Portland is among top cities for coffee lovers

• In a ranking of the 100 largest cities for "coffee lover-friendliness" — using metrics like the price of a cappuccino, number of cafes per capita, and average spending on coffee — Portland came in second place.

Yes, but: We ranked first for the city with the most coffee and tea manufacturers.

The intrigue: While Portland is home to 80 small-time "micro" roasters, large-scale distributors are headquartered here, too.

• Boutique brands such as Nossa Familia, Coava Coffee, Proud Mary and Water Avenue Coffee Company all have a beloved local following and roast direct-trade beans (bought directly from farmers) on site.
• But businesses like Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Steven Smith's Tazo were able to gain a footing in Rose City and then grow rapidly to gain national recognition.

Flashback: In 2015, Stumptown was bought by Peet's Coffee in a merger that allowed Stumptown to open 10 locations in Los Angeles, New York and Kyoto, Japan, as well as expand its whole bean distribution — where bags can be found in New Seasons, Safeway, Fred Meyer and Walmart.

• Portland-native Smith's Tazo was bought by Starbucks in 1999 for $8 million. In 2017, Starbucks sold the brand to Unilever for $385 million.

The bottom line: Portland's robust coffee scene starting in the '90s helped usher in the "third wave" coffee renaissance — meaning a latte is no longer simply a commodity to be quickly consumed, but a beverage to be enjoyed.