Ristretto

When we were opening the Clearing café and deciding what kind of coffee to serve at our shop we found that there are a lot of options in Portland.  We wanted to serve something that we could trust in, coffee that was loved every step of the way.  Coffee that is roasted well, locally, and sourced ethically.  We decided on Ristretto Roasters which  is everything that we were looking for and run by wonderful people here in Portland.
Ristretto (Italian for “restricted,” and a term used for the first sweet burst of espresso) Roasters founder and coffee roaster Din Johnson handcrafts every batch of beans, roasting them on-site in a vintage Probat roaster. Johnson sources his beans from five continents, often from the farmers themselves, and is committed to bringing out the best of the individual characteristics of each type of bean—the dark chocolate and intense blueberry of an Ethiopia Harrar; the earthy pungency of a Sumatra Mandheling; the soft chocolate tones and light apricot high notes of a Guatemala Antigua Sereno.
All Ristretto Roasters coffees are medium-roasted, allowing the consumer to experience the flavors of the coffee (rather than merely the roast). This can take some persuading, as customers come into the café convinced they only like the deepest, darkest roast.  But, we find that given the opportunity to taste these rich complex coffees our customers experience a new appreciation for what coffee can embody.