sounds and textures. The soft indoor lighting mixes indistinguishably with the natural light coming in through the nearly all-glass storefront. The white noise of the air conditioner muffles the sounds of the street and clears a path for the acoustic music on the satellite radio. The table seats are at just the right angle, and the comfort level of the seats is in the sweet spot between "doctor's couch" and "fall asleep every time." The walls are accented but not busy, so the main room has a sense of spaciousness. Finally, if this shop were a shot of espresso, the bathroom would be the crema. The spotless bathroom maintains a pleasant mildly fruity odor, and comes equipped with white-noise fan and a colorful chalkboard.

Morning Fix is exactly what we've come to expect from a neighborhood-scale coffee shop. It's personal, local and run by your neighbors and friends. It benefits from sitting right on the border betwen the Cully and Beaumont neighborhoods, as it soaks up the vibe of Northeast Portland. We serve great coffee at this shop and we're a part of the community, too. That sense of community is tough to describe but easy to feel, and it's what makes Morning Fix such a wonderful little spot.

In Which I Try The Drip

I'm usually an espresso guy - I like the quick small shots and the sweet crema on the top. On warm days I'll back it up to an iced Americano, but it's a rare occasion I go for the drip. After learning a little bit about Caravan's Organic Sumatra Gayo Mountain, though, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and enjoy a cuppa today.

What a treat! I found the iced version so intriguing that I went back for a hot cup just to check it out a little more closely. This coffee is nutty and bright with just the slightest hint of tartness. The flavor is light and even, and the aroma is ephemeral enough to disappear almost completely after each sip. As it cools, this coffee becomes more savory without ever being overwhelming.

The shop is lively today with laptoppers and readers. Sipping my coffee I, could've sworn I even overheard a political joke or two. I'm surprised at the depth and color I found in my mug today, but not surprised at the welcoming vibe I continue to find here at Morning Fix.

The trouble with mochas

"Iced?"

"Oh yeah."

Annie knows the deal. It's nearly 90 degrees at noon, and everyone is forgetting to ask for "iced," including yours truly. Annie's on it, though, with a smile. She serves me up the famous White Chocolate Mocha - I've never had one from Morning Fix before. Will, this weekend's sidewalk chalk artist, is enjoying the dark version of this drink while explaining to me his tribulations with this magical beverage.

"They're just gone so fast. I've been training myself to drink these more slowly, but the best I can do is to increase the time between giant gulps."

I heed his advice and move my hand back from my cup, delaying my own next sip to try and made the organic espresso goodness last. The vibe at the shop is upbeat today with the blues station on the XM radio. Will's working on a star-based design with lots of satisfying radial symmetry and doing a great job of regulating his mocha intake.

So ends my first week blogging from the lovely Morning Fix. Coming up next week: more satisfied customers, diving into drip and the mysterious treasures of the pastry case. If you've got questions or comments about Morning Fix or this blog, write me at morningfixcoffee AT gmail DOT com. Have a fun and safe 4th of July weekend, and we'll see you Monday for your first cup of the week!

White Chocolate Mocha as eye-opener

Kenny's mouth is already formed into an "F" as he walks in the door. He's bleary eyed and clearly ready to pounce on the first being to rub him the wrong way. He trudges to the counter and attempts to smile at Rachael, who is full-on bubbly by contrast. "Your usual?" she offers, and Kenny nods, not daring to speak a word.

He sits down next to me and closes his eyes to enjoy the first few sips. Clearly, this is a powerful moment in his day. Morning Fix's White Chocolate Mocha is legendary, so I ask Kenny what he thinks. His eyebrows perk up a bit, "If you like mochas, white is better than brown, and iced is where it's at." (I dunno about white being better than brown, but that's a taste-off for another day.) A quarter of the way through the drink he's slowly engaging me, but by the time he's halfway through it we're sharing stories of brushes with famous people.

I like how the combination of quality organic espresso and pleasant acoustic music makes customers at Morning Fix feel comfortable. Kenny's laid back and positive by the time he finishes the first of his two mochas. From the outside, Morning Fix is a neighborhood shop in classic Portland East side style. Inside, though, this is a little piece of home. We look forward to seeing you here!

Satisfied Customer, Part 1

Steph rolls up on her bike, glistening in the sun. She breathes a sigh as she steps into Morning Fix and settles at my table. Steph's favorite summer drink is an iced latte, and Annie hooks up a large one with beads of moisture immediately appearing on the sides.

Steph's a teacher on a week's vacation before her summer program starts. She swishes her drink, making a sound like rocks in a riptide and calls her latte, "refreshing and smooth." She tells me that she can really only enjoy a latte if she loves the espresso on which it is based. Given that her drink barely lasted to the end of our conversation, I suspect she really enjoyed the Caravan Organic Espresso at the heart of Morning Fix's lattes.

In addition to the coffee, Steph mentions that she loves the ample bike parking, the chill vibe, and the cool old pictures of Northeast Portland. We chat about river trips and kids' tv as we get ready to go about our days. As we're throwing away our drink cups, I notice that they lids say "Greenware" on the top. Turns out Morning Fix uses Greenware Drink Cups made of compostable, renewable corn-based plastic. Pretty cool!

Special shout-out to Steph for engaging in some coffee talk with me. Stay tuned to this blog for more interactions with happy customers. See you at the shop!