Speckled Ax

Honestly not a bad spot. Ambience is nice. People are chill and coffee is good. Also in downtown area which is good. Parking is just around the corner. Overall I would give it an 8/10

Best coffee in Portland. Maine hardwood fire roasted. A little pricey but good. Bought a box of Costa Rican beans, tasting notes: grape Jolly Rancher, brownie and lemon zest. When I opened the bag I could already taste the Jolly Rancher, so accurate.

Stopped here for a quick coffee before we left Portland for our weekend visit. Asked if they could make a flat white which wasn’t listed on the menu, they said yes and that their cappuccinos pretty much are flat whites, tasted great, perfect temp and lovely flavour. My husband said his salted hot chocolate was one of the best hot chocolates he’d ever had, and he’s had many! Staff were friendly and nice. Would definitely come back!

The Peach and Blueberry Coffee cake was absolutely delicious. The dirty chai was good, but nothing special in my opinion. If I go again I'll look for a uniquely flavored latte and get something like that. I like the atmosphere and the service was good and friendly.

Spent this last weekend drinking coffee in almost every coffee shop around Portland & Speckled Ax was ABSOLUTELY the best that I had. The shop is beautiful and simply decorated. The menu is not extravagant, it simply highlights the delicious coffee. The maple latte is spectacular, as is the cortado. The two baristas I interacted with were the sweetest. Would definitely come back & if I lived in the area, I’d be a regular at that nice high top counter.

Coming from Australia it was so good to finally find some truly well made espresso coffee. It's so hard to find in the US. These negative reviews are hilarious: complaining about the higher cost (you get what you pay for), or the small cup sizes (that's a Medium in Australia! Why do people want lightly flavoured scalding hot milk?), or saying you're better off going to Starbucks! If you actually want a well made coffee made with quality beans then you won't be disappointed here.

This Coffee shop was quiet, clean, relaxing and an nice find. The coffee was high quality, I am buying more beans from them. The two baristas were nice and welcoming. The service was quick, I am giving them 4 stars, because, perfection is hard to come by.

The short haired female barista with a nose ring was super rude and catty during our transaction, however she and her coworker both seemed to be very experienced baristas making a very good product. The coffee from Speckled Axe seems to be emulating the most recent trend in western coffee of specialty, single origin, extremely lightly roasted product. Coffee of this style has a much more “planty” characteristic, no matter the origin. You tend to get much more acidic and bright notes from the flavors, very reminiscent of tea, even when properly extracted as espresso. I am glad they exist and are producing a product very representative of this style of roasting, but I am by far a much bigger fan of the heavy richness that can be introduced with more medium level roasts. I purchased a $22 bag of Honduras single origin and I must say, it’s interesting. My friend that does not traditionally enjoy coffee was very fond of the flat white I prepared for her, and even more enthusiastic about the cafe mocha I made after. These lighter coffees lend themselves well to people who dislike the strong flavor profile of more richly roasted coffees, so I will hold onto the Honduras for serving to my more timid friends. All in all, this is a very authentic new wave style roastery and coffee shop, which is true in all its characteristics, including the irritating gen z barista with a nose ring and a random confrontational and condescending attitude. Everything was perfect. Annoying, but perfect.