HOOD RIVER: COFFEE BY DESIGN

3 Cool Independent Coffee Shops Around Hood River
Most of the country, coffee flows almost abundantly as water. While most people know joints like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Caribou, lucky for us, a lot of great independent coffee houses still survive in different areas of the country. These places are worker-owned and focus on quality drinks, perfectly-roasted coffee, a variety of beans, hip baristas and an artistic quality lacking from the name-brand chains out there. Here are some of my favorites...

Dog River Coffee: Smack downtown Hood River. Magic! Think Stumptown meets The Jetsons. Spoke w Nate Devol - he'd just came back from playing in the snow at the mountain, after getting blasted with almost 3 feet of snow from the night before - cool guy - one of the first founders of Dog River Coffee... along w Christine Hoag, who's from this area, and fascinatingly is also a judge at the NW Barista Competitions. This place happens to be one of the oldest existing coffee shops in HR... and was the only coffee shop in exsistence in HR back in 2004. My favorite coffee here is their Guatemala Antigua Buenavista which gets described a black cherry and lemon flavors interlace throughout a creamy milk chocolate blend... and w that I had a Mocha-chip cupcakes w espresso buttercream frosting... sinfully scrumptious! But it's not just their beans that make this funky coffee spot jump out... it's their laid back retro-cyber cafe space- cozy and open, cool art, local atmosphere, great music, chrome and vinyl dinette tables and chairs, and 50's & 60's upholstered lounge chairs, reflecting a kind of 70's feel... think Brady Bunch. Often they have interesting people come in, such as top athletes and give presentations- grab a coffee or beer and listen to exciting expeditions such as climbing one of the 7 summits or epic skiing stories. Pure love and joy was put into this shop. Besides their fabulous coffee they also serve smoothies, pastries and breakfast burritos.

Ground Coffee: On the east end of town is a cool eco-retro style coffee house where you can plant yourself down on the sofa with a good read... or eavesdrop on someone's conversation. Their slogan is It's not the coffee, it is the people. Owner Carin Agren is from Sweden and has lived in the states for many years. She opened this unique coffee shop with the idea of building a place for friends to gather. The artistic aura this place has draws musicians, artists and creative people in.....I can't decide if it's the atmosphere, people, food or coffee I like best. They serve a multitude of fresh roasted fancy coffee's and even have organic coffee beans. Daily homemade soups such as Curried Butternut Squash, Chicken Dumpling, Carrot-ginger, Russian Potato Soup, Cream of Mushroom... frequently they serve Borscht, MacNCheez, Vanilla Caramel Coffee Cake, Homemade Chocolate Chip Waffles, Greek Honey Yogurt & Vanilla, Homebaked Blueberry, Raspberry & White Chocolate Scones, Lemon Coffee-cake, not to mention all their delicious gourmet lunch and breakfast sandwiches... the list goes on! Are you hungry yet? This is Carin in the pic below...

10 Speed Coffee Up in the heights in HR- is a unique place- small-batch roastery who's committed to supporting local. While each element of the cafe supports and enhances cycling culture and the experience of riding, they also serve as a comfortable and friendly meeting spot for coffee enthusiasts and sportsman of all kind. They offer food and drink that is particularly allied to cyclists- breakfast sandwiches, wraps, pastries, treats, and of course cold local beer. It's great alternative for your morning meeting or weekend coffee spot. Sit in a relaxed atmosphere and have a cup of java while your bike is being tuned up next door at Dirty Fingers bike repair. You can actually watch them roast their own beans and brew coffee while waiting... precisely the vibe this funky 3 year old shop has... relaxing and interesting. You'll see a constant flow of locals, including bikers stopping by for a cold beer or killer coffee after riding. If it wasn't for coffee, we'd have no personality whatsoever!