Coffee Talk

Stumptown Is Now Available in Growlers and Stubbies; Rival Roaster Smells Sellout

Just in time for summer, Stumptown has introduced its cold-brewed house blend in 10.5-ounce “stubby” bottles — perhaps the best thing to happen to bottled coffee since Manhattan Special. According to Ristretto, the stubbies will be available here by July 1. In the meantime, New York Press reports that Stumptown growlers are being sold at Nolita Mart. Yes, that’s 64 ounces of cold-brew for $3.99 (cost of the growler) plus $13.99 (cost of death by caffeination). As huge as that news is, it apparently isn’t the biggest thing happening in Stumptown’s world: Over at Eat Like a Man, La Colombe owner and coffee-world rabble-rouser Todd Carmichael writes that “some days ago… Duane Sorenson, the founder of Stumptown, the Che Guevara of the rock-star barista movement, sold his life’s work to the highest bidder.”

Though Carmichael says he’s “legally bound” against giving details, he accuses the roaster of “selling itself to Wall Street,” and says it’s now “a big-money ‘brand,’” though he also says that Sorenson will “remain as frontman.” It’s all very nebulous and Carmichael ends up plugging La Colombe as a Stumptown alternative, so who knows what’s going on here; we have a call in to Stumptown and will let you know if they confirm, deny, or fill us in.


The End of Stumptown, America’s Hippest Coffee Brand [Eat Like a Man/Esquire]
Ristretto | Stumptown Stubbies
[Ristretto/NYT]
The New Cool [NY Press]

Stumptown Is Now Available in Growlers and Stubbies; Rival Roaster Smells