Extracto Il Secondo

After spending time with the supermodel at Jim and Patty’s, I headed westward down Fremont Street, en route to the Albina branch of the Multnomah County Library. As I was walking, a  whiff of freshly-brewed coffee tickled my nose. It smelled wonderful, so I followed my nose toward the scent and stumbled upon another quality Portland café, Extracto 2*.

The sign is easy to find

[*Confession: That’s not exactly how things happened. What really happened was that I was kind of lost, so I checked my location on my phone, realizing that I was close to Prescott Street. Prescott Street stuck out in my mind as the location of the café (these days I tend to remember Portland streets by the cafés that are on them). I was only a few blocks away, so instead of going to the library, I headed for the café.]

One of the first cafés I visited on my tour of PDX cafés was Extracto (the original). Chris Brady, the owner, was roasting coffee the day I visited and he shared with me some of his roasting knowledge. We had a good visit, and since that day I have been planning to try out the second location. When I realized I was in the neighborhood, I made a beeline for the café.

Extracto the Sequel is a small shop rather hidden away in a small development at the corner of Northeast 15^th and Prescott. It took me a minute to figure out where the café was, since there was no sign over the door.

But the cafe isn't as obvious

Coffee, not comfort, is the first priority at Extracto Dos. The café only seats about fifteen people (if you squeeze them in), though there is space for a couple more tables if the owners wanted to put them in. An old wooden church pew serves as a bench seat, and the other chairs around the tables are those old steel and wood chairs that at one time were probably in every school in America. The chairs look like they will last forever, and just like you remember from your school days, they are not very comfortable.

These might bring back good memories, or they might bring back bad memories

The barista greeted me warmly. When I inquired about the espressos on grind, she explained that they only had the Solutionary Blend espresso on grind. No single-origin espressos? That was unusual.

“Yes, we usually have one, but for some reason, we don’t today,” she said, apologetically.

You know you live in a coffee town when the barista apologizes for only having one espresso available. In a lot of towns, you get a blank stare when you ask what type of espresso a café has. Sometimes the baristas do not even know what brand they are serving. At Extracto, you don’t have to worry about that.

“The Solutionary Blend is good. It’s a little fruity, with some dark chocolate notes. It’s only on day four [since it was roasted],” she told me, “so it’s still opening up.”

Her assessment was right on the money.

One thing that is unique about Extracto Deux is that the baristas only serve espresso drinks and made-to-order brewed coffee. There is no brewed coffee sitting around in an air pot waiting for someone to come along and drink it. They understand that fresh coffee tastes better.

The coffee bar has six pour-over stations, so they can make several at once. Even if the café is fairly busy, you should not have to wait more than a couple minutes for your coffee.

That's some serious pour-over capacityIf you are passing through the neighborhood around 15th and Prescott and catch a whiff of coffee, just follow your nose to Extracto 二. You should not be disappointed with what you find (or drink).

Vitals
Address: 1465 Suite B NE Prescott, Portland, OR  97211 (map)
Phone: 503-284-1380
Hours: Monday-Sunday 7am-6pm
Coffee: Extracto
Free Wi-Fi? Yes
Recommend it? If you want fresh coffee and don’t plan to sit for a long time
Website: www.extractocoffeehouse.com