On just about every block on Portland State’s campus, there is a shop, cafe, restaurant, friend or a person, who aids students and the overall community, while receiving their daily form(s) of caffeination. With this in mind, the Vanguard chose to highlight three incredible, local coffee shops within our campus community: Wild Rose Coffee, Olé Latte Coffee and Case Study Coffee Roasters.
On the corner of SW 6th and Hall, kitty-corner to PSU’s SHAC, Wild Rose Coffee stands, carrying a retro vibe to its nature. Within the shop, there are plenty of vintage items and comfy, colorful seats to relax. Study groups are often seen in booths and folks check out the “little free library.”
“This is a place you can come, it’s super safe, friendly, nice, like, just a place to chill out, do whatever you need to do,” said Harrison Torrance, Shift Lead and Head Content Creator for the Wild Rose Cafe. “I think that even throughout media… like college or coming of age movies… there’s always a coffee shop. It’s like coffee culture in and of itself is all about community, warmth, coming together and just hanging out for a bit.”
Wild Rose Coffee carries a welcoming and nostalgic atmosphere. Torrance highlights how much of a labor of love serving the community of PSU is and the pride to be a “cornerstone” in the community for college students who thrive off caffeine.
As for particular caffeine beverages that the PSU community leans on, at Wild Rose, it is between cold brew and matcha.
“We try to keep things new and fresh, and we always have a matcha on there that’s like some sort of different, you know, type of vibe with it…” Torrance said. “Students are always in here studying, meeting up with friends, getting breakfast like in between classes… The student population here is essential to like our cafe.”
Within the last few months, the cafe has made the shift from outsourcing for pastries to now having an in-house pastry chef. There is now a whole new level of flavors and experimental pastries that are in the process of making their way onto the cafe shelves.
“We do try to keep some cool flavors on stock, like lavender and rose.”
Torrance also highlighted the importance of catering to trends while having incredible “plain Jane” beverages like, “iced coffees or Americano, latte.”
“You can get whatever you want here!” Torrance said.
On SW Harrison and 5th, Olé Latte Coffee and its owner have been proudly serving the Portland community since 2014.
When first developing the concept of Olé Latte Coffee, Owner Todd Edwards took a spark from a deep admiration of wine—uniquely how notes of wine can highlight the Pacific Northwest.
“The nuances, the region, how the beans are grown,” Edwards explained the similarities between the two beverages. They continued to describe how they “…Wanted to bring something special with my own take on it.”
Olé Latte Coffee offers fresh crop, small batch coffee that rotates throughout the year alongside quality ingredients and local specialty products that highlight the Pacific Northwest.
Olé Latte has been a part of PSU’s campus for over ten years.
Edwards explained that, in this time, they had “The opportunity to kind of create a fun environment” with local artists where “People can feel, you know, comfortable, warm and inviting when they come up to the window.” Edwards described the window as a “mini coffee date,” for this reason.
“The window is really important. It’s a really big piece about who we are,” Edwards continued. “…It’s one transaction, one person at a time. We have a mini coffee date. We don’t want to have anybody feel as though… they’re a transaction.”
From the idea, to the name, to the physicality of the cart, Olé Latte stands beautifully crafted.
“One of the things about Olé Latte is the name… I wanted to look at what does ‘Olé’ mean? Olé, to a soccer player, is a one-up,” Edwards stated. “With a matador and a bull… they did something beautiful and magnificent. So I truly want people to recognize that Olé is to do something magnificent and beautiful.”
One form of magnificence that Olé Latte provides is their pay it forward system.
“We have an opportunity for a pay-it-forward system that goes to the entire community,” Edwards said.
Edwards continued to explain that one can pay for another beverage for someone in the community, providing anyone the opportunity for those who cannot afford to spend the money on a coffee or tea to go out and feel the joy of that first sip. There is an opportunity to share the magnificence and beauty with all in the community.
Within the walls of PSU building, Fariborz Maseeh Hall (FMH), Case Study Coffee Roasters (CSCR) and Manager Ruth Genovez, aim to provide a comfortable atmosphere to study and relax as a “third place” in people’s lives.
“[Students] want somewhere comfortable, quiet, cozy, and just really good coffee,” Genovez stated. “I feel like we’re doing that really well here.”
Light piano music plays while we converse.
“I mostly meet strangers… but I do try and connect with them and help them…” Genovez continued. “If someone’s having, like, a rough day… I try to like… just chat with them and a shoulder or someone to talk to. Sometimes it’s good to vent to people you don’t really know!”
This sense of connection and care throughout an ever-busy environment on campus are what make CSCR stand out as a “third place” for the PSU community.
Owner of Olé Latte Coffee Edwards said it swiftly and in a way that all featured cafes can attest to, “We’ve been here for a while now and we’ve had the opportunity and privilege of being part of people’s stories as they’re going through college.”
Support local coffee shops and coffee culture while you are back on campus this fall.
