Some Coffee News: Autumn and Kann

Over the weekend, I encountered two chance meetings surrounding coffee here in Portland. First, the new Autumn Coffee Roasters cafe has opened in the Concordia neighborhood. And via social media I learned that Kann has coffee plans, too.

Autumn Coffee Roasters

It took many more months than expected, but Autumn’s cafe is now open. I was by on Sunday and at that point they had been open just a week. This location, on the southwest corner of NE 33rd and Killingsworth, used to be home to Lovejoy’s Tea Room. They moved out in 2022, headed to North Portland and re-opened as a Star Trek-themed teahouse called Emperor Georgiou’s Tea Room.

I hadn’t been inside Lovejoy’s, so I have nothing to compare it with, but the inside of Autumn is simple with a black-and-white color theme. Their menu is very straightforward: familiar espresso drinks, cold brew, chai, steamers, hot chocolate, and tea. They offer two plant-based milks, oat and almond, along with dairy. I did not see much in the way of food, but there were a couple scones left in the bakery case. Bagged coffee is also available.

I ordered an almond milk latte and was very happy with it—both the coffee itself, which was a little fruity, and the taste and texture of the almond milk. Despite being faced with a line of customers, the barista took everything in stride with an upbeat and cheerful attitude. During the short time I was a barista, I learned how stressful it can be there as the only person behind the counter, so hat’s off to this intrepid individual. I was told that they were the only person free for the cafe, with other staff working at Autumn’s carts.

I’d definitely stop by again.

Kann Coffee

Now this was unexpected—Kann Coffee. I ran across a social media story about it and am definitely intrigued. There is not much online about this new arm of the burgeoning Kann network (which includes the Kann restaurant and Sousol, the bar below, as well as Gregory Gourdet’s cookbooks), but they do have a social media presence (Instagram), its own website, and a presence on the Kann website, too. The website is a Shopify site, so perhaps this is going to be a digital retail outlet rather than a cafe.

Because Haiti and the Caribbean are such star players in the world of Kann, I’d expect this coffee to be mixed with spices, which is a practice in the region. You can also see in this image in the Kann Coffee section of the Kann website that Gourdet is working with spices. I’m excited to see what they come up with.

I’ll reach out to see if they can share any more details with me. Stay tuned.

Photo credit: Kann Coffee

Autumn Coffee Roasters cafe [opened November 2023]
3286 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland
autumncoffeeroasting.com | Instagram | Facebook