IF you are looking for some of the best coffee in the Portland /Vancouver area, you have to check out Compass Coffee Roasting. It is truly something to be experienced. Opened 3 years ago in downtown Vancouver,owner Mike, has a passion for coffee that stems from years as a home roaster. Joined by partner Bryan in January of 2010, their mission statement: While our goals are many and our passion is immense, our mission is simple. We want every person that walks out of our door to know one thing about coffee: "Coffee is Culinary." While the roastery itself (beides being a coffeehouse, is also a tasting lab and education center) is on St. Johns, there are 2 other locations, Downtown Vancouver - 1304 Main Street, and their Beaverton location, Java Nation, 4130 SW 117th Ave Suite N. read more

The owner is a little abrasive, but I can tell it's because he is passionate about what he does. There wasn't really a menu posted that I saw so when he asked me what I would like to order, I responded with it's my first time there and asked what he would recommend. He asked me a few questions and then recommended the Moscova (I don't know if that's how it's spelled). He said it's their signature drink. It was good, but $6 for a 16oz. If it had tasted drastically better than what I order at Blackrock, I would say it's worth it, but it tasted similar to what I would get for over a dollar less elsewhere. I will probably go back again and see if something without flavoring shines more. Also, a lot of reviews talk about pastries, but I only saw some cookies. Maybe they had sold through the good stuff by the time I got there at 8:45, but who knows. I'll update this after I try them again. read more

I'll be honest: I grew up in Portland, but have lived on the east coast since college (and I'm kind of old!) I visited both this location and the "flagship" downtown Vancouver location of Compass Coffee, and I strongly prefer the unpretentious vibe of THIS spot. It reminds me of what Portland was before all the cool people started to move to my hometown! Am I a coffee snob? Maybe! I don't pretend to know my florals from my velvety chocolate notes. I do, however, drink straight shots of black espresso. I have learned to search for "single origin espresso" when I travel and want a great local spot because "good coffee" often means "yummy sweetened milk beverage." I don't add that stuff. So, at this location, I could have a conversation with a friendly guy (with a very hipster mustache, so...) about espresso roasts and flavors, and I felt like I was engaged in a two way discussion about what I like and the beans they roast. No one was too cool for this 40+ year old mom, and I got a great, smooth double shot of espresso to enjoy. I tried the downtown location the next day. The coffee was equally good, but I felt... less "embraced", shall we say, by the prettier, tidier, and overall less comfortable (to me!) shop. I had to pay for parking downtown, and had to circle the block to park, so double the miles (from my parents' home) took me the same number of minutes. I'll be visiting the further out, less cool (so, to me, MORE cool) roastery location from now on. I just want an amazing shot with no pretense or hassle. I don't need to look any further, so why keep driving around? read more

My favorite coffee in the world! The baristas are so nice they try to remember your order if you are a regular and its the best feeling in the world when i come up and they ask me if i want the usual. Feels like some sort of movie scene! Generally the place became pretty popular and is packed a lot of the time, but that doesnt stop me. Their moscavado is the thing i recommend to everyone. read more

Our favorite coffee! Even brought my sister from California to try the coffee, she tasted the difference! The owner is funny, my husband and I have always have good experience. The girl (I wish I remembered her name) who works there is always so welcoming and makes our favorite drinks (iced caramel/vanilla (yes both flavors in one) lattes). It's cool to see the beans being roasted! :) read more

While I appreciate the freshly made-to-order drip coffee, I was not very impressed with the $3.50 I paid for the 8oz drip. The flavor of the coffee was not out of this world either; it tasted average. The guy who served us was quite rude too. I asked if he had any creamer and he responded sharply that "It was in the fridge where it belonged. Otherwise it starts harboring bacteria if its left on their counter and then they would fail their inspection... blah blah blah." Dude, I understand how bacteria works; I've done my fair share work in microbiology labs. I just was politely asking for some cream. Some suggestions directly to the owner: I gathered you know quite a bit about coffee; flavor profiles; its origins; how to properly roast, store, and serve it; etc. That's an awesome skill to have (especially around Vancouver/Portland). People, like me, come in to experience it first hand. However, the combination of your terse and egotistical attitude was a huge turn off for me and the others I came in with. If you had been a lot more polite in the way you handled our inquiries and obliged us to share some of your knowledge in a more friendly manner then I would have been much more delighted to pay a higher price for coffee. Unfortunately, I was unimpressed with the service; thus, I will be taking my business elsewhere from now on. It seems other Yelp reviewers have experienced similar things to me... might I suggest heeding some of our advice. read more

When you walk in here, expect great coffee, many kinds, all fresh. And you'll have the opportunity to have your espresso shots pulled by a master roaster who can tell you what he's aiming for in each single origin and blend. Other reviewers have put Mike down for being a coffee snob, criticized him for rudeness, and so on. I've visited twice now and seen regulars come in the door. He knows them all by name. He'll gladly serve cream or add syrup to your drink, whether or not you're a "regular." At first you might find him a little gruff, but let that go. He's actually a very nice fellow if you understand that he's doing all the roasting himself for the love of the craft while some people may walk in the door not knowing the difference between the quality he's serving and some big chain operation like *$. What's most refreshing here is Mike hasn't lost his enthusiasm for the bean and roasting it to bring all the flavors forward. His coffee costs what it does because he's sourcing the very best greens and his prices are very much in line with this level of specialty cafe. It isn't commodity coffee. If you order a single origin expect it to have a characteristic flavor profile, like you'll find with fine wines of a particular varietal and vintner. His blends balance those flavor subtleties toward what people may typically like. His Handlebar espresso is a somewhat darker roast that is just great for milk drinks. But you'll also be able to drink his beautifully nuanced Delirium blend and even try prized auction lots like Panama Esmeralda Gesha. read more

Awesome place. We buy our coffee in bulk here for our at home Breville machine. The beans make the best of lattes!

The special thing about this location is that it's where the roasting is done. You step in and the first thing you see is the roaster and burlap sacks of green beans laying about. It's more than just a good place to get a nice pull or a pour over. * You can spend some time talking shop with to very knowledgeable (and sometimes over-caffeinated) staff. * It's the only place I am aware of (in the 'Couve) that will sell green beans to home roasters like myself. * It's a good place to get a bit more "behind the scenes" for those interested in "how the sausage is made" in the coffee business. Worth the trek in my book. read more

Coffee good owner Mike is an arrogant coffee snob. If you want me to pay $$ and tip let me order my coffee with flavoring. I shouldn't go to a place that is supposed to be service orientated and be criticized! read more

Worst service. So rude it's worth the story. Coffee is not good enough to be so unfriendly. It's a little worse than stumptown. I would try Olympia coffee, Cova, or 20 other roaster in the PNW. It's about the only decent roaster in Vantucky. Classic big fish in a small pond. If you need coffee in Vancouver check out River Maiden or Fairway they have stumptown coffee and will treat you like a human. read more

This is a good as it gets for coffee spots. Doesn't look like much on the outside, but the service, selection and most importantly, the coffee is great. read more

Easily the best coffee in Vancouver. The management really cares about quality and the community. They do tons of charity events to help others and advertise them on Facebook with their own dime! Very fair price for the quality of coffee they serve. The baristas are not rude or condescending if you ask questions. All of their coffee houses are easy to get to and serve almost all the same drinks. The downtown Vancouver and Portland coffee shops are just beautiful and have a positive vibe. read more

Great coffee, friendly staff. Patiently and willingly answer all of my "rookie" coffee questions, nothing pretentious about these guys. I also buy their whole bean coffee to go. I love the Delirium and the Guatemalan. Both equally great for a press-pot or espresso. If you love good coffee, give these guys a try! read more

Compass coffee sets a high standard for coffee, and any customer stands to gain new insights into coffee roasting. I use to be a barista for a few years, but I've learned more about serious espresso extraction from just drinking coffee and asking questions of Mike, and his caffeinated associates. The year I have been frequenting Compass Coffee has changed my palette for the better. This location has super scrumptious scones as well but is lacking on the variety and quality of other pastries. read more

Awesome local roastery and coffee shop with a very chill vibe. Be sure to visit there when Curtis is behind the Espresso machine. This roastery makes the best small batch coffee in the greater Portland and Vancouver, WA area - seriously good coffee! If you are a coffee snob like I am, you have to add Compass Roastery and coffee shop to your MUST visit list. Remember, don't judge a book by its cover: the exterior doesn't say "Come inside" but the coffee says, "come back often." Be sure to take a bag of their beans home. However, if you do, you won't be satisfied with any other roastery afterwards... read more

I'll agree with Barb. The guy was a complete snob about the coffee he was serving up and had an attitude. I asked if he had of the coffee for sale that I could sample and he responded NO!, it would then have stale coffee sitting around. Ok. Easy guy. I ended up buying a bag of beans but will not do business here again just based on the guy's attitude. On top of all that, the place is not very clean. read more

This place delivers a definite quality product, but on several visits, I was most "impressed" by the arrogance of its staff and owners. One of the owners, a younger guy, spent several minutes talking to one of his baristas about the high standard of their customer service and interaction, while they both ignored me. I have had similar interactions on more than one occasion. They appear to think they have it all together, but there's a lot to be desired in the way they treat customers. Also - their roastery is always a mess! It makes me a little nervous eating and drinking something that comes out of that place. For similar quality and an exponentially more friendly and comfortable atmosphere, check out Paper Tiger, near Grand and Mill Plain. read more

Best coffee I've ever had, whether in the shop or made at home with their beans. Atmosphere of the shop on St Johns is something else, you feel like you are in a movie. read more

With school closed (Tuesday, Dec. 11th) my daughter and I found ourselves meandering down St. Johns and decided that we should check out this place called Compass Coffee. Overall, the coffee is on par with other top notch beans and roasters found in the best pacific northwest venues. The building and atmosphere is fairly bland, with emphasis on simply providing the best latte (and in my case - breve) one could possibly imagine in our neck-o-the-woods. My daughter really enjoyed the Christmas music being played in the background, and as my home-audiophile curiosity got the better of me, I discovered that Mike (the owner) had a sweet pair of old school Bang and Olufsen speakers pushing some Trans Siberian Orchestra into the air. Now, as I understand form others on this review, the owner may not be the best "people person" out there, and I know that much of what folks expect when ordering a top notch latte is to expect your happy-go-lucky (sometime overly sweet) attitude from other competing barristas. However, I think I struck a fond chord with Mike, as I mentioned that I have a great appreciation of the classic audiophile components he has performing on the wall. But back to coffee - Mike's experience with flavor, tone, and characteristics of coffee beans seem right on as I piqued some interest with him regarding some questions I asked regarding his sources of yirgacheffe and Nicaraguan beans. Would I come back? You bet. I left with a 12 oz. bag of the Santa Theresa (poor man's Kona) and was quite impressed with the light/medium roast quality as well as a very fine, almost pea-berry sized bean. In short, I'm a return customer for both the over the counter drip "to go" as well as their finely roasted products. read more