Northwest Magazines

Story and photos by Linda Sawyer
I was driving home to Medford, heading north on Interstate 5 after visiting my daughter at college. I can't seem to drive very far these days without feeling like I need a bathroom, a nap, and a massage. I needed to stop. Like a miracle, a billboard announced a specialty coffee stand up ahead. Hope. I needed some caffeine before attacking the Siskiyou Mountains. I never found that kiosk, but the idea for Baristas Without Borders, a guide to coffee kiosks near I-5, was born.

My good friend Allison Jackson and I soon embarked on our odyssey to find every coffee kiosk within a mile of I-5, between Oregon's southern border and Canada. We drove 1500 miles, 12 to 14 hours a day, with seat warmers turned on high. What we discovered was roughly 101 quirky, individually owned kiosks along I-5, from Hot Stuff Espresso in Ashland, Oregon, to Blaine, Washington's C/V Steamers. The coffee stands are amazing: entrepreneurial, individual, funky, and like our rivers and weather, uniquely Pacific Northwest.

We drove in traffic and in nasty weather, remembering all the years hauling our kids to sporting events. A few kiosks were doing business even back in the 90s, like Country Java in Coburg, Oregon. I discovered this oasis, which sits in the parking lot of a chicken hatchery, while hauling my son and his horse to various shows.

The coffee stands are amazing: entrepreneurial, individual, funky, and like our rivers and weather, uniquely Pacific Northwest.

These days, running a kiosk has evolved into an art form, and the competition is fierce. Roughly $1 billion of the United States coffee industry's $11 billion in retail sales is in specialty coffee kiosks, which first sprouted here in the Pacific Northwest. We are drinking more coffee in travel mugs and to-go cups, while driving, than ever before. Each kiosk has its own blend of brewed coffee, specialty drinks, and goodies. Mystic Brew, off exit 119 in Winston, Oregon, has both French press coffee and Frito pie. Some kiosks specialize in organics, teas, or Fair Trade beans. The book includes directions, hours, RV access, bathroom status, pet and kid-friendly stops and other related comments. Cooper the dog, at four months old, tested the pet areas personally and often.

Big Rig Coffee, off exit 278 in Aurora, Oregon, is the place to find a hazelnut mocha

By the end of the trip, we began to see kiosk mirages. Every barn and billboard looked like a kiosk. Even the puppy was affected. By the time we hit the last kiosk on American soil, he was begging dog bones like a pro. It was time to turn around, check facts, go home, and put together a book for fellow coffee-loving travelers.

Going south towards home, we decided the specialty coffee kiosk trend is large enough that some etiquette needs to be established. I was a barista for years at a drive-thru window and remembered how cell phones and other distractions affected customer behavior. So I included etiquette and tipping practices in the book, as well as coffee terms, facts, and quotes that are both amusing and informative. Because we've noted our own memory loss lately, Allison and I left a few blank pages for you to document your own favorite stops.

I wish I'd had this book years ago. I would have been a better driver and a much happier parent. No longer will you have to turn up the radio and roll down the windows to stay awake. We dedicate this one-of-a-kind book to total strangers who require their caffeine while traveling our area, whether at leisure or with a purpose. We also dedicate it to the baristas who serve us in all weather, adjusting the machines, cleaning spilled milk and grinds, getting burned on hot pitchers, and hoping drinks materialize into tips for gas.

Baristas Without Borders is available through Amazon.com (www.amazon.com), AAA of Oregon travel stores, and Inkwater Press (503-968-6777; www.inkwaterpress.com).

Linda Sawyer and her husband Rick have lived in Medford, Oregon, for 21 years. Linda worked as a barista at Melello's Roasters before writing Baristas Without Borders with her friend Allison Jackson.

Northwest Travel Magazine January/February 2007