We were up before the sun to begin our long drive home to Iowa, and as we headed out of town I realized I still had one Bucket List item left unchecked! All week long I had seen LINES of cars…waiting to buy coffee at little kiosks all over Yamhill County. People were waiting in line for Dutch Brothers Coffee. In fact, it had become somewhat of a game for me to snap photos of the waiting lines of cars during our stay.
Could it really be worth the wait?
Now, just for the record, I am one of the few people in the universe who doesn’t care for Starbucks. To me, their coffee tastes like the beans have been burned during roasting. Don’t get me wrong…I love full bodied dark roast coffee, but that bitter edge in Starbucks coffee is not for me.
I wondered if Dutch Brothers Coffee might be something I’d like…but we had never taken time to wait in line so I could find out. And now our stay was over. (Sigh.)
And speaking of bitter…our early morning departure was definitely bitter-sweet since we had enjoyed every minute of our Western trip, but the early morning darkness was another beautiful sight to enjoy in silence as we drove.
The sunrise was magical…and suddenly I saw it. Majestic Mt. Hood!
The sun continued to creep over the horizon.
And suddenly as we passed through a sleepy little Oregon town…I SAW it! The sign!
Peepaw grinned and whipped the car into the parking lot (no lines yet!) and we were greeted by a wide awake sweet and smiling young woman. She seemed quite perky for being awake so very early in the day. (I think she might have had her cup of joe already!)
She took my order, and it was quickly delivered by another smiling early bird named Rhino.
I told him about my Bucket List and how happy I was to get a taste of Dutch Brothers Coffee at the very last minute on our way home. And as Peepaw pulled out his wallet to buy my brew, Rhino informed us it was “on the house”…And he wished us safe travels on our long road home!
What an amazing exclamation point at the end of our Oregon vacation. (Thanks again Rhino…now my Instagram pal!)
So as the sun rose, and as I watched Mt. Hood disappear in our rear view mirror…
What about that Dutch Brothers Coffee?
It was absolutely WONDERFUL, DELISH, MARVELOUS, SMOOTH, TASTY.
Meemaw’s Bucket List?
Check!
again– love it!!- I was having coffee while I read this one!!
good coffee!!
LOL…Thanks Linda. Yes, that Dutch Bros. Coffee was good to the last drop. And barista Rhino made my day. (What a great ending to our Oregon adventure.) Now…I think I’ll go pour my second cup of my “home brew” this morning. 🙂
Dutch Bros sells Kcups or yup Kureig! You can always have Dutch!
Thanks for the info Wendy. That’s good to know!:-)
You seem to find the “pot of gold ” or pot of coffee at the end of rainbow! Great way to end a great trip. Dorothy
LOL! You’re right, Dorothy!!! It was truly the icing on our Oregon cake!!
I am with you on the starbucks ! Then I am not too fond of the prices; especially after not being so thrilled with the taste. we are also fans of strong robust flavor but not the over roasted flavor.
Thanks for your comment Brenda. I’m glad to see I’m not alone in my coffee likes and dislikes! I bet you would like Dutch Bros. just like I did! (Let me know if you get a chance to try it…) 🙂
My family moved to the Willamette valley from southeast South Dakota. I was hooked the first time I tried Dutch Brothers! They have the friendliest staff and they all look like they enjoy their jobs. I think Dutch Bros. would fit right in with northwest Iowa,Dutch country.
Thanks Sonya! I think you may be right about Dutch Bros. and their fine employees being a good fit here in Iowa. (I hope they’re listening!) After all…we Iowans are known for being “Iowa Nice”! 🙂
Aw! It’s Brittany and Rhino! I am so glad that out of all of the stands you passed that you were able to make it to one of the Newberg locations 🙂 Come back to Oregon soon!
Thank you so much for your kind comment Sydney! And thanks for your open invitation to return! We hope to bring a group of wine tasters back next August…and Dutch Bros. Coffee will be part of our visit! Sign up for my updates to see where we’re headed next!