Here is a sampling on what tour guests are saying about Third Wave Coffee Tours:
 Fun and Factual
On a winter weekday, I was fortunate to have a solo tour with Lora. Her knowledge and passion are combined with a warm, approachable demeanor. She presented a wide variety of information on coffee origins, processing and roasting, supplemented by the various baristas with whom we got private interactions. We visited a broad variety of venues, each with a unique offering/style/focus. As a tourist, this felt like a very Portland/Pacific NW activity, but I think it would be fun and informative for any coffee-loving local too. I brought home knowledge that guides both my coffee purchases and my brewing techniques. Very enjoyable morning, would love to try another version of the coffee tour too. Zerve, March 2016
Wake up and smell the Portland coffee scene. One of the main reasons I came to Portland was to check out its ever-expanding coffee scene and a friend (and fellow coffee lover) recommended Third Wave Coffee Tours after she and her husband did one last year. I also heartily recommend doing one of Lora's tours, whether you're a coffee pro or just want to know more about the city's cafes and coffee roasteries.
I did the Streetcar Named Delicious tour and we visited five different cafes. Lora, our lovely guide, gave us a bit of coffee history and some information about the roasting and brewing process and then we set out. The great thing was that each cafe visit was slightly different: at one coffee bar, we had a brew method demonstration, for example, and at another we watched the roasting process. We used the streetcar to hop between coffee spots in both the downtown area and on the East Side.
Lora was very knowledgeable and passionate about coffee and about Portland, and gave me several recommendations for places to eat and other coffee shops I might like to visit (in case I hadn't had enough coffee; I hadn't). If you like coffee and are interested in doing a walking tour that's a little bit different - and very 'Portland' - then check out Third Wave Tours. TripAdvisor, Feb 2016
Allow me to start by saying that this is HANDS DOWN the best tour I've ever been on. I'll go as far as to say that it'll be the best tour you'll ever go on, too.
Perhaps the most important detail of this review is that I am not a coffee drinker. In fact, I detest coffee. Well, until now. I purchased this tour as a surprise gift and went along for the streetcar ride around Portland. But wait. A three hour tour?! A three hour touuuurrr... Oh no. What was I possibly going to do for three whole hours while everyone else was enjoying coffee? Little did I know, I'd never want the tour to end!
Lora, our amazing and knowledgeable tour guide made our adventure fun and engaging from the first moment we all sat down at Case Study Café. She is truly a wealth of knowledge! By the time she had finished explaining different types of beans, I was curious enough to try a sip. I'm so glad I did! Ethan, our first barista, taught us about different brewing methods using the same coffee. We tried samples from each brew and the tastes were drastically different, albeit all delicious! No bitterness. No burnt taste. Just perfect, amazing coffee! So, it's safe to say that by stop #1, I was a coffee convert. Hooray!
The next four stops were equally as amazing as our first. Each of the stops were completely unique and Lora offered a very well rounded experience for all of us. Our tour group members tried coffee beverages that we've never had before. No coffee was left behind. I think that's a pretty great testimony!
Luckily, my tour group was amazing in itself. Everyone was friendly, funny and open to good times. What a perfect tour with perfect people! Can't wait to experience another tour with Third Wave! Hope to see people from my group again. Maybe I'll see you, my fellow Yelper, next time! :)Yelp, July, 2015
Best Coffee Experience Portland has to offer! First of all, I collaborate with coffee shops all over Portland. I've been to some amazing ones and other I would never visit again. As a coffee connoisseur I can honestly say that the Third Wave coffeeshop selections are SPOT ON! Lora was very knowledgable about the coffee industry and answered all of our questions with a smile, while on our tour. The baristas at each shop were super friendly, very accommodating and offered a wealth of knowledge. I will be booking a ticket for each tour that is offered! I REALLY enjoyed myself and have already recommended to my friends/family. Zerve, January 2015
The Best Thing We Did in Portland! I signed up for this tour because my husband has been roasting his own coffee for years and I thought it would be interesting. But I had no idea just how interesting it would be... We did the tour on a Saturday so we were led by Lauren who is a real wealth of information. In addition to being informative, it's also really fun and a great way to see Portland. We started at Case Study Coffee, a lovely place we went back to later. The tour ended at Public Domain with a cupping. And there were a lot of great coffee shops along the way. All of the coffee was so interesting I drank it all--and was very wired by the end. Would suggest a more restrained tasting--as Lauren had suggested. Anyway, strongly recommend this tour. We also did a bike tour which was great, hit the Alberta Arts District and visited some really interesting restaurants. But the coffee tour was our favorite. Don't miss it if your remotely interested in coffee! Zerve, August 2014
Loved it. Don't miss! We took the SW coffee tour and it was awesome. Lora was very knowledgable and we loved her approach. She shared lots of info and insight but also let the group and well as the baristas share with each other as well. The coffee roasters were all so different & we learned so much. The 3 hours flew by. My husband is now roasting his own coffee because of what we learned from everyone in our tour! We wish we could have stayed in portland longer and done another one. If you love coffee this is for you. If you aren't sure you love coffee, take this tour and I bet you will find something you love!! TripAdvisor, August 2014
Highlight of our trip to Portland! We did the Sunday Street Car tour with Laura and we had a fabulous time. The demonstrations were fun and informative, the coffee shops were all unique and beautiful, and Laura, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable not only about coffee, but about Portland as well. She made suggestion about where to go to eat and other coffee shops to try and every single suggestion she made was awesome! We would highly recommend this tour to anyone who enjoys coffee and would like to learn a bit more about it. We will definitely be doing another on our return visit to Portland!! Zerve, August 2014
This is a fantastic tour. My wife and I are avid coffee people. We roast and brew our own coffee and absolutely loved this experience. Laura is amazingly informative and gracious and took us to a great variety of Portland coffee roasters. We experienced several brew methods (pourover, press, espresso) and lots of varieties of coffee at different roast levels. A lot of people hear about this trip and think that they will be drinking gallons of coffee the whole time - that's just not what this is. Each stop we were served a tasty and tasteful amount of coffee, just enough to get the experience and then move on. Yeah, all the baristas were a bit "rad", but everyone we encountered was amazingly friendly and helpful. BE WARNED - this trip will forever change the way you interact with coffee!! Zerve, August 2014
Just went on a FABULOUS coffee tour of the Pearl with Third Wave Coffee Tours. I can't say enough good things about it!! If you want to find out all about coffee, visit some little out of the way coffee places that you never knew about and see some pretty funky coffee contraptions that Beaker and Dr. Honeydew from the Muppets might use... then sign yourself up for a tour! A great way to spend the day with a fun and VERY knowledgable tour guide!! (Thanks Lora!!) Facebook, May 2014
Portlanders take their coffee seriously.
My adult daughter booked this tour, and i went along for the ride. I drink Costco French Roast (i am not terribly sophisticated when it comes to coffee), but i was just delighted to learn so much about the origins of coffee, the best way to make it, how the method determines flavor, the different types of espresso + milk and flavors, the importance of the roaster, fair trade coffee, cupping/tasting & comparing different sources of coffee beans, how to make those fancy designs with milk foam. Each stop introduced something new: affogato, a flavored espresso from a truck, a macchiato in a bicycle shop... The guide was knowledgeable,so personable and accommodating. Highly recommended. Zerve, January 2014
Definitely worth it & can't wait to go on others! I was fortunate to have a one-on-one tour with Lora. She and the baristas we met along the way are a wealth of knowledge! I learned way more than I had expected! This is not just about discovering coffee shops in Portland - it's discovering the artistry of coffee, the passion of its roasters, as well as tidbits about Portland's history and the coffee movement. Be prepared for 3-4 hours of brisk walking and have snacks handy if you know a small bite along the way won't tide you over. I live in Portland and each place we visited was a new discovery for me! I can't wait to try out the other Third Wave Coffee Tours in other parts of town! Zerve, Jan 2014
Different perspective on Portland OR
I live in Vancouver, my friend is from So Cal, but we both have visited Portland often. This tour provided a unique perspective of the city I had not had. Walking Portland for pleasure had not been high on my list. That is now changed. Our guide was very informative not only about the coffee scene in Portland, but about the city in general. The variety of coffee shops we visited was varied and impressive, especially the coffee cart. She has developed a lot of information about the independent shops in the area, and her contacts enhanced our experience. I will most definitely recommend this tour to friends and future visitors. On-line information was easy to find; the reservations were easy to make; the tour guide was almost immediately responsive to our reservation and request for information. All in all, a delightful and enlightening experience, on several levels. Best regards, AM. Zerve, Jan 2014
Fun Informative and Great Value
We took the streetcar tour, had a wonderful time and plan to go again. We live in Portland and still learned a lot about the history of coffee roasting here, as well as got to try lots of different brew methods, learning what differentiates each one, what the advantages of each are, and how one can achieve similar results at home. Included in the price were enough small food items that we didn't feel too caffeinated, as well as the streetcar fare, so we didn't have to think about anything--just showed up and had a great time. There was a nice variety of interesting people on the tour: locals, out of town visitors from Seattle and rural PNW, as well as some people from overseas-so it made for great conversations about coffee culture in various places. I recommend the tour to anyone who loves coffee and learning, foodie or otherwise! Zerve, Oct 2013
I love coffee. But I never appreciated the art and craft of it, till this GREAT tour! Lora - you are a wealth of knowledge and fun to hang with! Thanks for exposing us to the local gems of artisanal coffee in the Portland area and enabling us to discover what truly fine brewed coffee SHOULD taste like! Yelp, December 2013
Really fun tour and Lora is AWESOME! She's knowledgable and informative of the coffee culture world wide and the local scene and brewers! Not to be missed! Yelp, December 2013
If you consider yourself a coffee lover, a coffee connoisseur or simply just love the smell and ambiance of coffee, you will love this tour. I had the pleasure of being one of the first tourists to take this tour. (In the end I took all three tours.) Not only did I enjoy wonderful coffees in some of the coolest cafés in Portland, I educated my palette on the many fruity flavors of coffee and I found that such high quality, light to medium roasted coffees do not need my standard coffee and sugar additions. I enjoyed the coffees served on this tour au naturel. The servings were small so it is not like you are overdosing on caffeine. I also learned that brewing coffee is both an art and science (with a lot of science actually) and I found the different brewing methods really unique, learning how the same coffee can taste so different depending on the method. I went home realizing that my morning brew needs a makeover and it really is not that difficult to get it right when you buy a good quality bean. I also enjoyed learning all about the origins of the coffee and direct trade practices with the coffee farmers which made me appreciate even more the cup I was drinking. Overall the tours were lighthearted, educational and the café owners super friendly and informative. Perfect for a pleasant afternoon walk around Portland, café visits and coffee like you've never experienced before! Yelp, November 2013
 What a fun and educational tour through Portland's Pearl District. Not only do you taste and experience the world's best coffee in the quaint and unique parts of Portland, but, as you walk, you experience the sites of the finest restaurants, shops and historical sites of the city. Third Wave Coffee tours offer it all!
Yelp, November 2013
Great Tour! I really enjoyed the Northwest & Pearl District tour I took with Lora last week. We went to 6 different local coffee roasters and cafes and it was a really cool experience! Lora was very informative about what "third wave coffee" is, but was also laid back and fun to hang out with. All of the places we visited were prepared for us and were genuinely excited to share their brewing methods, roasting methods, etc. Lora thoughtfully even brought us all a treat from Ken's Artisan Bakery to nibble on at one of the stops. We had macchiatto, espresso, coffee prepared multiple ways, and a really interesting cupping experience. I learned more than I thought I would about coffee culture and about Portland's coffee scene. Thanks for the great tour! TripAdvisor, November 2013
I've been a coffee drinker for decades. I wasn't sure what I was going to experience. Just a better cup of coffee? Well, get ready to be surprised & swept off your feet by a drink you thought you already knew! Facebook, January 2014
I've been on one these tours and highly recommend it!!! The tour guide is so friendly and knowledgeable PLUS she gets you top notch service at all the best shops!!! You won't want to miss this experience! Facebook, October 2013
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