Enjoying Sandino Brothers Coffee

Picked up a latte post-walk at Sandino Brothers Coffee on Saturday.

This past weekend I made my return to two places I hadn’t been to for a while—Mt. Tabor Park, where I met up with several of my fellow breast cancer survivors for a walk, eventually encountering rain, hail, thunder and lightning; and Sandino Brothers Coffee, a sweet little cafe on NE Sandy Blvd in one of the “Flatiron”-style buildings that dot this major thoroughfare. I hadn’t stopped by for a number of months, and that is an error on my part—the coffee is excellent and is worth your time and money.

My original plan was to stop by for a Cardamom Latte, but unfortunately they were out of the cardamom syrup they use for this lovely drink. Instead, I chose the Spanish Latte, made with sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon. Well, I’m glad I found my way to it, as it was delightful! I loved that it was not overly sweet and the warmth of the cinnamon was a welcome addition. It was really satisfying—comfort in a cup.

The latte art was a little squished after being under the lid, but the design is nice and the milk foam was creamy.

That morning they were using their Ometepe beans, a medium dark roast: “Rich chocolate notes livened up with tinges of sweet berries, walnut and tangerine. Smooth with a subtle smoky taste and robust aroma.” The chocolate was definitely something I picked up on and enjoyed, and the espresso was nice and smooth; extremely easy to drink. It was a real treat after my challenging walk. (I am still getting back in shape post-surgery, and boy did my calves feel it the next day.)

The Sandino Brothers Coffee folks opened this cafe back in June 2020, and they also have a location at the Portland Mercado, which opened back in 2016 (though, they had to close for a time, and reopened back in February). Their coffee also made it into one of Salt & Straw’s flavors this past spring, the “OffLimits’ Dash Cold Brew Cocoa Crisps,” made with Sandino Brothers’ Apanás Hillcreek Roast. On Instagram at the time they explained that it “is being used to create the perfectly nutty and roasty base for swirls of malty fudge and cocoa spheres cereal enveloped in salty chocolate bark.”

Aside from coffee drinks, the Sandy Blvd cafe offers food, too—a breakfast sandwich, avocado toast, and pastries, just to name a few. Here’s their menu:

Sandino Brothers Coffee menu, NE Sandy Blvd.

They also have a nice indoor cafe space where you can hang out and enjoy your coffee.

I didn’t have a chance to see if they were still making their little donuts at the Sandy Blvd location, but they do make them at the Portland Mercado location.

As someone who remembers a time in the US where there was a lot of confusion and challenging feelings about Nicaragua, it warms my heart to see success associated with that beautiful country. The Sandino brothers, Lenner (based in Nicaragua at the Sandino farm, Finca La Odisea) and Winston (the importer, roaster, and marketer), are doing good things with their land and have future plans and dreams for it. Read more about their story on the Sandino Brothers Coffee website.

I am grateful they are here in Portland and I will be by more often for their solid espresso drinks. Thanks for the great cup of coffee, Sandino Brothers!

Sandino Brothers Coffee
5730 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland and 7238 SE Foster Road, Portland
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