Sooner than I expected I found my nearly ideal coffee shop! Located in nearby Lake Oswego, Oregon, Blue Joe Coffee has only been open seven weeks. Here are a few of the many things I loved about this cozy spot.
- The huge community table in the center of the room. This spot would be perfect for small meetings, small groups, a family having coffee together (radical!), or getting to know other computer-hounds.
- The coffee itself is roasted by Blue Joe’s. The owner/president, John, told me they have been supplying roasted coffees for years, and recently decided to enter the coffee shop market. I am so glad they did. The flavor of my con panna was excellent. VERY strong, with a great finish at the end. Kind of a fruity finish. Jillian’s hot chocolate featured a surprise slab of chocolate at the bottom of her cup.
- The room is divided into manageable nooks, perfect for either large groups or small groups. I would love to live in the main room of this coffee shop, and you can bet I would if I were a local.
- The seating had a great mix of hard and soft chairs, light and no lights.
- The key lime pie, made locally from a 50 year old recipe, was easily the best I have ever eaten. My apologies to my sister-in-law Debby, who also makes a great key lime pie, but I have to tell the truth!
- John and his business partner AJ were outstanding hosts. They used our names, offered suggestions, rallied around the coffee experience that those of us who are fanatics understand so well. We’ve all talked about the importance of friendly baristas on this blog before. John and AJ could pose for our ideal baristas.
Blue Joe’s made me sad, because it is located in the Pacific Northwest and I am not. It is the kind of place I have been longing for, a coffee shop with heart and personality that also understands how to give its customers the kind of space they need. I didn’t have my computer with me, so I don’t know how the outlet situation was, and I could have used some more atmospheric lighting. But overall, there are very few negatives to this cool spot. I could picture musical events fitting in the large room with ease, or perhaps book clubs. Since Blue Joe’s closes early (they have plans to stay open later, soon), I could see special events being hosted in the space, too. Very hip vibe in the heart of a great downtown.
Do I hear a collective sigh around the blogosphere?
Here is the link if you are going to be in the Lake Oswego/Portland area anytime soon!
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Very big sigh from the East Coast.
I want to go there too! Sounds like a great place.
Sigh. I live here. Be very jealous. The perfect cup of coffee in the best of surroundings. Sigh.
I really like it. Have you tried the key lime pie? My family out there runs in and gets it for special family dinners.
I’m hoping to be out there at the end of August. Yay!
This is such a wonderful place, and the owners are very friendly!
Good coffee, a grown-up atmosphere (somewhat uncommon for a non-corporate coffee shop in the Pac NW), wi-fi, and tasty pastries.
I live in the area, and this is almost the ONLY place I go for coffee or out of office meetings.
Sadly, they no longer carry the key lime pie…
Their pastries are now provided by a French bakery from the very trendy Pearl District. Still good, but no key lime.
However, if you call them, they’ll tell you where to get the pie. Like I said, nice guys.
just came across. Nice blog
My husband and I love this spot. As an owner of my own business and since my husband works from home we love getting together at Blue Joe… great coffee, great atmosphere, nice staff, and yes, there are plenty of outlets for us to use. Unfortunately, they still have not extended their hours and still close at 4pm, sigh. Good to know they are still a young company, hopefully they extend their hours very soon. I have to disagree with Ms V… have you ever heard of Stumptown?
I have been to Stumptown on my last trip to Portland. With two more trips to Portland this year, I hope to make return visits to both Blue Joe and Stumptown!
It looks as if Blue Joe has closed due to the economy. Sad, very sad.
I just heard that yesterday! Such a sad day! I loved that spot.
What do you all think? My gut is that they were really hindered by not staying open in the evening hours.
The issue was they bought and roasted their own beans, which is not cost effective for one store. The economy is such that finding investors willing to help open several more stores meant the current overhead was too high, and wasn’t likely to change. Since Blue Joe was a roaster first and that is what they hang their hat on, they can’t really buy beans from someone else, nor can they sell them as their own. My hope is they will re-emerge when the economy gets stronger.
Thank you very much – these look great!
I loved Blue Joe! It was a nice hidden gem in Lake Oswego. Sadly, Blue Joe did close but it was quickly replaced by Chuck’s, another locally owned coffee company. The same restful, laid-back feel still permeates the cafe. If you ever come back, you should visit Chucks!
Caitlin, I am definitely going to check out Chucks. Pretty sure my relatives already have! I’ll be out there again in mid July…Chucks it is! Thx.
We were sad to see Blue Joe close, but Chucks has done a great job. Great atmosphere and great coffee! Way to go Chuck!
So where the F*$k is “Blue Joe” I need some dam coffee?