The city of Portland has an eccentric coffee scene, being ranked the No. 4 coffee city in the United States. With coffee shops on seemingly every corner, the options for coffee feel infinite.
In 2022, nearly 60 percent of the world’s coffee production came from Latin America and the Caribbean. Here in Portland, Latinx coffee shop owners are making waves, connecting their businesses to their own Latin American origins.
I had the opportunity to visit several of these local cafes, sampling a series of lattes that not only taught me more about other cultures, but made me feel more connected to my own.
La Perlita
Located just eight minutes from campus, La Perlita has been one of my go-to coffee shops throughout my time at UP. In June of 2020, República & Co. founder Angel Medina opened the doors to La Perlita.
As a first generation Mexican American-owned business, La Perlita pays homage to Mexican culture not just through its menu, but throughout the entire establishment.
A plushie of Doctor Simi, the mascot of Mexican pharmaceutical chain Farmacias Similares, can be found nestled under the bright neon store sign. Pan dulces by Mexican-owned Geo Bakery are featured on the menu from Thursday to Monday. And every time I go inside the shop, cumbias sonideras play over the cafe’s speakers.

My drink recommendation is a hot True Mexican Mocha. A spin on the classic drink, this mocha tastes just like a Mexican hot chocolate, the spices coming together to create a rich, warm aroma. Sprinkled with cacao and freeze-dried strawberries, this drink is best enjoyed on a rainy Portland day.
And of course, don’t forget to grab a concha!
Café Zamora
Guatemalan-owned shop Café Zamora stands out with its unique ties to the coffee production industry. Owner Hector Zamora’s family harvested coffee in Guatemala through their family farm. In May of 2019, Zamora fulfilled his dream of opening his very own coffee shop in the U.S.

As I browsed the menu, one item in particular stood out to me: the Chagachino.
Inonotus obliquus, better known as the Chaga mushroom, can be typically found on birch trees in colder climate regions such as Siberia and Alaska. These mushrooms are typically utilized for their medicinal properties, which include boosting the immune system and lowering cholesterol, and are commonly prepared in tea or supplements.
Café Zamora puts a spin on this, featuring it in their drinks. Upon my first sip, I noted how the Chaga gave the drink a more earthy taste. Yet, the earthiness was complementary rather than overpowering. If you’re curious to try Chaga for yourself, I recommend stopping by Café Zamora and trying either the Chagachino or the Chaga Matcha.
Kilo D’Kofi
Nestled in downtown Portland, Kilo D’Kofi is an intimate Mexican-owned coffee shop that uses coffee as a way to connect with the flavors of Mexican culture.

As I stepped into the shop, I was immediately greeted by the scent of cafe de olla, which is Mexican spiced coffee that is traditionally cooked in a clay pot. This traditional drink has a deep history with Mexican culture, being the drink of choice for Mexican soldiers in the early days of the Mexican Revolution.
Their menu features flavors like cafe de olla, tres leches and horchata — all flavors that tie back to the owners’ Mexican roots.
At this location, I’d recommend trying an iced Tres Leches Latte. Although I had it cold, it was rich and flavorful but not overwhelmingly sweet. The way it tasted just like the tres leches you’d find at a Mexican birthday party made me feel nostalgic.
Cadejo Coffee
Also located in Downtown Portland, Cadejo Coffee is a Nicaraguan Mexican-owned shop.
With the U.S. coffee business being predominantly white, founder and owner Jacob Anthony Abea felt driven to be part of the representation of Latinx business owners in the industry.
“It was important for me to also show people that we're not just the people that are picking your beans,” Abea said. “We're the people that are crafting it with the utmost of care as well.”

Alongside coffee, Cadejo Coffee features a brunch menu by Mexican pop-up shop Ancestro PDX from Thursday to Sunday. Part of the República & Co. brand, chefs Marco Escamilla and Leticia Escamilla use passed-down family recipes as inspiration for their menus. This has included traditional Mexican foods like mole, pozole and huaraches.
My drink recommendation here is the hot Cafe de Olla Latte. The house-made cafe de olla syrup amazed me, tasting exactly like the traditional drink. This is another drink I’d recommend to have on a gloomy day. There is no better way to enjoy a hot cup of cafe de olla.
“'I’ve had so many customers that have never had cafe de olla, never heard of it,” Abea said. “And now we're just broadening their minds, and they get to try something new and learn something more about our culture.”
Electrica Coffee
Found inside a furniture shop in Northwest Portland, Japanese Mexican-owned Electrica PDX features a blend of the two cultures.
With the support of República & Co., Seiji Nanbu founded a coffee shop where he could bring Japanese and Mexican flavors together to form a unique menu.
For Nanbu, receiving the opportunity from República & Co. to start his own business attested to the support he finds among people of color in the coffee industry.
“Especially people of color, especially people of similar backgrounds [to mine], nobody else is gonna help us,” Nanbu said. “We just need to work hard, like our parents worked hard.”

Here, I recommend the Pumpkin Spice Mole Latte. Using a Oaxacan-style mole sauce, the drink is unlike any pumpkin spice latte I’ve had before.
I’ll admit, I was surprised that mole, a food that is very rich, savory and sometimes even spicy, blended with the pumpkin spice to create a flavorful, comforting drink that reminded me of home.
Tiffany Marquez Escobar is the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at marqueze25@up.edu.