Portola Handcrafted Coffee Roasters
Portola Handcrafted Coffee Roasters has at its core a fanatic passion for coffee. Portola is a simple company intent on crafting simply the best tasting coffee imaginable. From this love and passion for coffee it all began. Of course this alone cannot create coffee above all others.
No – for a handcrafted roaster, words like meticulous, tedious, patience, experimentation and repetition describe the behind-the-scenes work required of every great coffee. Small is key - a counterintuitive concept amongst the coffee giants of today. Intimacy in process is difficult, but absolutely necessary in order to coax, lure, and entice those subtle, yet shockingly amazing flavors from the bean.
Most troublesome is delivering freshness – the most sought-after goal in today’s specialty coffee market, but one with few successes. Flavor and freshness are like Juno’s swans in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” - “coupled and inseparable.”
We pride ourselves in delivering the titillating flavors of freshness from our roaster to your cup; because quite frankly, none of this stuff would matter otherwise. Quality in product and process… that is the Portola difference. 
Of course it’s not just about us. As much as we would like to take all of the credit, there is another chapter to this story. The best coffee begins with the best beans. The best beans are the product of hard work, dedication, and ideal growing conditions. This compels us to honor the farmers who dedicate themselves - not only to the quality beans they grow and harvest - but also to the environment in which they’re grown. We know we alone cannot solve the problems of the world, but we can certainly do our small part to help. That’s why we choose to hand-select the highest quality Arabica beans from around the world that are certified to promote environmental and social sustainability.
...Doing the right thing has never tasted so good!




PORTOLA ETHIOPIA (on Ethiopia Organic Sha...)
broseph | broseph | Thu, 06/09/2011Stellar. Delivers on its tasting notes in a powerful way. If you want to be assaulted by honeyed sugarplums, here's your chance.
GREAT COFFEE! (on Brazil Nossa Senhora...)
salbal81 | Wed, 05/25/2011This is a wonderful coffee. No matter whether you drink it black, or with milk it tastes great. It is balanced, creamy, smooth and makes you feel good.
WONDERFULLY RICH FULL BODIED (on Portola "Boldness Be...)
jgseitz9830 | jgseitz9830 | Thu, 03/10/2011Wonderfully rich full bodied coffee, one of our favorites!
FIRST, I LOVE KNOWING THAT I (on Sumatra Aceh Arinaga...)
michelle.martinz | michelle.martinz | Fri, 01/14/2011First, I love knowing that I am drinking an organic, Fair Trade certified cup of coffee. The Sumatra Aceh Arinagata Coffee has such a lovely, deep, bold body with just a hint of sweetness and spice. Overall, the taste is very balanced and tastes wonderful on its own or with a splash of milk. I would definitely drink this again and again!
PORTOLA HOLY GRAIL (on Portola Holy Grail C...)
Gazy | Gazy | Tue, 09/28/2010Medium roasted beans with good fragrance. The aroma when grinding was nice. Flavor: I liked its moderate acidity and its medium body. Personally I would have preferred a more fruity flavor. Would like to try other coffees from this roaster.
BRAZIL NOSSA SENHORA DE FATIMA ORGA... (on Brazil Nossa Senhora...)
trixi323 | Thu, 09/16/2010The first thing that got my attention was the absolute warp speed of shipping and delivery. It arrived with a hand written roast date on it. My roast date was only 2 days prior to it arriving at my home. It has a distinctive gold package with a lovely reusable metal bag clip. The fragrance of the beans was delightful- as only beans that freshly roasted can be. The fragrance made many promises, and the brewing delivered! It has a slightly smoky taste, followed with a mild fruity/chocolaty after-taste. I drank the first cup black to get the full effect and discovered that it is very smooth with no bite or bitterness. It is a very well rounded coffee and I enjoy starting my morning with it daily!
A "FUN" COFFEE - INDIA BALMAADI EST... (on India Balmaadi Estat...)
Lisa | Lisa | Wed, 09/08/2010This is a nice coffee. It needs very little enhancement (I still had to put a teaspoon of sugar in it while my dad drank his black). It is very silky, aromatic, a good flavor with nice hints of citrus. We both drank it hot. The packaging is fun too. It is dated on back and talks about the coffee in general. One side talks about how to store the coffee (they do not suggest but straight out say “room temperature” and to “never store in a freezer or refrigerator...ever!”. The other side has a “disclaimer” on it. The disclaimer on it is fun too. It says: “Warning. Package contains excessive amounts of quality and good will. May spawn feelings of responsibility and taste bud delight. Brew at your own risk.” If I had to do single word reviews? “Nice”, “Enjoyable”, “Pleasurable” would be words that I would choose.