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After purchasing a high-tech 7-kilogram coffee roaster, leasing a roasting location away from the cafe, and adding a new shop in Seattle, all in 2022, Push x Pull owners Christopher Hall and Emma Mansanti kept local expansion plans on hold—until now.
Push x Pull’s second cafe and roastery, where customers can see and smell the Loring S7 roaster in action as they enjoy their daily java jolt, opened Monday, Nov. 4. As at the original location, coffee comes from Push x Pull’s specialty stash of natural process, anaerobic and co-fermented beans sourced from around the world. But that is only part of the story.
The new location, lurking discreetly amid the Central Eastside’s light industrial and warehouse enclave along Southeast 6th Avenue and Market Street—the Grand Avenue Goodwill is two blocks south—offers state-of-the-art espresso drink delivery equipment. The most noteworthy component automatically measures, grinds, compacts and delivers espresso shots to order at the push of a button, one every 20 to 30 seconds. All but the top of the unit, from where the espresso drips, is obscured from view, hiding under the cafe’s clean and spacious front countertop.
For the coffee nerds out there, the Pacific Northwest-built machine is called a Mavam MM Super Auto. Hall tells WW it is the only one in use in Portland. He says Mavam owner and designer Michael Myers added the “MM” designation “in honor of his late mother who was a champion of Mike’s vision for Mavam.”
The new cafe also features a countertop Latte Art Factory that froths milk in precise, pre-measured quantities. Hall says it will reduce waste and provide “matchless temperature and texture stability.” Sadly, it is not self-service, can only handle dairy and oat milk due to under-counter space and, despite the appliance’s name, will not create unicorns, swans or any other whimsical art.
Hall believes Push x Pull’s automation “epitomizes where the specialty coffee industry is headed,” providing “flawless beverage production time and again.” Ironically, the automation will make guests’ experience more personal. Baristas are allowed to focus more of their attention on customer interaction.
But laptop warriors looking for another rent-free workspace may be chagrined—and others delighted—to learn that the new Push x Pull will not have Wi-Fi. Seating will also be limited, as is the menu, which currently serves only New Cascadia bagels and cookies. “Food is a work in progress,” Hall says, with more options coming in 2025.
For the rainy Monday opening, Push x Pull’s simple black exterior opened to a surprisingly colorful interior, with rich green walls and comforting orange counter accents contrasting with the pale wood and concrete production floor. Drinks were comped for lucky first-day visitors. The hottest-selling bag of beans that day appeared to be a new collaboration roast with Old Town’s Deadstock Coffee ($28), which teases surprising melon notes. The robin’s egg blue Latte Art Factory dispenses steamed milk in a blend that hits the sweet spot between foamy and creamy. The barista seemed naturally friendly, but did the LAF free him to form a stronger customer connection while he prepared drinks? Stop in and judge for yourself.
SEE IT: Push x Pull Roastery & Cafe, 1700 SE 6th Ave., pushxpullcoffee.com. 7 am–2 pm Monday–Friday.