West Coast roasters have largely defined and refined how Americans drink and think about their morning cup of joe. They have turned a morning ritual into an obsession. Left Coast Roast is a caffeine-fueled guide to 55 key companies in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California—from small artisan roasters like Heart, Coava, and Kuma and history-making icons like Peet's and Starbucks, to rapidly expanding shops like Portland's Stumptown and San Francisco's Blue Bottle. Profiles describe each company's background, roasting history, and style, and explain how to visit and order beans for home brewing.
Hanna Neuschwander has written extensively about the quality-based coffee-roasting movement in the Pacific Northwest for publications including
Portland Monthly, Willamette Week, and
Edible Portland. She began her career in coffee working as a barista and has since judged regional barista competitions and written for
Barista Magazine. She also writes about food and has produced several travel guides, including
Secret Portland and
Secret Vancouver.
Between the hours of nine and five, she is the communications director for the Graduate School of Education and Counseling at Lewis & Clark College and the managing editor of Democracy & Education, an academic journal of progressive education theory.
Hanna lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, where they possess an entire kitchen cabinet full of devices for making coffee. She pollutes her morning cup with one sugar and a spoonful of cream, but takes all afternoon espresso neat.
