Visited a coffee shop in Portland that was all about 'slow pour' and I think it's just hype

Heard about this new slow pour technique taking over third wave coffee spots, so I stopped into a place called Fathom on SE Belmont last Tuesday. They spent 4 minutes pouring a single cup, explaining how it releases different flavor compounds over time. I paid $7 for that cup and honestly, it tasted like any other medium roast I've had from a decent shop. All those fancy terms like 'bloom phase' and 'controlled extraction' just seem like ways to charge more for the same thing. Does anyone else think coffee buzzwords are getting out of hand?

2 comments

2 Comments

tara_jones941mo ago

I used to roll my eyes at the whole 'bloom phase' thing too, honestly. But a friend dragged me to a slow pour place last year, and I had to admit the barista wasn't just showing off. The coffee did taste noticeably smoother and had this subtle sweetness I never noticed before. Still, I agree that $7 is steep for a cup you could get for $4 somewhere else. I think it's partly hype, but partly some folks really do care about the process.

the_laura1mo ago

Is a cup of coffee really something that needs to be that deep? I had a similar experience at a slow pour spot in Seattle and my main takeaway was that my wallet felt lighter, not that I unlocked some hidden flavor dimension. @tara_jones94, glad you found some subtle sweetness in yours, but I'm still convinced it's mostly theater for people who want to feel like they're in on a secret.