Covered exhaustively (or soon to be covered exhaustively) by journalists far and wide across America, only Sprudge.com has the exclusive scoop the Chemex service starting tonight at The Woodsman, Stumptown CEO Duane Sorenson’s brand new bar/restaurant venture in SE Portland.
Located directly next door to the original Stumptown Cafe at Division and 45th, The Woodsman is an ode to flannel-clad masculinity, a virile villanelle of taxidermy, warm woods, and no fewer than 23 Pacific Northwest oil painting portraitures on the east wall. Tonight marks the beginning of Chemex coffee service in the space, where it will be offered as the sole coffee brewing method available on the menu; there is no espresso machine on the premises, though presumably if you need a shot and aren’t dining late, you can duck next door to the cafe after checking in with the hostess. According to Stumptown staff, this makes The Woodsman one of only two restaurants in America to feature the Chemex as their exclusive coffee brewing method (the first being Ink in West Hollywood, also serving Stumptown).
Though eventually they plan to offer an African and Latin American coffee to patrons, the first day of Chemex service will be limited to Stumptown’s flagship Finca El Injerto Bourbon from Guatemala. Buono kettles abound, the entire staff of the restaurant underwent extensive coffee preparation training, and the results – at least according to the overcaffeinated bar staff – were nothing short of stunning. Have some oysters, maybe a little domestic ham sampler, pick and choose through the larger plates, then finish your meal with an Injerto Chemex…and if you really want to go native in SE Portland, be sure to inquire about the fully stocked Zig-Zag dispenser on the back bar before dessert.
(Update 8 November 2011: The Woodsman will begin offering Cold Brew Coffee on tap this evening.)
