About Us
Elevator Coffee was established in 2016. We operated a cafe in inner SE Portland until Fall 2020, and have an award winning coffee roasting business, currently selling online and as wholesale.
Our core values are high quality, attention to details, acting with integrity and transparency, and professional service without pretense. We take pride in being geeks, not snobs, and our high level of friendly service reflects that ethos. Finally, we continually work to improve ourselves and our products.
The team includes Jay Sycip, Andrew Coe and Jarrod Smith. Andrew and Jay met through connections in the bicycling industry. Jay is the founder and had the inspiration for the Elevator Cafe & Commons, Andrew is the roaster and coffee buyer, Jarrod is a jack-of-all-trades, doing a bit of everything including: roasting, sales, marketing, website management, deliveries, and more.
Elevator Coffee works hard to be contributors in the local coffee community and our areas of influence. This includes hosting coffee events in our old cafe space, and competing regularly in local and national coffee competitions. As well as donating to and supporting coffee to cycling teams and events, local schools, and other local nonprofits.
We also sell the coffee gear we like to use at home to our web store. We currently carry products from Baratza, Acaia, Able Brewing, Ratio, and Fellow.
We’d love to be a part of your coffee routine, whether that’s with cream and sugar, or as a shot of espresso.
Awards:
2016 Buckman Coffee Cascadia Cup Roasters Competition - 1st place, judge’s choice
2017 Aeropress Championships - 2nd place, pnw regionals
2017 Buckman Coffee Cascadia Cup Roasters Competition - 3rd place, people’s choice
2019 Aeropress Championships - 2nd place, pnw regionals
2019 Aeropress Championships - 3nd place, pnw regionals
2019 US Coffee Championships Preliminaries - 3rd place, roasters
2019 US Coffee Championships Preliminaries - 3rd place, cup tasters
2020 US Coffee Championships Regionals - 8th place, roasters
2020 US Coffee Championships Regionals - 11th place, cup tasters
2022 US Coffee National Championships - 5th place, roasters
2023 US Coffee Championships Regionals - 5th place, roasters
2023 US Coffee National Championships - 1st place, roasters
Meet the Elevator Team
Get to know the team, we’ve answered some questions so you can learn a little more about us.
How long have you been in coffee/where did you get started?
Andrew: In 2006 I got a job at Tully’s Coffee in Seattle after graduate school because I needed health insurance for bike racing. I fell in love with coffee and went from a barista to shop manager in a year. Then I took an engineering job and became a home roaster/coffee hobbyist until moving to Portland. In 2017 met Jay and joined the Elevator team as the coffee guy.
Jay: I’ve been in and out of coffee for a while since working as a Barista (if you want to call it that) right after art school. I worked there from the end of 1992 - 1994. My cousin and I opened a cafe / wine bar in SF named Cafe Royale (which still exists on Post and Leavenworth) around 1996, sold it in 1999. Finally, an opportunity to open a cafe in Portland happened in 2014-15 which is where the Elevator brand came from. So I’ve been dabbling with coffee on and off for 30 years, drinking it mostly.
Jarrod: I got started in coffee back in 2011 when I answered a craigslist ad for a dishwasher/warehouse person for an office coffee company. I quickly became interested in trying as many coffees as I could and within a few months, was working in sales and customer service.
Did you have a coffee “aha” moment?
Andrew: I’ve had several. At Tully’s, we had a Costa Rica Tres Rios limited offering that opened my eyes to how good coffee could be. It was the first time I liked drinking drip coffee black. In 2015, I did a cupping at Nossa Familia featuring a geisha coffee that blew my mind again.
Jay: Sneaking and drinking instant coffee with sugar and milk in Manila with an important figure in my life at age 13-14. I haven’t really stopped since. My taste has improved massively but that first cup that afternoon is etched in my brain.
Jarrod: It was at the Stumptown Annex about a decade ago. I remember going in there not knowing a thing about coffee and told the barista I was open to try anything. She pushed a ladder over to get a glass jar down from a shelf up too high and told me a story about the process and the farmer that grew it. It was the first time I had ever tasted a fruitier coffee and I couldn’t believe what I was drinking.
What is your favorite brew method?
Andrew: Aeropress has been my go to for a long time. I love immersion brews. I found the 2015 Japan Brewers Cup recipe (by Tetsu Kayusa, before he invented the 4:6 Hario recipe), and have used some version of that forever.
Jay: Espresso made into americano, 2nd would be a good drip.
Jarrod: V60, I’ve brewed hundreds of cups and it’s still my favorite way to make coffee. When I go out for coffee and it’s busy I usually just get batch brew, if it’s slower, I partake in the slowbar option they have available. I rarely get espresso drinks.
If you could only drink one coffee forever, what would it be?
Andrew: A washed Ethiopia Guji.
Jay: Something well rounded with some fruit or bright notes balanced with the nutty, chocolate notes. An Americano with a splash or milk.
Jarrod: Tough question! It would probably be a nice delicate washed coffee from Costa Rica. Some of my all time favorite coffees come from Costa Rica and I wouldn’t be mad if that’s what I had to drink.
What is your favorite part of the coffee industry?
Andrew: It’s such a diverse set of people! But also the intersection of art, science and tech in many of the new products coming out these days.
Jay: I like the recent advances in the industry, from sourcing to hardware, it’s so nerdy and nuanced which allows all levels of curiosity and commitment.
Jarrod: I really like the “newness” of it all and how quickly things and trends change. Over the past 10 years or so, there seems to be a new brewing device every week that you have to have. There were also some very “hard line” rules in coffee that no longer exist; we would tell our customers to never store coffee in the freezer, now I see it happening all of the time.
What other interests do you have besides coffee?
Andrew: Family time, bike racing, reading books,
Jay: I’m a family man so my family is always at the top of the list. I’ve also been in the bicycle industry for 30 years now and been lucky enough to be raised a gear head. So anything on 2 wheels, old vintage air-cooled German cars and vintage Italian scooters. Finally, travel. I love seeing new places and experiencing food/drink with family and friends.
Jarrod: I love music. I’ve played some type of instrument since I was 12, I started with the saxophone. I currently play the drums and guitar. I also love playing pinball!