Barrel-aged Coffee

I’ve written before about all the barrel-aging occurring in Portland these days — most breweries have at least some suds on wood now. The barrel-aging trend moved over to cocktails with mixologists like Jeffery Morganthaler of Clyde Common aging entire drinks for months at time.

However, even I was surprised when I stumbled upon barrel-aged coffee at Water Avenue Coffee in the city’s Central Eastside. I’ve been a big fan of their beans for awhile now, but with so many great roasters in Portland it’s really difficult to be loyal to just one brand. So it was with no small amount of pleasure that I grabbed a bag of their Oak Barrel Aged Sumatra. It makes for a robust cup of joe in my French press with a definite woody sweetness that undoubtedly comes from the barrel every bit as much as the bean. It’s completely unique and delicious and certainly worth a go.