Speckled Ax,

567 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101

"The short haired female barista with a nose ring was super rude and catty during our transaction, however she and her coworker both seemed to be very experienced baristas making a very good product. The coffee from Speckled Axe seems to be emulating the most recent trend in western coffee of specialty, single origin, extremely lightly roasted product. Coffee of this style has a much more “planty” characteristic, no matter the origin. You tend to get much more acidic and bright notes from the flavors, very reminiscent of tea, even when properly extracted as espresso. I am glad they exist and are producing a product very representative of this style of roasting, but I am by far a much bigger fan of the heavy richness that can be introduced with more medium level roasts. I purchased a $22 bag of Honduras single origin and I must say, it’s interesting. My friend that does not traditionally enjoy coffee was very fond of the flat white I prepared for her, and even more enthusiastic about the cafe mocha I made after. These lighter coffees lend themselves well to people who dislike the strong flavor profile of more richly roasted coffees, so I will hold onto the Honduras for serving to my more timid friends. All in all, this is a very authentic new wave style roastery and coffee shop, which is true in all its characteristics, including the irritating gen z barista with a nose ring and a random confrontational and condescending attitude. Everything was perfect. Annoying, but perfect."

"This location is my go to when in Portland, ME. As a music maker, any establishment displaying their PRO license, gets my business. As a bonus the coffee is amazing!! Thanks for supporting music creators and making great coffee."

"Stopped here for a quick coffee before we left Portland for our weekend visit. Asked if they could make a flat white which wasn’t listed on the menu, they said yes and that their cappuccinos pretty much are flat whites, tasted great, perfect temp and lovely flavour. My husband said his salted hot chocolate was one of the best hot chocolates he’d ever had, and he’s had many! Staff were friendly and nice. Would definitely come back!"

"The Peach and Blueberry Coffee cake was absolutely delicious. The dirty chai was good, but nothing special in my opinion. If I go again I'll look for a uniquely flavored latte and get something like that. I like the atmosphere and the service was good and friendly."

"Spent this last weekend drinking coffee in almost every coffee shop around Portland & Speckled Ax was ABSOLUTELY the best that I had. The shop is beautiful and simply decorated. The menu is not extravagant, it simply highlights the delicious coffee. The maple latte is spectacular, as is the cortado. The two baristas I interacted with were the sweetest. Would definitely come back & if I lived in the area, I’d be a regular at that nice high top counter."