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BEST OF THE BOONIES continued from page 42 That excitement for extraordinary coffee seems well-instilled
in the town. Leibowitz says he and his staff at Zingerman's have continuously brought in new single-cup devices to experiment on in recent years, and he's been struck by how engaged many of his regulars have become. He estimates, in fact, that 70 to 80 percent of brewed coffee customers ask for their drinks single-cup style. The craze for great coffee truly struck him on a recent weekend morning when a family that comes in every week made their usual appearance. "I was working the bar," he says, "and their 11-year-old boy comes up to me and asks, 'Hey, Allen, how do you think that Guatemalan would taste on vacuum pot?' It had become more than a drink. They really got what we were doing."
THE OTHER OREGON COFFEE HUB Sitting on the Oregon side of the Columbia River is a charming
community where 20- and 30-somethings from around the country live laid-back lifestyles and where cafés and roasting operations exist in abundance. This is Portland, right? Nope. It's Hood River. The town, located at a gap in the Cascade Range where legend-
ary winds and easy mountain access attract outdoor adventurers of all types, only has around 7,000 full-time residents. But it somehow is able to support more quality-driven coffee companies than many metropolitan areas 20 times its size. "The shop owners
out here always talk about that," says Bryan McGeeney, co-owner of roaster-retailer 10-Speed Coffee. "Per capita, we probably have some of the best coffee around." Leading the way are McGeeney's 10-Speed, which now boasts
four retail spots in the area, and Dog River Coffee, a café that serves Portland's Stumptown Coffee and has been near the center of community's specialty scene since it opened in 2004. Another notable player is roaster-retailer Ground, which opened in 2005 and sits in a building that has housed a café of one sort or another for 30 years. Locals also praise Doppio Coffee & Lounge, yet another shop that roasts its own product. Employees of Hood River Coffee Company, meanwhile, routinely head to origin, and the roaster offers a wide coffee selection. Some of Hood River's coffee cred comes from its proximity to
the espresso mecca sitting 60 miles west on I-84. Especially in summer, Hood River is awash with Portlanders looking to get out on the river and trails, and these individuals carry big expecta- tions when they walk into the local cafés. "Those folks are in the city all week and can go to so many places there and have a good experience," says Dog River owner Nate DeVol. "When they're out here, we all have to be ready to step up to the plate." The town's coffee scene is more than just a satellite of Portland,
however. Most of the store owners in town made their way to the Columbia River Gorge to find a balance between work and play, and that sunglasses-and-snowboard vibe comes through in their spaces. "The shops are sort of a gathering place for people before
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