Why do I love coffee? Okay, that sounds like a stupid question. The easy answer is it’s a culinary treat that perks my mind and warms my soul. But there’s much more to it than that. I love coffee because of the culture that surrounds it. From the people who crowd cafes, to the baristas, the roasters and the farmers, the coffee community attracts interesting people doing interesting things.

I was reminded of that recently while visiting Portland, Maine, for the first time. I was there with my wife for a friend’s wedding (photos). Since we had a few hours to tour the historic district (the whole place could be a historic district) we found a couple local cafes. The first was decent; a microroaster with a couple locations in town. I had an espresso that was unremarkable.

The second cafe was Bard Coffee. It was quickly apparent this place was serious about coffee. Not only was it a microroaster and cafe, but they had a Hario V60 rack, an AeroPress brewing station and a nice roster of single origins on the menu. I struck up a conversation with the barista on duty to find that Bard Coffee had recently completed a training session with a D.C. favorite of mind, Chinatown Coffee Co. From our discussion I learned that Bard Coffee was serious about quality, training and advancing the culinary craft.

I ordered a shot of espresso and Darlene had a Vietnamese coffee. Both were executed skillfully and the experience rivaled that of some of the better cafes I’d been to elsewhere. It was a real treat to have great conversation and great coffee, and I only regret we weren’t able to stay longer to learn more. I purchased a bag of the house espresso blend and we were on our way.

Days later I found Bard Coffee online and left a brief note about my experience on their Twitter and Facebook pages. It didn’t take long to hear back with a warm response. I asked about the blend in the espresso, because it was very balanced and had worked well as a shot, in my press pot and in the AeroPress. Here was the reply:

About a month ago, the seasons for our house blend beans waned and we switched to three new coffees that make for a balanced French press and a killer espresso shot. The carefully chosen blend is:

Ethiopian Sidamo
Brazilian Ipanima
El Salvadoran Santa Rita

I was impressed by the level of customer service, especially because it would have been easy not to consider me a customer any longer. I inquired about online ordering because I’d like to learn more about their coffees. Unfortunately, Bard Coffee doesn’t have an online ordering service right now. But, I was told we could “rock it old school” and setup an order over the phone whenever I was ready. It won’t be long before I’m ready.

Thank you Bard Coffee for your hospitality and your coffee. You’ll hear from me again!