Best Camp Coffee Ever

This Thursday our trip took us to the coast of Oregon where we camped by the beach and visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, OR. We had a delightful day as we started at Heart Coffee Roasters in downtown Portland. The owner of Heart won the national aeropress championship in 2013 and we were hoping to get a taste of what makes his coffee so great. Unfortunately, they don't make aeropress coffee at the location we visited, but the latté and drip brew we tried were excellent!

The gentleman you see behind the espresso machine is actually from Boulder, CO! Not sure of his name, so we'll just call him Steve. Steve was an incredibly nice guy who found his home away from the Rocky Mountains and in the trees, as he stated. The location of this shop was perfect as it was right across the street from a little place called Tasty and Alder, which ended up being the perfect place for brunch after coffee.

Everything at Tasty and Alder was a delicious adventure. Starting with the perfectly crispy chocolate potato doughnuts with creme anglaise we were so impressed! The potatoes bravas were potatoes cooked in wagu beef fat with two over-easy eggs and a garlic aioli. Great flavor on this dish, and afterward we were served something called The Whole Toad. This was like a savory bread pudding with a poached egg in the middle that when broken was cooked by the rest of the food in the bowl. The whole meal was incredible!

After brunch, we made the trek from Portland to Tillamook where we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We had a chance to see workers slicing, and packaging cheese right on the assembly line. The best part was the sample line they had at the end of the tour. Full confession, we went through three times. And I'll say this, the cheddar with garlic and chili pepper was the best cheese we've had in a while! If you ever find this in the grocery store, pick it up because you are in for a treat!

Oh yeah...and then there was the ice cream!

After one more trip through the sample line, we headed out to the coast for camping at the beach. We stayed at Cape Lookout and had no sooner set up out tent than it started raining... perfect timing! It was still fun to walk on the beach and enjoy the beautiful scenery and it was a peaceful break from the city. Of course, we still needed great coffee so we brought some Stumptown cold brew. Stump town cans their cold brew nitro with a widget in the bottom for a great creamy pour and the carton is their cold brew with chocolate milk. Pretty great camp coffee!

This day was a really fun adventure together and a peaceful break from the hustle of the city. The next day we went back to Portland for more coffee and great food, but that's another post. Until next time, cheers.

Caleb & Nadene