Comedian Brandon Lyons stirs up Portland's doughnut debate

Yes, but: He knows critiquing what some consider to be Portland's signature culinary offering is bound to ruffle feathers.

• "Like all food tasting videos, these are just my opinion," Lyons told Axios. "I don't think I'm God, I don't think I'm 100% right, I'm just trying to be funny."

Catch up quick: Lyons kicked off the series on Instagram in January with a visit to Coco Donuts, a local chain founded nearly 15 years ago and one of Lyons' favorites.

• When judging a shop, he uses a two-doughnut method: He orders one glazed and one specialty doughnut so he can have a baseline to compare to other places and then gives a rating out of 10.
• Lyons is specific in his criteria, too. "It's supposed to be light, it's supposed to be fluffy and it should be not oily at all," he said, adding that a doughnut should spring back once bitten and have minimal "goopage" on the bottom.

Zoom in: So far, he's hit up nearly all of Portland's popular haunts: From chains like Sesame, Blue Star and Voodoo to standalone shops like Doe Donuts, Pip's, Yanni's Greek Donuts, Annie's and more.

• As the series has gained steam on social media (some videos have garnered up to 75,000 views), users have offered up dozens of more hole-in-the-wall doughnut shops for Lyons to try across the region — and in the process, his reviews have introduced lesser-known bakeries to a broader audience.
• "If I can bring business to small businesses right now, that'd be sweet," he said.

The bottom line: Lyons still has dozens of shops left to visit before he crowns a winner, which he admits will likely be "really anticlimactic."

• As for whether his newfound following has translated into more ticket sales for his weekly standup shows? Not quite.
• Most viewers, he said, "probably think I'm a server at Helium."