World Cup Coffee
& Tea
1740
NW Glisan St., 228-4152
6:30 am-9 pm Monday-Saturday, 8
am-6 pm Sunday
Picks:
Cappuccino, Espresso Cubano, World Cup Espresso, Green Earl
Grey Tea
Nice Touch:
Fresh coffee roasted on-site
Take a cappuccino--2 ounces of perfectly pulled espresso,
fresh milk steamed to a precise 140 degrees, froth filled
with tiny bubbles and poured to form a curly peak, and a
dash of unsweetened cocoa to create a delicate fusion of
flavors. This may seem an overzealous description of a drink,
but espresso is indeed a coffee cuisine, and made correctly,
an espresso beverage can be a thing to behold--something
that keeps you coming back to a coffee shop habitually.
For me that something is a cappuccino, and that
someplace is World Cup Coffee & Tea, a fledgling cafe
in Northwest.
Depending on when you visit and how you approach the building,
you might not realize that World Cup actually roasts its
coffee. Unlike brewpubs that showcase their hops transformers
to the public, World Cup's roaster isn't displayed from
the inside. But if you stop by in the morning when the aroma
of roasted coffee infuses the neighborhood--or if you happen
to approach on the Glisan Street side of the building, where
you can view the roaster at work through a window--you'll
be very aware that World Cup roasts its own.
World Cup's ambience also doesn't fit the expected coffeehouse
mold. With its high ceilings, wood beams, panoramic windows
and sleek decor, it's reminiscent of a Pearl District loft
rather than a roasting house. It's not a cozy den filled
with cushy sofas and chess tables. You don't come here for
poetry readings or open-mike night--you come for the coffee.
The key to its coffee? Freshness. Since World Cup's beans
are roasted on-site daily, they don't have to travel hundreds
or even thousands of miles after roasting to reach your
mug, as many coffee chains' beans do. Owner Dan Welch sells
about 15 varieties of coffee from various origins in whole-bean
form, and he rotates these through the menu of prepared
drinks. The current espresso on the menu is the World Cup
Espresso, a smooth blend of arabica beans with a bittersweet
aftertaste. When I ordered this, the barista achieved a
golden crema that beautifully revealed the full body of
the espresso.
One of World Cup's most popular drinks is the Espresso
Cubano. A play on the Cuban style of sweetening coffee,
this is a smooth espresso made from combining raw sugar
with ground coffee before pulling a shot. Of course, you'll
also find the glorious aforementioned cappuccino, as well
as classic lattes and rich mochas made with Ghirardelli
chocolate (and soy or rice milk, if you like). But if it's
just a plain cup of joe you're after, try a medium-body
house blend, an even coffee with a mild acidity.
On the tea side, World Cup offers about 12 varieties, including
oolongs, green teas, black teas and herbal tisanes. Teabags
aren't allowed, because, as Welch says, "You can't be a
teahouse and offer teabags." I was hoping that when I ordered
an oolong tea it would come cradled in a cast-iron Yixing
pot, but for now Welch says he's sticking with British-style
teapots with infusers.
Welch buys his teas from brokers in New York and San Francisco,
and while World Cup's tea menu is small, it offers a decent
sampling of tea origins. Several of the teas are organic,
and you can find some interesting blends, such as light,
fruity Green Earl Grey Tea.
In keeping with a typical coffeehouse bill of fare, World
Cup offers breakfast pastries and desserts (from Joseph's
Desserts and La Provence). Particularly good are the petite
lemon sandwich cookies, which go well with a black Ceylon
tea, and a velvety double-chocolate cake that's perfect
with a shot of espresso. But Welch extends the food menu's
latitude to include a selection of lunch sandwiches. He
hired chefs from the Western Culinary Institute to prepare
them, and they're far better than what you might expect
to find in a coffee shop. There are about six options, including
a bursting egg salad on paesano and a deliciously cheesy
grilled mozzarella & tomato on como.
But then again, World Cup could do just fine without all
that other stuff; it could just stick to coffee. Especially
the cappuccino.
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Willamette Week | originally
published March 1,
2000
|
