Heart Coffee Roasters is a small specialty coffee roasting company with cafes in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was established in 2009 by Wille and Rebekah Yli-Luoma.
Description and history
Wille and Rebekah Yli-Luoma opened Heart in 2009.[1][2] Heart's original location, known as the Eastside Cafe, is located at 2211 East Burnside Street in Portland's Kerns neighborhood.[2] Its second location, known as the Westside Cafe, opened in 2013 and is located at 537 Southwest 12th Avenue in downtown Portland's West End.[3][4] The company has leased a third location at the intersection of Southeast 52nd Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard, in the Woodstock neighborhood.[5]
Condé Nast Traveler called Heart's drinks "uncommonly clean and complex and said, "Chemex- and Aeropress-brewed 'pour-over' coffees are perhaps the best way to sample the results, though espresso drinks are excellent here, too."[2]
In 2013, Dan Gentile of Thrillist included Heart in his list of "The Top 10 Coffee Roasters in the Nation, as Voted by Super-Serious Coffee Nerds".[6] He also included Heart in his 2016 list of "The 21 Best Coffee Roasters in the Country", writing: "Portland isn't in short supply of sleekly designed coffee shops, but in addition to a design sense that would make a Scandinavian proud, Heart's coffee shop is literally built around a functioning black Probat roaster that fills the space with the smell of not-too-light, and definitely not-too-dark coffees."[7]
In 2016, Eater.com's Emily McIntyre included Heart on her list of the "20 of the Best Coffee Shops in Portland". She wrote:
Few cafes have such a strong aesthetic and presentation as Heart on Burnside. Enter and think yourself lucky, because the rare espresso machine (currently Kees van der Westen), the expansive, simple menu, the beast of a vintage coffee roaster, and the 'do not touch signs' have the effect of creating an exclusive experience... While I recommend any seasonal drink here (and the summertime paleo affogato is delicious), my go-to at Heart is a cup of drip coffee.[1]
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