My quest to find good coffee took me outside the city limits the other day. I traveled up the I-5 corridor from a city who’s catchphrase is “Keep Portland weird!” to a city that likes to say “Keep Vancouver normal.” While the cultures of the two cities are very different, one thing they share (besides the rain) is good coffee. Before any Portlanders reading this get upset, I want to make it clear that I’m not implying the two are coffee equals. So far, Portland has a clear lead. In fact, until the other day I didn’t even know that Vancouver was competitive.

However, yesterday a friend of mine from Vancouver, Tim Downing, introduced me to Nor’West Coffee and I found that there are a few coffee experts in the state to our north as well. Nor’West is a café that has been around for nearly three years. After roasting his own coffee for about seven years, Mike McGinness, the owner, began roasting commercially three years ago under the name Compass Coffee. The company has three retail outlets—one in downtown Vancouver (Compass Coffee), one in North Vancouver (Nor’West) and one in Beaverton (Java Nation) that it acquired three months ago.

Nor'West Coffee

At the end of my long journey to find Café Delirium, I was like a man who had staggered across the desert searching for water. Thirst had overcome my strength and I was about to give up, leaving myself to bake in the desert sun and feed the vultures. One step short of giving up, my weary eyes spotted something in the distance. Were those trees? Could there be water up ahead, or was it just another mirage like so many others had been? Could I have really found my destination? I was hopeful—and a few steps later I realized I had made it to the promised land! Tears of joy and relief filled my eyes as I stumbled the last few steps into paradise. A lake of fresh, cool water awaited me! I plunged my hands in, then my head and finally my whole body, my refreshment complete. . . .

The sign leading to paradise

Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but you can imagine how happy I was to reach the café after walking for so long. Café Delirium could have been the worst café I’ve ever been to and I would have been inclined to give it a great review. I did enjoy my time at Café Delirium, but not only because it was such a relief to get there. Located in Historic Downtown Gresham, the café is a fun place to hang out. When you walk in you feel welcomed. The large café has a mix of seating: big stuffed chairs, perfect for lounging with a book and a cappuccino. There are a couple couches where you can grab a latte and catch up with friends after work or school. If you want to write or study, you can do that too at one of the café’s several tables.